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Key Marketing Trends for Indian Pharma & Healthcare, from the Winning Work at Cannes LIONS 2024, Unveiled in a Historic Showcase

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The exclusive, live Indian showcase was hosted by The Work from LIONS, in collaboration with Medulla Communications.

MUMBAI, India, Sept. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In a historic first, the award-winning work and critical insights from Cannes Lions, the International Festival of Creativity, were presented in an exclusive event across Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Gurugram. Hosted in collaboration with Medulla Communications, India’s leading healthcare advertising agency, the event brought together industry leaders to explore the creative and strategic trends that will shape the future of pharma and healthcare marketing in India.

Revolutionizing Pharma and Healthcare Marketing

This one-of-a-kind event provided a platform for India’s top pharma and healthcare marketing professionals to analyse and discuss the most impactful campaigns from Cannes Lions 2024. The discussions revealed several emerging trends that are set to redefine the industry, highlighting the importance of creativity, technology, and patient-centric approaches in driving future success.

Rise of Customer–Patient Experience — Highlight from Mumbai, Day 1 (27th Aug)

Patient centricity is rapidly becoming the cornerstone of modern healthcare. With patients’ expectations evolving — fuelled by the seamless experiences offered in other industries — healthcare providers are increasingly prioritizing patient-centred approaches to enhance overall care.

Achin Gupta, CEO – One India Business, Cipla, shared, “It is happening today; all of that is changing towards what we are now calling ‘patient centricity’. It’s been around for a while, but there are newer dimensions to it, starting with awareness, which is a very important thing, especially for emerging markets like India where there’s lot of prevalence but lot less awareness about the disease.”

Integrating Healthy Habits — Highlight from Mumbai, Day 2 (28th Aug)

Adopting new behaviours is often challenging for patients and consumers, especially when it comes to managing complex health conditions. The event highlighted the barriers consumers face in integrating new habits into their daily lives, such as the lack of awareness about lifestyle factors and the psychological resistance to change.

Shivam Puri, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Cipla Health Ltd., said, “One of the first things we were taught when we started marketing was to try to stay away from categories which are doing category development. And, within a couple of years, I was taught another fact, which was to try not to do category development in categories which involve habit change. So, categories which require consumers to shift their habits — stay away from those categories, because it becomes very difficult for you to succeed. Now, you know at Cipla Health, you actually realize there is a 3rd category in this, where you are trying to do category development in categories which require a habit shift where the habit is one of the stickiest habits that exists.”

Do Doctors Know Everything? — Highlight from Bengaluru, Day 3 (29th Aug)

Disease awareness has become a critical component of pharmaceutical marketing, aiming to educate both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and consumers. These campaigns not only help HCPs make informed decisions but also empower consumers to recognize early symptoms and seek timely medical intervention, ultimately improving health outcomes.

Vikrant Shrotriya, Managing Director & Corporate Vice President, Novo Nordisk, went on to say, “I’m not here to prove to you that doctors know everything, but I’ll put across a point that they are part of the ecosystem in terms of the treatment which is provided to the patients. Many a times we call them customers because we do sell like doctors, sell their practice.”

Increasing Access in Healthcare through Technology — Highlight from Gurugram, Day 4 (30th August)

Technology is revolutionizing healthcare, making it more accessible and efficient. The event showcased how advancements in AI, machine learning, and telemedicine are transforming patient care and experiences. From improving diagnostic accuracy to enabling real-time health tracking through smart devices, these technological innovations are empowering patients and healthcare providers alike.

Aditi Sood, Business Leader – Sleep & Respiratory Care, Indian Subcontinent, Philips India Ltd., spoke on access through technology and said, “Coming to how technology can really unlock access to healthcare: So, when we talk about healthcare, of course, technology is there in multiple ways. You know it could be patient, doctor, or industry facing. But when we look at it specifically from the consumer or the patient lens, this then is typically the health continuum. You have watches which tell you ECG; you even have for more serious diseases, such as cancer, AI-powered machines which can diagnose solid organ cancers, which was not possible before — the era of robotic surgery. Now coming to India, robotic surgery does not eliminate the need of a doctor. But, in fact, it makes it more accurate and precise, which means organs which were not accessible before and tumours of the lung, which a doctor could not access in surgery before are today possible.”

Other trends that emerged:

HCPs are Humans TooCMOs in Today’s TimesDoes Being Socially Inclusive Pay for Brands?Hospital Communication Can Touch Lives Just Like Hospitals DoBeing Socially Inclusive

The event offered invaluable insights into the evolving pharma and healthcare landscape, sparking discussions on the future direction of the industry. With creativity and technology at the forefront, the future of pharma and healthcare marketing in India is poised for significant advancements, paving the way for improved outcomes for both healthcare professionals and patients.

About LIONS

As The Home of Creativity, LIONS powers the marketing segment, Ascential, and is a destination for those in the business of creativity. As the definitive benchmark of creative excellence and with unparalleled access to insight on how it works, LIONS provides those on the journey to creative excellence all they need, at whatever stage they are and wherever they are. Our annual five-day festival, Cannes Lions, is the meeting place for the global creative marketing community and a celebration of the world’s most excellent and effective work.

About Medulla Communications

Founded by Praful Akali in 2008, Medulla Communications has consistently been recognized as one of the top healthcare agencies, globally. The agency has been honoured as the Healthcare Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions and ranked as the #4 Most Effective Independent Agency globally by Effies, and the #4 Most Effective Specialist Agency globally by WARC.

For media inquiries, please contact: leonie@medulla.in

 

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Canton Fair Buyers Alliance Launched as the 140th Edition Opens

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On October 15, the Canton Fair Buyers Alliance was officially launched at the Canton Fair Complex, marking a significant milestone as the fair celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding.

More than 140 overseas buyers attended the launch ceremony, highlighting the fair’s enduring role as a bridge connecting global commerce with China’s export sector.

Speaking at the ceremony, Luís Vilariça, CEO of Joinco, Import & Export, Ltd., discussed his company’s long-standing relationship with the Canton Fair. Drawing on years of participation, he reflected on the growth opportunities created through cooperation with Chinese suppliers and highlighted the fair’s role in supporting international business development and global trade exchanges.

The ceremony also featured a joint declaration by alliance members. Representatives from five member companies read the statement in their respective native languages, underscoring the international character of the new organization. Additional members sent video congratulatory messages, joining the celebration and witnessing the official launch of the alliance.

The Canton Fair Buyers Alliance represents one of the fair’s key service innovations. Designed primarily for Fortune Global 500 companies, buyers from the world’s top 250 retailers and leading sourcing enterprises across a diverse range of markets, the alliance aims to offer members a platform for information sharing and resource coordination. The first cohort of alliance members includes 58 companies from 32 countries and regions across 5 continents. Through the alliance, members will gain access to a range of priority benefits spanning four major areas: services, events, resources and information.

 For more convenient attendance, please click here for pre-registration:

https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

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SOURCE Canton Fair

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Bioethanol from human hair – Indian start-up’s solution to rising prices of grains and sugar

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GUJARAT, India, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In what could be called the beginning of the 5G (fifth-generation) of bioethanol or non-cellulosic bioethanol or non-sugar-based biofuels, an Indian start-up, Techofest Global, based out of Gujarat, has developed its own, indigenous, and patented technology for the production of bioethanol from waste human hair. Such processes would significantly reduce the employment of sugars, grains, and agricultural residues, which form the classical first- and second-generation bioethanol feedstocks. As a result, the rising fuel-vs.-food/fodder debate is anticipated to reduce, and instead, ethanol produced from municipal/industrial waste, after trials, can supplement the current supply being used as blends with presently retailed fossil fuels (E20, E27, etc.). 

As stated by Dr. Ravi, the founder-CEO of Techofest Global, the strategic priority and the USP of the start-up is industrial symbiosis, which, typically, involves an ecosystem of up-cycling/valorising the effluents of an industry, thereby creating a value-chain for residues often lacking an end-of-life. With more than three decades of experience in designing customized nuclear fusion reactors for international programmes, such as ITER, JET/UKAEA and SST-1, Dr. Ravi, a seasoned mechanical engineer, spearheads the start-up’s patented technologies’ scale-up and commercialization.

Two biochemical engineers, Dr. Navnit – the former CTO, and Dr. Kabilan – the former CEO of Biomakerz, Chennai, are the brains behind the current technology/process portfolio of the joint-venture between Techofest Global and Biomakerz. They have been working on biorefineries’ process intensification for more than a decade. “Having foreseen the fuel-vs-fodder/food competition as early as the year 2015, we began developing techno-economically feasible and viable in-vitro metabolically-engineered bioprocesses for scaling-up ethanol production from municipal waste streams between 2019–2021”, says Navnit. After developing operational technologies for international biofuel organizations, serving process engineer roles with certain biorefineries-related OMC R&D’s of India, Dr. Navnit, presently works for a premier academic institution.

An on-going fermentation trial at the Techofest Global-Biomakerz JV’s R&D facility

Techofest Global has developed and tested, in its R&D JV’s pilot-facility of ~100-L, 3 innovative and cost-effective technologies, such as 5G ethanol production using human hair, used cooking oil (UCO), and enriched bio-methane production from disposed sanitary napkins.

“With massive CapEx and OpEx, 2G ethanol technology is facing a major commercialization bottleneck, owing to competition with food/livestock fodder, requirement of a cost-intensive pre-treatment procedure, and the requirement of cellulolytic cocktails, which have a poor recycle efficiency. The proprietary 5G SAFE process developed for the start-up circumvents the mentioned constraints, and instead, utilizes a single-stage saccharification followed by fermentation, and records over 85–90% biocatalyst recovery. Likewise, the proprietary SIM process for bio-methane production, exclusively developed for the start-up, is 2x faster with improved intermittent feeding cycles and continuous gas harvest”, says Navnit.

“With on-going pre-commercialization trials, the proprietary ethanol and bio-methane processes of ours are soon being commercialized”, says Ms. Bhumika, the co-founder and the corporate advisor of the start-up. Furthermore, Mr. Ronak pilots the organization’s global market entry and commercialization frontier.

Techofest Global’s veteran Principal Technology Advisors include: Dr VS Tripathi, former Joint Director, DRDE Gwalior, Dr B S Munjal, former Director, Structures and Thermal group, SAC/ISRO, Academician and Advisor CIKS-Dharohar, GTU, and Dr AV Santhanababu, former Scientist at Satish Dhawan Space Centre. With on-going R&D activities, Dr. Munjal says, “the start-up is striving to provide a unique solution along the lines of the Atmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat Vision 2047”.

Media Contact: www.techofestglobal.com; e-mail: info@techofestglobal.com; contact person: The PR team of Techofest Global.

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As AI Speeds Up Marketing, Louisville’s RedTag Bets on Strategy

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Independent agency unveils new brand and website, and co-hosts Louisville’s PROOF AI Workshop

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — RedTag, an independent Louisville-based marketing agency, this month unveiled new positioning, marking its evolution from a digital performance agency into a strategy-first marketing partner. The move comes as AI makes execution faster than ever, and RedTag is betting that strategy, not speed, is what will set businesses apart. Clients can now choose from outcome-based programs that best fit their marketing needs. 

“Clients don’t come to us needing more tactics. They come to us needing a path,” said Russ Renbarger, founder and CEO of RedTag. “Our new brand says out loud what our work has shown for years: We start with strategy and build everything on that foundation.”

RedTag built its reputation on high-performing paid digital campaigns. Over the years, the agency expanded into strategy, creative, video production and website development, giving clients one partner for the full scope of their marketing. Most recently, a team of automation specialists has integrated AI across the agency to speed up production and analysis, guided by an internal AI policy that keeps people accountable for quality. The time AI saves goes back into strategy: knowing what to say, who to say it to and why.

“Our best client relationships have always been partnerships, where we’re in the room when the big decisions get made,” said Alison Conway, chief client officer at RedTag. “This evolution is about bringing that strategic partnership to every client.”

On Oct. 14, RedTag co-hosted the PROOF AI Workshop with Slingshot, Vsimple and Advanced Business Solutions. The hands-on event gave Louisville business leaders practical experience applying AI to their own work. RedTag led the event’s AI in Marketing and Branding track, with four sessions ranging from AI search optimization to a playbook for adopting AI across an organization.

“AI can produce hundreds of ads in an afternoon, but it can’t tell you which one your brand actually needs and why,” Renbarger said. “The faster the tools get, the more valuable human-led strategy becomes.”

RedTag was named the agency of record for the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2025. Its client list includes PGA of America, Castle & Key Distillery, Bourbon Barrel Foods, ShopCaterpillar and American Beverage Marketers. Since 2023, RedTag’s work has received two Emmy Awards and more than 35 ADDY and AIGA awards. The agency is a four-time Louisville Business First Fast 50 honoree and was named one of the 2026 Best Places to Work in Kentucky.

To learn more about its outcome-based programs, visit RedTag Programs

About RedTag

RedTag is an independent, strategy-first marketing agency based in Louisville, Kentucky. Established in 2008, the agency starts every engagement by understanding the goal before recommending tactics. With a foundation rooted in discovery, RedTag delivers full-scale marketing campaigns built around each client’s business goals. RedTag serves organizations across hospitality, sports, agriculture, government, retail and consumer packaged goods. Learn more at redtag.agency.

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SOURCE RED TAG LLC

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