Specsavers bringing a smile to the nation with new integrated campaign

SPECSAVERS has launched a new integrated campaign that celebrates positivity and the joy that a smile can bring, even in these challenging times.

Something To Smile About will debut on UK TV on 12 October in a break during Coronation Street on ITV [11 Oct in Ireland] with a 30 second commercial focusing on a series of people’s smiling eyes to the soundtrack of ‘When You’re Smiling’.

The campaign is supported with a wider roll-out throughout October across out of home high impact sites, print media, digital and radio advertising.

The Specsavers in-house agency faced the challenge of devising a new campaign that acknowledged the ongoing pandemic but would also engage audiences in the warm and witty tone of voice that is synonymous with the brand. The team’s inspiration came from the fact that life might be difficult for many of us but you can rely on Specsavers to be empathetic and make a positive difference to people’s lives by helping them to see and hear their world better with quality glasses, contact lenses and hearing aids at great prices.

Specsavers Global Chief Marketing Officer Katherine Whitton explains: ‘Our in-house team has beautifully captured our brand promise of making a positive impact on how people feel with a very simple yet effective creative idea. A smile is how our business measures the impact we have on our customers. Their smile can come from relief of having their eye health checked, from feeling good after getting stylish new glasses at a great price, or from feeling connected to people when they can hear better with new hearing aids. A real, genuine smile that shines through the eyes is testament that we’ve exceeded a customer’s expectation. And smiling customers mean smiling colleagues – nothing makes our store teams feel more positive than a happy customer.’

Supporting the above the line campaign is a series of high-profile social media and PR activations that will unpick the science behind a smile. The activity will be implemented by Specsavers’ in-house teams with support from external agencies, Tangerine and Beattie Communications. PR and social will also continue to tell the real-life stories of how Specsavers colleagues have cared for and helped their customers, putting a smile on their faces. This storytelling approach started during the first lockdown and has been highly successful for the brand as 50% of brand rejectors having come across the content said they were likely or very likely to try Specsavers in the future.

Nicola Wardell, Agency MD at Specsavers says: ‘We’ve been making people smile for years with our Should’ve Gone To Specsavers moments. People relate to the phrase in everyday life because it taps into the mishaps we all make when our eyesight or hearing are not quite up to scratch. People love it, have taken it as their own and it really does make them smile.

‘Something To Smile About brings a fresh new approach while tapping into the Should’ve brand power. We’ve been empathetic to the current mood of the nation, both in terms of people seeking a little positivity in difficult times as well as not wanting to sacrifice on quality if their finances become challenged. The creative idea allows us to really showcase the quality of our frames and hearing aids in their full glory.’

The campaign was created by Specsavers’ in-house creative agency Deputy Creative Directors Richard James and Marco Bezerra. The TV commercial was directed by Novemba at Academy Films.Many of the people who appear in the campaign are existing Specsavers customers and their personal stories will be told through social media during the course of the campaign.

Source: Specsavers

  Advertising, Katherine Whitton, Nicola Wardell, Specsavers