SPECSAVERS

A cultural phenomenon, Specsavers debuted its iconic phrase “Should’ve Gone to Specsavers” way back in 2002. For two decades, the brand’s legendary campaign has continued to entertain audiences whilst reminding them how important optical health really is through adverts featuring the likes of Thunderbirds, Postman Pat and Gordon Ramsay.

But when the pandemic hit in 2020, the brand chose to set aside their wit for a more appropriate, less sensitive moment, and temporarily shelved their famous catchphrase. While the brand shifted to context-sensitive messaging reflecting the prevailing situation, we couldn’t help but feel a fondness for our beloved phrase.

After a two-year hiatus, and a recent successful campaign in the UK, the team decided it was time to bring it to Ireland.

The brief was simple, we had to devise an Out of Home strategy that would not only successfully relaunch the famed campaign in Ireland, but serve to amplify Specsavers’ humorous platform

Our challenge was to conceive something genuinely distinctive, a show-stopping concept that would captivate people, incite laughter, and compel them to pause and stare.

The first instalment which kicked off in March 2023 included 150 6 sheets which were misspelt to read “Should’ve gone savers to Spec”, providing national reach. It also included 25 exploding T-sides, which created the illusion that the installer had yet another “installation fail”.

The second phase took a different approach; it wasn’t centred around installation mishaps. Instead, it embraced a more “lost billboard” vibe.  Rogue digital billboards were intentionally placed at incorrect venues, like a screen welcoming Electric Picnic attendees to Longitude. This unexpected twist prompted festival attendees to snap pictures of the moment, igniting almost instant social buzz and amplification.

In our most recent stunt, we ‘crashed’ a Specsavers van into the Mill Pond at Dundrum shopping centre. The van used in the stunt was lifted in the air giving off the illusion that it was submerged in the water igniting OOH conversations and driving online engagement.