The prestigious Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival has announced the winners of its 2010 awards for public relations work. The ‘Fight Cervical Cancer in Style’ campaign developed and funded by GlaxoSmithKline, executed by Weber Shandwick in the UK and its sister lifestyle boutique SLAM PR, on behalf of GSK in association with Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, has won a Silver Lion, the only winner in the healthcare category.

The national campaign was developed to educate girls and women about cervical cancer so they could better understand their risk and how to reduce it. The campaign pushed health education boundaries, created a website for pledges of support, commissioned a designer for the campaign scarf, recruited ambassadors, brought doctors and nurses on board for support, and hosted an event attended by Sarah Brown that was filmed by Channel 4. A first for the pharmaceutical industry, the campaign garnered influential support, reached thousands of young women and motivated them to reduce their risk.  There have been more than 91,000 visitors to the website, 26,000 pledges of support and almost 100% understanding of key messages among girls who attended the event.

“It is an honour to win this prestigious award and become the first UK public relations agency to win a Cannes Lion two years running,” said Colin Byrne, CEO, Weber Shandwick UK & Europe.

Richard Heath, Director of Vaccines, GSK UK said; “Reaching out and engaging with girls and women about health messages is a big challenge. The innovative use of fashion, music and celebrity made sure that this campaign really engaged with its audience on their level. We are very proud of what has been achieved and are confident that this campaign will have a positive impact on the health of girls and women in the UK.”

“We are delighted to have been involved in such a worthwhile campaign educating girls and women about the risks of cervical cancer and making a genuine difference in people’s lives,” said
Molly Hooper-Aldridge, Global Managing Director, SLAM PR.

Now in its second year, the Cannes Lions PR programme received 567 entries from around the world. From a shortlist of 87, the jury chose to award 32 Silver and 11 Gold PR Lions. Weber Shandwick in London is the only PR agency to win two years running, scooping the award second time around in partnership with its sister lifestyle boutique SLAM PR.

The 57th International Advertising Festival - Cannes Lions - was held from 20-26 June 2010. It is the largest gathering of worldwide advertising professionals and advertisers.