Finalist
All ears for hearing health
Summary of work
10 million people in the UK have hearing loss but a staggering 40% are not receiving treatment – Boots UK decided to address this by encouraging 55-70 year olds to get their hearing checked.
We had to challenge the denial mindset: “there’s nothing wrong with my hearing”; and reassure that hearing deterioration is a normal part of ageing and “nothing to feel ashamed about”. We suggested two ‘test and learn’ events, held at a hyper-local level, in order to measure direct outcomes (increased hearing-check appointments). This would also provide content for broader reach digital and editorial programmes.
We created ‘gently disruptive’ aural experiences - stop, look, listen then act events in shopping centres in Norwich and Bournemouth. One featured a children’s choir, the other a string quartet.
The live events resulted in 122% uplift in hearing checks in Norwich and a 160% uplift in Bournemouth – a potential return of double the investment.
Madeline Shaw, Boots Hearingcare: “The engagement strategy for this test and learn activity worked brilliantly and we are delighted by the results seen by the increase in the number of customers coming in-store for hearing checks. The hyper-local, gentle disruption technique is one we’ll definitely be taking forward.”
Judges’ comments
Not only was this campaign sympathetic to the audience and showed sensitivity to the subject, it demonstrated a very clear return on investment. Whilst it was a local and highly targeted campaign, its effect was amplified using digital channels.
