Hill & Knowlton scoops Silver PR Lion at Cannes

Hill & Knowlton was awarded a Silver PR Lion at the 2011 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in recognition of

its campaign “Understanding Multiple Sclerosis” led by the agency’s Polish office on behalf of pharmaceutical client Gedeon Richter. The campaign – which successfully raised awareness of the plight of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) sufferers in Poland by creating an online interactive simulation of MS symptoms – won in the PR Lions healthcare category and was also shortlisted in the best use of digital PR category.

Agnieszka Dziedzic, President of Hill & Knowlton Poland commented: “To be recognised with a Silver PR Lion – the first for healthcare in Poland – is an outstanding achievement for our client and our team.”

Dan McIntyre, Hill & Knowlton’s Worldwide Healthcare Practice Leader, added: “Multiple Sclerosis is a little-understood condition that affects the lives of more than 2 million people worldwide. To see a PR campaign from our Polish healthcare team transform a nation’s understanding of MS symptoms and initiate meaningful discussions around treatment access and funding, makes all of us at Hill & Knowlton very proud and is a testament to the creativity of our experts.”

Cannes Lions added a PR category in 2009 to recognise the role PR plays in brand communications. A total of 819 submissions were made this year, a 43 per cent increase on last year. Out of the 102 shortlisted entries, only 39 lions were awarded.