Sonia Cosentino’s Young Lions Win Sparked a Lifelong Passion

For Sonia Cosentino, executive creative director at Publicis Health, winning gold at Cannes Young Lions didn’t just open professional doors – it expanded geographical horizons beyond her native Italy.

Sonia can clearly recall the brief and the process that led to the win. The subject matter was intense, serious: targeting senior leaders of multinational companies to gain their support – and resources – in the fight against AIDS. Sonia notes that the language used was highly targeted to that demographic and radically different from consumer-facing copy. The tagline, ‘For the first time, your expertise is needed to get a negative result. Join us to fight AIDS,’ demonstrates how Sonia flipped the aspirational language typically aimed at leaders to an attention-grabbing and winning effect.

Taking home the top prize for copy written in English was a big deal for the Italian Sonia, and it encouraged her to “break through every linguistic barrier,” as she put it, and it sparked her interest in health communication.

LBB caught up with Sonia to find out more about how winning Young Lions has influenced her career, why she returned to health communication after over a decade in a consumer-facing role, and why she’d task young people with targeting the older demographic if she were tasked with writing a new Young Lions brief.

LBB> How did winning Young Lions shape your career path?

Sonia> We were the first Italian team ever to win gold at Cannes Young Lions in the history of the festival. This brought us great visibility and opened many doors. From that moment, many creative directors reached out to us. There was even talk of a one-year collaboration opportunity in New York at a major agency. It encouraged us to keep raising the bar and deepened my passion for the international creative world. Italy was no longer the only stage for me.

LBB> Do you remember the brief or idea you won with? What would you do differently now?

Sonia> I remember everything from those days. My focus during the brief was extremely intense – I made sure to catch every single word from the French client. The brief was for a campaign for the Global Business Coalition, and the target was very specific: managers and CEOs of large multinational companies were being asked to use their resources and expertise to support the fight against AIDS. I clearly remember how much time we spent studying the precise language needed for that audience, which was very different from the usual general public target. I also recall every other idea we had, and how choosing the right one by consensus wasn’t easy. There was another concept we thought was equally strong, but we ultimately went with the one we loved the most.

LBB> With what work did you win? Tell us about it!

Sonia> We went for a minimal approach, which at the time was our creative aim, but with great attention to detail and how the elements interacted in the communication – the classic 1+1=3. The headline said, ‘For the first time, your expertise is needed to get a negative result. Join us to fight AIDS.’ The visual showed a vial in the centre of the page, resembling a minus sign. It was truly our style. Honestly, I think I would do it exactly the same way again.

LBB> Looking back, what doors did the competition open? Or what confidence did it give you?

Sonia> Winning with copy written in English was not something taken for granted for an Italian copywriter, and it definitely encouraged me even more to break through every linguistic barrier. Additionally, it sparked my passion for health communication, which is the field I have specialised in over the past six years, after 19 years working in consumer communication.

LBB> What’s been the most unexpected twist or turning point in your journey since then?

Sonia> Throughout my career, I’ve moved between several agencies, but following a very clear red thread: choosing places that allowed me to break through the limits of the creative department and connect with professionals from other teams. These intersections have always been fascinating and very attractive to me. I loved the digital world early on, back when agencies still saw it as a nerdy, almost below-the-line area. The biggest twist was probably my shift from the consumer world, especially focusing on automotive and fashion, to the highly regulated pharma sector. It required huge sacrifices and a lot of study, but it definitely paid off.

LBB> What’s one piece of work you've been involved in since that you feel carries the same spirit or energy as your Young Lions entry?

Sonia> Communication and writing have always come so naturally to me that I never really understood where my unique style lay. Then, there was a moment that illuminated everything. In 2024, I won Cannes’ first-ever Lion for Italy in the regulated pharma category. No one expected it, but I had poured my soul – and a bit of my health – into that project. I was nearly burnt out from perfecting every detail while managing daily workloads. At that moment, I analysed myself and realised my emotional energy was wearing thin. Yet, pure rationality wasn’t enough to deliver the kind of work I aimed for. That’s when I understood that my emotional commitment (always combined with obsessive, meticulous study) is the true essence of every project I undertake. I bring the same dedication and passion I had for the Young Lions brief to every client and hope every creative output carries and shows this.

LBB> If you were writing a new Young Lions brief, what challenge would you put in front of today’s competitors?

Sonia> If I were writing a new Young Lions brief, it would definitely be a health-related challenge. It would require competitors to put in the effort to study a target audience not so close to young people, the older generations. The goal would be for today’s youth to truly understand both the needs and the native context of this older audience, and to come up with inclusive solutions that bridge the generational gap.