Matt Eastwood: I Love That Confluence of Science and Creativity

Matt Eastwood laughs as he describes himself as a ‘kid in a candy store’. Just three weeks into his new role as global chief creative officer at McCann Healthcare and he’s been spending his time surrounded by the MDs and PhDs and medical experts who populate the network. The opportunity to apply creative thinking to crunchy, real-world problems with profound, human impact is one that’s getting him excited.

For decades, health and wellness agencies were the Cinderellas of the industry – hampered by regulation, viewed by top talent as less exciting than more mainstream agencies but kept around for their huge billing potential. But with the advent of new technologies like Artificial Intelligence and mixed reality, and a growth in the sector, there’s a growing creative confidence and sense of ambition.

For McCann Health, the hiring of a respected, global talent like Eastwood, with a reputation for nurturing talent and propelling agencies up creative rankings is a statement of intent. Matt's time at JWT saw him take the network from 14th most awarded at Cannes Lions to 7th. While at DDB New York, the agency became the 3rd most awarded agency in the US under his leadership - before he joined it had not won a Cannes Lion in 17 years. Of course, the arrival at McCann Health sets him a slightly different challenge. In its sector, it has triumphed - McCann Health is the current holder of the Cannes Health Lions Network of the Year. The question is... where next?

And from opening the talent pool to broadening the scope of health and wellness, Matt's already got a few ideas cooking away. Fro his point of view, the sector is surging and has been for a long time.

“I’ve sat back over the past three or four years and seen the health and wellness space grow in strength and even in value – as FMCG has been declining year-on-year and a lot of the big brands have been reducing ad spend,” reflects Matt on the gradual rise in prominence. He calls his move ‘timely’.

It’s not the first time that Eastwood- the former worldwide chief creative officer at JWT and DDB New York CCO – has explored the healthcare area but it’s the first time he’s fully dedicated himself to it. Notable former wellness projects include the ‘Drinkable Book’ for Water is Life while at DDB, and ‘The Fin’ for Northwell Health while at JWT, an amphibious prosthetic to help veterans with amputations to swim.

Aside from the sheer growth of the sector - spend is rising in both digital and TV - for a passionate creative soul like Matt, there are far more personal reasins underpinning his move to the sector. At a time when the concept of purpose-driven advertising and ‘brand purpose’ are spicy topics – which brands ‘deserve’ to adopt which causes? Where’s the line between authenticity and appropriation? – the healthcare and wellness area sort of floats above it all with an almost serene simplicity. It’s wellness… it’s about helping people to be… well.

“It’s great having that clarity and purpose – everything you work on is about improving quality of life and improving people’s overall health so it’s perfect,” says Matt.

That idea of purpose also translates to the agency itself and, Matt believes, it’s ability to appeal to a broader range of creative talent. “One of the things that really struck me as a great opportunity in the healthcare space is that millennials talk about jobs with purpose and it feels like the brands we have in this area are exactly what they’re looking for. I hope to use my background to draw new talent into the healthcare space.”

At a time when workplace wellness and ableism and mental health are increasingly front-of-mind, Matt reckons agencies like McCann Health are ahead of the curve. “It’s totally true. When I arrived here a couple of weeks ago was one of the things I liked were the values of McCann Health. They are: health, happiness and humanity. I thought that was so spot-on for what so many people are looking for in terms of work-life balance. It seems obvious to include health as a value in a company like McCann Health but think about what it means throughout the organisation in terms of mental health and making sure that you’re living your best healthy life.” 

And when the industry makes overblown claims about changing the world, the team at McCann Health really is working cheek-to-cheek with world leaders and NGOs to tackle huge global healthcare challenges. Last year the group launched the McCann Health Scientific Council and is the only healthcare comms agency with a seat on the Private Sector Roundtable (PSRT) which supports the UN Global Health Security Agenda. For a creative, the opportunity to really get deep with pioneering practitioners is irresistible. "I love that confluence of science and creativity," says Matt.

“It’s a whole different world – I can’t help but feel humbled because it’s so important,” he continues. “It’s a great coming together of these incredible brains who are trying to solve these global issues and you inject some creativity into it and you get something like the Immunity Charm.”

The Immunity Charm, of course, is McCann Health’s Grand Prix-winning project that used traditional beaded bracelets as a means of recording the immunisation histories of children in Afghanistan. It’s an example of a project that tackles a real healthcare issue in a lateral way.

Right now, Matt is getting to know the local agencies around the network and exploring the newer work and clients. Already there are standouts like McCann Health Singapore’s cutlery set for Smile Asia that allows people to experience how difficult it is to eat with a cleft palate. 

“It’s just a really smart and interesting idea. The biggest thing in this space is helping people who don’t experience these issues have empathy with those that do and I think that’s a great example of that. That’s really important,” says Matt.

One opportunity that he’s looking forward to getting really stuck into is broadening the scope of the kinds of brands that can be considered ‘wellness’ and ‘health’ brands. And part of that will involve bringing the talent from McCann Health and McCann World Group closer together. In particular, Matt is looking forward to working with his old friend Rob Reilly, Creative Chairman of McCann World Group.

“I look on with admiration at what the McCann World Group team have been doing over the last four or five years. The reinvention of that brand and its dominance in creativity is amazing. One of the things that was interesting, and why Rob started talking to me about this role, was that he saw an opportunity to bring McCann Health and McCann World Group closer together,” says Matt. “ Unleashing  the whole McCann World Group Network onto the issues I’m dealing with will be amazing.”