Insight
For parents, bringing children to optometrists isn't a priority, yet 1 in 4 kids have vision problems and for over half, it goes undetected. The reason for this is that parents find the lab coat and lens approach to be overly scientific and complex- which disengages them from the process and prevents them from taking action. So OPSM needed to change this behaviour. It needed a way to inspire conversation and care among parents, screen young eyes in mass and increase consultations with OPSM's professionals.
Strategy
“Penny the Pirate” – a free interactive children’s book and mobile application that screens a child’s sight without them knowing. With help from the University of Melbourne and well-known author / illustrator, Kevin Waldron, "Penny the Pirate" masks the science of vision screening in illustrations and type. Free to download or pick up in-store, the story records screening results as children interact.
Execution
With an idea so revolutionary, OMD knew that an influencer strategy would be crucial to generate excitement, conversation and comprehension among Australian parents. So in order to amplify the idea, it behaved like a book publisher and partnered with a network of bloggers and Australian schools to test the book and create native articles about their thoughts / experience. Mums also tested the book and app prior to the national launch through Yahoo7’s ‘Mouths of Mum’ network.
Media spend was leveraged via social, SEM, display and performance ads online across various sites that extended the reach and drove online traffic towards more app downloads and OPSM online. Through its success at launch, the campaign continued through the school holiday period, amplified by a TVC investment, in-store displays and cinema activity to connect with parents and children during periods where we knew they had time to book appointments.
Results
Penny the Pirate is on track to screen over 500,000 children leading to 125,000 OPSM appointments. In-turn parents have become the biggest partners with consistent conversation, positive sentiment and close to 50,000 engagements on social media in its first two weeks.
- 188% increase in Kids eyewear packages
- 89% increase in OPSM consultation bookings
- 14% increase in sales- directly attributed to campaign
- #1 Health App in the Apple Store during launch.