Anything Could Happen: Arrests, Mobs, Or 1.3 Billion Views
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Cannes, France — Alison Jackson, a contemporary artist who explores the cult of celebrity we all live in, kicked off Lions Health. If you don’t know Jackson, she creates convincingly realistic work showing lookalikes of celebrities doing things in private and raises questions about just what we can believe in world intermediated by cameras. Her subjects are the same ones paparazzi go after – Princess Diana, Simon Cowell, George W Bush and so many more. Many of her exhibits, videos and photos are profane, others are funny, and all are entirely provocative.
One of her most notorious shoots took place in front of one of the most famous buildings in the world – Buckingham Palace – with no permission and no permits. She restaged the Kennedys smiling and waving their way through central London in a motorcade of authentic 1960s Lincoln Limousines, motorbikes and cars. The uncanny lookalikes of John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie were accompanied by actors dressed as American police officers.
The photo of the staged event was considered the most viral in the world at the time. It garnered over 1.3 billion views and was part of a promotion for James Franco and his new show on Fox.
Jackson is constantly fighting producers, celebrities, institutions and even fans for creative control. Her series on Princess Diana was inspired by reactions to her death. People mourned her as if she was a close relative even though they didn’t know her at all. Jackson created a series of photos that tried to destroy the Princess’s likeness, created alternate storylines of her life, and featured the Princess rolling her eyes at critical state events. The work was shunned by relatives, banned by publications, and even vandalized by Brits. Imagine their reactions to her photos featuring the a likeness of queen on the toilet.
Believe it or not, Jackson is able to express her particular brand of creativity in the service of brands as well. One of our favorites is for the The Body Shop. Enjoy:
About the Author:
As Managing Director of Innovation and Insights for Syneos Health Communications, Leigh is responsible for building and scaling a global team of healthcare experts who together help life science leaders better understand the complex lives, influences and expectations of their customers. Specifically, they uncover actionable insights that fuel empathy and creativity; lead co-creation events that let marketers learn from peers, trends, and new possibilities; and help clients identify the most valuable and useful new customer experiences to create.
Leigh has worked with Fortune 1000 companies to craft their digital, mobile, social and CRM strategies for nearly 20 years.She’s worked for category-leading agencies in retail, public affairs, B2B technology, and higher education. Prior to moving to Syneos Health Communications, she held several leadership roles at our largest agency, GSW. There, she founded an innovation practice fueled by the zeitgeist and spearheaded digital and innovation thinking across the business.
Leigh has taken a special interest in complex healthcare products that can change lives in meaningful ways. She was recently a strategic lead on the 3rd largest launch in pharmaceutical history: Tecfidera. Before that she had keys roles with Eli Lilly Oncology, Abbott Nutrition, Amgen Cardiovascular, and Eli Lilly Diabetes.
A critical part of Leigh’s work is trends and new ideas. Every year, she convenes a group of trend watchers from across our global network to identify the shifts most critical to healthcare marketers. This year, she led over 250 experts to experts to focus on the most important changes in the commercial, consumer, marketing, digital and healthcare landscapes. (See reports at trends.health)
Leigh is a sought-after writer and speaker. Recognized as one of the most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry by PharmaVoice and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts of 2017 by MM&M, Leigh also was recognized as a Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) for her overt passion, industry thought leadership and significant contributions in new business, strategy and mentoring.
