The Priceless Eyes campaign in its entirety directly led to an increase in eye tests with Specsavers optometrists. Stores across Australia and New Zealand reported a massive 22% increase in bookings during the first three weeks of the campaign.

We dramatised a compelling message and provided a simple and measurable solution. With only one preventative eye care message in the market at the time, the increase in eye tests can only be attributed to our campaign and its singular call to action that if you value your eyes you should book an eye test today.

In Australia, someone loses part, or all of their vision every 65 minutes. 1 million people have never had their sight checked.

Our brief was to bring awareness to this national health crisis and draw attention to the crucial importance of preventative eye care. This needed to result in a significant uplift in eye test bookings.

Traditionally, eye health providers target people with existing eye conditions, but most eye conditions exist long before they show symptoms. Our challenge was far greater: we had to show people with perfect vision, the true value of their eyes.

To shake a nation from their apathy, we offered real people extraordinary amounts of money to sell us their eyes. To make this offer believable, we created Vesper Sacs, a fake medical research company; constructing an immersive, sci-fi inspired facility, complete with staff.

We then invited unsuspecting members of the public and put them through an elaborate interview process, with hidden cameras capturing every moment. The unsettling experience culminated in the ultimate question: “How much would it take to sell us your eyes? Right now.”

Confronted by the prospect of a life without vision, our subjects realised that if you wouldn’t sell your eyes for any amount, then you should look after them. Once our elaborate hoax was revealed, every subject received a complimentary eye health test from a Specsavers optometrist. The takeout: your eyes are priceless.

9 out of 10 people (86 per cent) say that sight is their most vital sense, yet 4 million Australians don't get regular eye tests. They take their eyes for granted.

Our creative leap to dramatise this insight was “If your eyes are invaluable, how much would it take for you to give up your sight?”.

To put our idea to the test we conducted some internal research, asking friends, family, and colleagues how much they would sell their eyes for. The answer was unanimous: no amount of money could make you give up your eyes. Not a million dollars. Not a hundred million dollars. The fact is, your eyes are priceless.

We knew we’d reached a dramatic human truth, we just had to prove it on a national scale.

A hidden-camera activation filmed over three days became a powerful 4-minute film. This film then ran online, via social media from September 9th, 2018

It ran on TV, appearing during the highest rating programs in the country, reaching millions of eyes. MasterChef Australia, Ellen and Sunrise all aired 60sec long-form spots, prompting people to book an eye health test online.

Incredibly, the entire 4-minute film also made it to TV, filling an entire ad break during prime time television – taking our unabridged message to an entire nation.

All forms of the ad lived on the Specsavers website with a booking function that allowed viewers to book an eye test at their nearest Specsavers immediately.

We didn’t just get people to think, we compelled them to act. In only three weeks after the campaign launched, booking for Specsavers eye tests increased by a staggering 22 %. At the same time visits to the Specsavers website increased by 51%.

The film achieved a combined 8.95 million views on TV and online, with a massive 42% of viewers watching the full 4-minute film online.

Our arresting campaign sparked a national conversation about the importance of eye health. The boldness of the idea polarised and challenged the conventions of traditional category advertising. The subject gained traction locally and even became a talking point on BBC radio in the UK.

Most importantly, 146,402 Australians booked a crucial eye health test at a Specsavers store during the campaign, a significant return on investment.