The Hearing Test in Disguise

Objectives

Have you heard that hearing involves communication? Yet there are 3.5 million Australians affected by hearing loss but 85% don’t do anything about it. And research revealed a strong sub-conscious barrier to hearing loss so a subtle approach was needed. The objectives were to get 50,000 people aged 55+ to test their hearing within 12 months; drive awareness/engagement of the brand; generate leads, and nurture the journey to a Cochlear implant.

Campaign

Does Love Last Forever? is a short film with two different endings, depending on the viewer’s hearing ability – a hearing test in disguise. The agency worked closely with sound processing technology experts, audiologists and sound engineers to analyse audiograms from patients with varying levels of hearing loss to understand what they could and couldn’t hear. These learnings were applied to the script, direction and sound design.

The film was premiered in cinemas prior to the film Lion. Social-led teasers, content pieces and digital display drove the target audience to the microsite to watch the film, without knowing it was a hearing test. Afterward, users were prompted to take the interactive hearing assessment based on the film. When those with hearing loss recognised they had an issue it was vital to capture their details for a free consultation.

Making a $235,000 budget feel like $2 million meant being very strategic. PR was used for a nationwide push on TV and the main broadsheets, with a strong social presence. Media spend was updated and altered on a daily basis according to where and how the audience was engaging.

Results

In five months 110,000 people’s hearing was tested, with 8558 then taking a further hearing assessment. There were 155,000 visitors to the microsite, more than four times the number of past activity, with an average time on-page of 14 minutes. The Cochlear Facebook page saw an engagement increase YOY of 163%. During the campaign, 1465 highly engaged, high value leads were created. It delivered a return ratio of 25:1 – securing long-term profitability. After experiencing ‘The Hearing Test in Disguise’, the first candidate has undergone surgery to receive a Cochlear implant.

Judges Comments

The compelling media approach helped bring the strategic thought to life through the use of technology. Trying to change behaviour is a huge task that was successfully achieved by the agency – making it worthy of the Gold.