Specsavers ad 2023 – Should’ve Gone to Specsavers

Specsavers, the renowned eyecare brand, has recently brought its award-winning “Should’ve Gone to Specsavers” campaign to Canada. The campaign has run successfully in various global markets for over two decades. The brand aims to reach a new audience with its humorous yet meaningful message.

The new integrated multi-channel campaign, which follows the inaugural “That’s Specsavers Love” campaign, combines the brand’s signature wit with sophisticated cinematography and understated drama. The ads showcase various vision-related mishaps in outdoor adventure settings while presenting the implausible as entirely plausible. Catherine Walsh, Director of Marketing at Specsavers Canada, emphasizes the importance of eye health and how the campaign strives to make Canadians smile while gently reminding them to care for their eyes.

The campaign’s centerpiece is a 30-second TV spot featuring a father and son on a fishing trip. The ad humorously portrays the father accidentally casting his fishing rod with the boat keys attached to it instead of a fishing lure. The iconic tagline, “Should’ve Gone to Specsavers,” appears on the screen, conveying the importance of regular eye check-ups.

Specsavers’ in-house creative team, The Agency, has developed the campaign with a total of four TV spots that follow familiar characters on different parts of their outdoor adventures. The campaign also includes out-of-home, radio, digital, and transit ads, with Media Experts managing media planning, strategy, and buys across all channels and FleishmanHillard HighRoad providing strategic communication support.

Richard James, Creative Director of The Agency, explains that the ads required sophistication in their execution, maintaining a level of restraint to keep the comedy underplayed. The authenticity of the settings, characters, and observed cinematic style contribute to the ads’ success.

Art Director Holly Pirou and Copywriter Lucy Weetman from The Agency teamed up to bring the campaign to life. Weetman expresses her excitement in creating the first “Should’ve Gone to Specsavers” campaign for Canada, hoping it brings a smile to people’s faces.

Specsavers ad 2023 analyze

PROS

• Engaging and memorable: The humorous and relatable mishaps in the ads make them engaging and memorable, effectively conveying the importance of eye care.
• Sophisticated cinematography: The ads’ sophisticated cinematography and understated drama create an authentic and visually appealing experience for the viewers.

CONS

• Limited novelty: The “Should’ve Gone to Specsavers” campaign has been used in other regions for over two decades, which may limit its novelty for some audiences.
• Potential for misunderstanding: The subtlety and restraint in the ads’ humor may lead to some viewers missing the intended message.
• Reliance on humor: The campaign’s focus on humor might not appeal to all audiences, and some may prefer a more serious or informative approach to eye care.

Conclusions

Specsavers’ new “Should’ve Gone to Specsavers” campaign in Canada aims to entertain and educate audiences about the importance of eye health. The brand’s innovative approach, combining humor with sophistication, will resonate with the Canadian market and encourage them to prioritize their eye care.

Specsavers ad 2023 Press Release statements:

“These spots called for sophistication in the execution by tonally and visually maintaining a level of restraint,” says Richard James, Creative Director, The Agency. “Nothing in the filmmaking overtly alludes to comedy – we approach the comedy in an underplayed manner through authentic settings and characters, effortless performances, and observed cinematic style.”

“Should’ve gone to Specsavers is a highly established campaign in different regions around the world, so it’s been a real privilege to write and create the first one for Canada,” said Lucy Weetman, Copywriter, The Agency. “This peaceful day out between a father and son is flipped completely on its head, all because the father ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’. We’re excited to see how it’s received, and we hope it can bring a smile to people’s faces.”

Credits

Client
Specsavers Canada
Matt Armitage – Trading Director
Catherine Walsh – Marketing Director
Lauren Mills – Creative Brand Manager

Agency
The Agency

Richard James – Creative Director
Angus Smith – Broadcast Producer
Holly Pirou – Art Director
Lucy Weetman – Copywriter
Lyndsey Brown – Head of Client Partnership
Tasha Thirlby – Lead Client Partner
Kitty Hall – Client Partner
Liz Baines – Head of Planning
Sid Tomkins – Head of Creative Design
Craig Le Lerre – Campaign Design Lead
Ash Durrant – Sr. Integrated Producer (Model Photography)
Clair Carter – Sr. Integrated Producer (Product Photography)
Jack Finn – Senior Creative (Radio, Photography)
James Hearn – Senior Creative (Radio, Photography)
Production Company – TV
scoundrel

Director – Tim Bullock
Producer – Tony Whyman
Executive Producer – Kate Gooden
Photographers – Model
Raina + Wilson

Photographer – Product
Karl Taylor

Media Planning
Media Experts