Ribbons of Hope

At the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies sought to differentiate its debut by building meaningful emotional connections with clinicians around their shared commitment to patients. The experience also needed to be scalable, as it would travel to multiple international congresses throughout the year. Rather than focusing solely on products, the brand aimed to highlight the human side of oncology—reminding healthcare professionals of the patients who inspire their work every day. 

Jack Morton created a moving centerpiece inspired by the symbolism of couples locking padlocks to represent enduring relationships. A striking air fountain with flowing fabric ribbons invited doctors to write the name of a patient, friend, or loved one they had helped and tie it onto the structure—creating a growing visual tribute to patient impact. Transparent OLED screens surrounding the installation shared patient stories that reinforced the emotional narrative. The result was a simple yet powerful, highly scalable experience that placed the individual patient at the heart of the brand story while resonating deeply with clinicians. 

THE IMPACT 

The overall impact exceeded everyone’s expectations for engagement and sentimental response. The interactive ribbon feature resulted in thousands of ribbons being tied around the air fountain as crowds of attendees waited their turn to share and reflect on their individual story. This well-crafted experience brought many doctors to tears and we witnessed them hugging and embracing each other while reflecting on their ribbon.  

Following the debut of this in-booth experience, we observed a shift on the ASCO show floor as companies started to move towards more patient-centric narratives. Our client was so proud of their results that they created one larger “uber-ribbon” that is now on display in their headquarters.