2 Minutes With ... Eric Weisberg, Global CCO at Havas Health

Plus 'Airquity,' 'The Vitals' and Star Wars

Eric is global chief creative officer at Havas Health, inspiring a creative awakening across the 6,000+ person network. Throughout his career, Eric has guided his teams to win over 100 international creative awards from Cannes, The One Show, Clios, the Webbys, Effies and more. Eric’s work can be found in the Smithsonian’s permanent collection and college textbooks, and has been covered by CNN, NBC, BCC, The New York Times and Fast Company. 

We spent two minutes with Eric to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired. 

Eric, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio (cue laugh track). I’ve made pitstops in Chicago and Detroit, but I’ve spent most of my adult life in New York City.

How you first got interested in health.

It’s been a long courtship between me and health marketing. Betwixt briefs for beer, sneakers, jeeps and Big Macs, I started to fall in love with brands like Tylenol, Band-Aid and Listerine. That led to flirts with briefs for hospital systems, insurance, medical devices and eventually prescription drugs — all of which I found intellectually and creatively interesting, but ones most creative people ignored. Before I knew it, folks started considering me a health and wellness expert, even though I was running a general consumer agency. 

Then COVID happened, and I realized that everything about health was about to change — every brand was about to become a health brand. Suddenly, creativity in health, long the backseat of advertising innovation, was about to have a massive creative awakening, and I wanted to be a part of that. And as we all emerged from the fog of COVID, I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives and help close the health equity gap.

Some of your favorite projects you’ve ever worked on.

If you asked most people, they would tell you I’m best known for making Matthew McConaughey the creative director of Wild Turkey; Jeep’s The Middle with Bruce Springsteen, a Super Bowl spot that aimed to heal the nation after the last election; or Band-Aid MagicVision, the app that turned a billion bandages into an entertainment platform.

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But those aren’t necessarily the projects that are most meaningful to me. I’ve always been drawn to work that celebrates and supports people and problems that are often overlooked.

My personal picks would be:

Healing the Healers, a film, research study and white paper that aims to ease the mental health crisis and high suicide rate of medical professionals.

Tylenol’s How We Family, a campaign launched moments after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, which celebrated modern love and sparked an important discussion about health, inclusivity and family.

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Another favorite project was The Vitals, a Marvel comic book series celebrating the stories of real nurses and their fight during COVID. It started a national conversation about the urgent nursing shortage. The book is now part of The Smithsonian‘s permanent collection and was the most downloaded comic book of 2021.

A recent project you’re proud of.

I’m obsessed with our work with Earswitch called Airquity. This is exactly the kind of creative innovation that drew me to Havas to focus on closing the health equity gap. Because of how light interacts with melanin, pulse oximeters are less effective on black and brown skin, so Airquity was designed based on the idea that inside the ear canal, all skin looks the same. The groundbreaking campaign addressed racial bias to literally save lives. 

One thing about how health is evolving that you’re excited about.

We’re living in a time where every brand is now a health brand. Traditional health brands are now competing with the biggest brands in the world that are making health their differentiator. Apple, Amazon and Google have taken on health as a big part of the future of their business and their purpose. Before, health was in its own world. Health is the last major industry to undergo a user-centric transformation, and what we’re seeing is patient-led care like never before. We’re seeing a world where the same user transformation that happened in entertainment, telecoms and insurance is now changing how drugs are launched and how people interact with the healthcare system.

Someone else’s work, in health or beyond, that you admired lately.

I have to give massive props to Apple for their commitment to serving underserved populations. Apple’s The Greatest is a magnificent celebration of the abilities of people with disabilities. Best of all, it’s not empty purpose-washing; they have embedded accessibility into each and every one of their devices. I applaud their strategy to not just focus on the greatest number of people, but the people with the greatest need.

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A book, movie, TV show, or podcast you recently found inspiring.

Rick Rubin‘s The Creative Act: A Way of Being. Beyond the book, I recently saw him speak at the Universal Music Group and Thrive Global MUSIC + HEALTH Summit. He has always personally inspired my creative journey, and I can’t get enough of how he views the world, content and the power of creativity.

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

David Byrne. He has continued to reinvent what the standard for music and music videos looks like, and then he moved his creativity to Broadway.

Your favorite fictional character.

Yoda.

Someone worth following on social media.

Winston Green – chief dog officer at Havas Health and Havas Creative Network. You can follow him on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Your main strength as a marketer/creative.

Resilience.

Your biggest weakness.

Procrastination.

One thing that always makes you happy.

Matcha.

One thing that always makes you sad.

When people tell me they’ve never seen any Star Wars films.

Something people would find surprising about you.

I’m the first person in my family who is not a butcher. I come from a long line of butchers dating back many generations to Russia. Ironically enough, I’m also the first vegetarian in my family.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in health.

I don’t have a screenplay in my drawer, I don’t play guitar, I’m not shooting a short film … I’m exactly where I want to be. 

Somebody recently asked me on a podcast: “What’s my next chapter?” I said, “Health IS my next chapter.”