As she prepares to lead the Health & Wellness jury at Cannes Lions 2026, Kainaz Karmakar, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India, is urging the industry to look beyond familiar markets and embrace a more culturally nuanced approach to creativity.
Speaking to IMPACT, Karmakar said one of her key priorities as Jury President is to ensure that work is evaluated in the context of the culture and community for which it is designed, rather than through a universal lens.
“We need to put ourselves in the shoes of that place and those people and then evaluate the idea,” she said, stressing that jurors must make the effort to understand local realities before judging the relevance or impact of a campaign.
Watch the interview here:
Karmakar hopes the winning body of work in Health & Wellness will reflect what she described as a ‘tapestry’ of ideas from across the world. While she does not believe entries should be rewarded simply because of their origin, she argues that solutions emerging from different cultures deserve careful consideration and understanding.
On what separates winning work from shortlisted work, Karmakar pointed to the growing importance of execution. While ideas remain fundamental, she noted that craft plays a bigger role as entries move up the awards ladder.
“Execution becomes more and more important because you already judged the idea in the first round,” she said, adding that innovation, application, music, product design and measurable impact all contribute to how work is ultimately assessed.
Reflecting on India’s performance in the category, Karmakar believes the country has already demonstrated its potential, citing the Health & Wellness Grand Prix win in 2022. However, she feels there is still room for greater participation and stronger representation from Indian agencies.
For the next generation of creatives, particularly women, her advice is simple: focus on the work, not the noise. “Just do your work well and have your value system in place, and the rest will fall into place for you,” she said.
