Specsavers - Love is in the Ear
Specavers and Golin launch new integrated campaign humorously highlighting impact of undiagnosed hearing loss on romance and relationships
Saying ‘what?’ is more common than ‘I love you’ among couples over 55. But what if they’re not ignoring you, they just can’t hear you?
With research showing that one in two Brits admit they’ve argued with their partner due to not hearing them properly, Specsavers and Golin London have launched a new integrated campaign: ‘Love is in the Ear’ to explore the impact of hearing loss on relationships.
The earned-first campaign kicked off with iconic bickering duo, The Whitehalls, appearing to argue even more intensely in a series of ‘leaked’ public stunts that appeared on social platforms – with Hilary repeatedly shouting at Michael because he’s misheard her, then Michael issuing a public apology using a billboard van trawling the streets of West London.
After widespread speculation on social, the couple revealed that it had all been part of the new campaign, highlighting that Michael’s undetected hearing loss was the real source of many of these squabbles.The pair are encouraging other couples in similar situations to take action and get checked, because: ‘The most romantic thing you can do… is booking a hearing check.’ [specsavers.co.uk/hearing/relationships],
Hilary Whitehall commented: “For a long time I thought Michael was just ignoring me or not getting my jokes. Following a hearing check at Specsavers, we now know Michael’s got a little hearing loss and he’s got a hearing device, we’re bickering less and laughing more.”
The campaign was created and led by Golin London - the agency that recently won a Gold Cannes Lions for Creative Effectiveness for their previous Specsavers campaign “The Misheard Version”.
The integrated campaign runs across earned, owned and paid with social from Tangerine and paid media from Manning Gottlieb.
Alex Wood, Chief Creative Officer at Golin London, said: “Millions of couples argue about one partner not listening to the other. But what if this was just due to undiagnosed hearing loss? We loved the idea of Specsavers becoming a romantic peacemaker - repositioning getting a hearing check as an act of love and saving eternally criticised partners from the doghouse. The Whitehalls activity is just the start.”
Kim Bull, Specsavers PR and social lead, commented: “Hearing loss is more common than many people think, but stigma often means people wait as long as ten years before getting expert help1By partnering with The Whitehalls to put a humorous take on a very real issue, we hope to motivate those who may not have realised that their own or their partner’s hearing could be the cause of their arguments, to act sooner.”
To find out more visitspecsavers.co.uk/hearing/relationships.
