2018 Winners & Shortlists

OBESITY - THE JAIL CELL THAT GETS BIGGER WITH TIME

BrandNOVOTEL & IBIS HOTEL
Product/ServiceOBESITY AWARENESS
EntrantMcCANN HEALTH Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryPosters
Idea Creation McCANN HEALTH Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Campaign

The campaign focused on obesity awareness, the hotels all-you-can-eat buffets and access to their free gyms. Posters, displayed around the hotel, depicted 3 characters, trapped by their obesity; a jail cell that only gets bigger with time. Each characters prison is locked with a symbol of their suffering. We wanted to depict the sufferers in a way that showed them large and unhappy, but without demonizing them or making them look grotesque. We created characters that featured abstract forms and colours - giving them a unique aesthetic that captured their struggles. We wanted to place them within scenarios that added a layer of intrigue to their storylines. We also wanted to demonstrate the notion of being "trapped" or "imprisoned" related as much to the mental wellbeing of obesity sufferers just as much as the physical side of things.

Creative Execution

After spending time listening to obesity sufferers, we created the headline "Obesity - the jail cell that get's bigger with time" and realized we had something smart, thought-provoking and authentic. We knew that we wanted to focus our attention on this and started looking at how we could bring that powerful statement to life visually, through an illustrative style. We created storylines that picked up on elements from testimonials we had heard; For example, one sufferer had wished he had spent more time exercising when he was younger instead of playing video games. The irony was that once he realized he needed to do something, he was physically incapable of exercising because of his size. We wanted to depict the challenges these people were facing in an impactful and stylized manner, while remaining sensitive to the issues at hand. We created the final artwork in collaboration with a 3d illustrator.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Gym visits on World Obesity Day, and the following days, increased dramatically, although whether guests were eating smaller portions at the buffets was difficult to quantify. The posters had the desired effect though in bringing obesity, as a topic, top of mind for hotel guests and staff reported a large amount of visitors wanting to know and learn more about obesity. These guests were redirected to the World Obesity Day website. The campaign had a positive effect on Novotel and Ibis hotel staff with employees asking their senior managers how they can be more involved in all awareness campaigns throughout the year. The obesity campaign has also encouraged staff to take a more proactive mindset when it comes to their own lifestyle choices; Subsequently, charity walks and team physical activities have been organized for employees for the HR department.

We wanted to create posters as they were big, impactful and direct. We used bold colours, interesting illustrations and thought-provoking headlines to capture the imagination of the audience and plant a seed in their mind regarding their own lifestyle choices. The brand itself wanted the communication to be purely about World Obesity Day and allowed us to move away from their own guidelines, colours and fonts etc. In terms of the target audience - Novotel and Ibis hotels receive guests from all over the world for business and leisure purposes - it was imperative that our posters were visually striking and communicated the key message quickly and effectively.

Credits

Name Company Role
Robert Gibbs McCann Health Creative Director
Neil Montefalcon Freelance Illustrator
Robert Gibbs McCann Health Creative Director