The marketing of health care—an industry that literally represents the difference between life and death—requires sensitivity and a keen understanding of the audience.

That’s true whether the campaign is promoting the latest drug from a multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical company or a message about disease prevention from a small health care nonprofit.

It can be tempting to play it safe. But finding a way to break through the noise with just the right messaging and execution is even more important today. The industry is at a pivotal moment, one marked by new competitors, care models and technologies as well as consolidation and a consumer who demands better.

The winners of the Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards—a partnership between Modern Healthcare and Ad Age—demonstrated an understanding of those nuances in their advertising, marketing, promotion and communication campaigns. In this year’s winners, you’ll find some campaigns are somber or might bring a tear to your eye while others are joyful and, in some cases, downright cheeky. All smartly bring attention to health care issues and the companies trying to improve patient care.

Who judges the Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards?

The judges included editors and reporters from Modern Healthcare and Ad Age, who pooled their expertise on the health care and marketing fields to select the best campaigns.

How did we pick the winners?

It was difficult. We received hundreds of submissions and there’s a lot of good work out there. Judges looked for creative, purposeful campaigns that grabbed attention, yet with the right tone. Winning entries also reported measurable results.

What made a campaign eligible?

To be considered for this year’s awards, campaigns must have been produced and appeared between Jan. 1, 2022, and June 26, 2023. Campaigns across all formats—video, audio, TV, print, digital, social, etc.—were eligible.

What’s different this year?

The 2023 awards added new categories for branded entertainment/content, creative data campaigns, purpose-led campaigns, and “tiny but mighty” campaigns, alongside mainstays from years past. We also selected winners for the Best in Show Award and the Agency of the Year Award.

What campaigns were honored previously?

Winning campaigns have been published by Modern Healthcare each year since 2014.