Campaign Objective

Doordrop media is a crucial part of Specsavers opticians' local, regional and national media mix. The use of multi-page door drops, produced in-house, supports brand engagement at a local, store-specific level in conjunction with national media and drives sales.

In addition to their optometry service, they are the UK’s leading high-street audiologist; however, awareness of this Specsavers service was poor. The retailer sought to understand more about its audience and increase its presence to counter this position.

When creating the campaign and using research,, it was understood that the communication would also need to break down some of the target audiences' resistance to accepting hearing problems and wearing an aid, normalising them as an issue.

Focus groups were used to develop the communication style. This ensured that while hearing issues are both sensitive and serious subjects, humour could be established to disarm consumers and relax them into talking about hearing concerns.

Campaign Schedule and Data

Using historical audience data, an intelligent insight approach maximised the impact on the recipients and the performance of the printed channel. The customer data was modelled, and regional customer profiles were used to boost relevance on receipt with the target prospects.

Data from JICMAIL was used to cross-reference the data on how likely core target audiences were to be targeted with medical door-drop media against the frequency of interaction (i.e., mail engagement). Interesting mail exposure data emerged showing that the target groups showed above-average interaction rates for mail receipt, solidifying the channel selection. Read more on the use of JICMAIL data for this campaign here. 

The Creative Solution

Hearing loss can be traumatic for sufferers, so the message needed to engage with the consumer and be relatable quickly. This would allow them to open up and consider the need and benefits.

A four-page multi-page leaflet informed prospects of Specsavers’ expert service.

The content drew on lessons from ongoing focus groups. Hearing problems were synonymous with lost youth, even though many participants felt young. This youthful humour, fitting with the retailer’s tone of voice, was established to engage prospects.

The door drop took consumers on a journey to a call to action: risqué humour (plants misheard as pants), striking images, engaging family by discussing everyday problems with levity, and a “no one will ever know” approach explaining how technology has made aids smaller.

The Campaign Results 

The campaign reached 3.8 million households over seven weeks and delivered 1,727 calls, a 32% increase from the previous year's results (2018).

The doordrop campaign results were ranked positively, with Specsavers above the running TV and out-of-home campaigns. 

The unaddressed printed doordrop media channel helped normalise hearing health and build long-term consideration of the service. The creative treatment evolved from the previous campaign leaflet, which was eight pages long, to four pages, cutting print costs while still improving brand consideration by 15% and purchase intent by 10%.

The stunning campaign results were reflected in the DMA 2019 Bronze Award Win

The DMA Award Entry Campaign Team

David Bedwin, Group Account Director, Whistl - Garry Woodward, Account Manager, Whistl - Pip Queripel, Head of Marketing (Audiology), Specsavers - Dave Legge, Senior Marketing Manager, Specsavers