Ahead of Vision Health Month this May, Specsavers developed a unique out-of-home and social campaign rooted in its “Should’ve Gone to Specsavers” platform in key regions through Toronto and Vancouver.

The eyecare brand’s goal is to highlight the importance of eye health and grab the attention of Canadians in high-impact areas, using DOOH and ads created in-house by Specsavers Creative, which ran until the end of May. Media planning and buying was led by Media Experts and public relations and social media planning by Golin Canada.

To further amplify the importance of routine eye exams, the brand will also be working with Toronto-based creator and comedian Jesse Jaurji on a series of “on the street” style interviews that will aim to test Torontonian’s vision through funny and educational games. The video series is set to roll out this summer on Specsavers’ social media platforms, taking the important message beyond Vision Health Month.

Catherine Walsh, VP of marketing and PR with Specsavers Canada, tells MiC the campaign aimed to break through the everyday noise and get Canadians to hit pause and book that eye exam.

“The goal was to create a strong physical presence in high-traffic areas, in Toronto and Vancouver, while also extending the campaign’s reach through digital content,” Walsh says.

“Compared to previous campaigns, we’ve focused budget toward out-of-home and social media, increasing our investment in creator-led content. While traditional media like TV and print played a larger role in past campaigns, for Vision Health Month we took the opportunity to lean into a more integrated digital-first approach. We’re using a mix of social media to create a more immersive and interactive brand experience and out-of-home to ensure we’re visible in the real world.”

Walsh says the brand is on a mission to reduce avoidable blindness caused by undiagnosed eye disease by making sure Canadians have an eye exam at least every two years. Ultimately, success of this campaign looks like more Canadians understanding the importance of regular eye exams and acting on it, she adds. “Our goal is to shift behaviour so we’re tracking reach, engagement and appointment intent as key indicators. If more Canadians book routine eye exams as a result of this campaign, we know we’re making meaningful progress.”

The campaign even caught the eye of astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield, who shared the out-of-home execution on his social media channels, demonstrating sometimes a simple message with clever execution is enough to create conversation,” Walsh points out.

“One of the biggest challenges in our category is getting people to prioritize routine eye exams,” Walsh says. “Many Canadians still don’t realize how crucial eye health is to overall well-being and the critical role of comprehensive eye exams in reducing avoidable blindness. This campaign tackles that challenge head-on by making the message unmissable in public spaces and shareable online, helping to encourage regular eye checkups.”

-with files from Andrea Hernandez