Specsavers is targeting contact lens “first-timers” with a new campaign that aims to make trying lenses feel a little less daunting and a lot more normal.
“Contact Lens Rookies Welcome” is aimed at 45- to 59-year-old glasses wearers who have never worn contact lenses, tackling the psychological ‘ick’ that can stop them from agreeing to a trial when in-store. For this audience, the barrier is not necessarily cost or lifestyle, but the psychological hurdle of putting something in their eye for the first time.
Rather than pretending contact lenses are instantly easy, the campaign shows the reality of being a beginner. It follows a cast of real people, including influencers and comedy creators, across channels, capturing the clumsy early attempts before arriving at the moment that they finally get it right.
Devised by Specsavers Creative, with Manning Gottlieb OMD handling UK media and Tangerine leading social, the activity is built around a simple truth: contact lenses do not always come naturally; but they will.
The campaign deliberately does not shy away from the uncomfortable bit. Putting something in your eye can feel strange, and Specsavers wants to show that struggling at first does not mean contact lenses are not for you, it is simply part of learning. By making those first attempts visible, the campaign aims to reassure people that they are not alone in finding it difficult.
Launching this week, the activity will run across BVOD, SVOD, YouTube, digital, social and out-of-home until November. The same cast of talent features across channels, creating a consistent campaign world and marking Specsavers’ first fully integrated use of influencers across its channel mix.
Specsavers Creative global creative director Richard James said: “We’re so used to advertising making everything look effortless, but that’s actually the wrong message when it comes to contact lenses.
“We wanted to start by admitting something that anyone who has tried them will know: it can be a bit weird at first. You blink, you miss, you try again, and sometimes you wonder if you’re ever going to get the hang of it. But that’s exactly the point. Nobody starts out as a contact lens natural, so we wanted to make those first attempts the hero, rather than pretend they don’t happen.”
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