To spark a new, less-scary public health conversation about hearing loss with zero paid media budget, Specsavers worked with musician & internet icon, Rick Astley, to Rick-Roll the nations ears . Re-recording his famously misheard song 'Never Gonna Give You Up' with the lyrics people have been mishearing for years, then releasing it across social and radio with no explanation as the world's first Mass Hearing Test. Driving a national conversation around hearing loss, over 20 million organic social plays in 8 hours, blanket media coverage and a 1220% above target increase in Specsavers hearing test bookings.

In the UK, Brits avoid hearing tests because the current cultural conversation around hearing loss is linked to old age and loss. UK hearing healthcare campaigns have traditionally targeted this 'fear of loss' to prompt action and get hearing tested. However, it has had the opposite effect - making people tune out and ignore the issue because it just feels too scary. As a result of these cultural trends, in 2023, the UK public had their heads firmly in the sand about hearing loss. No one wanted to hear about it.

However, looking more broadly at UK culture, 'Mishearing' is a fundamental source of humour that connects people though shared experience. We've all experienced the humour of Mishearing at some point. It's warm. It's engaging. Everyone recognises it. It's no surprise UK comedy has focused on it to drive humour in jokes, shows and films.

We had found our UK cultural insight: 'In the UK, 'Hearing loss' is isolating, but 'mishearing' is connecting’.

Specsavers - as a champion of using humour to talk about health issues in a new way - saw that there was an opportunity to use this cultural insight to create serious healthcare change, not just deliver a laugh.

In 2023, Brits were avoiding hearing tests for up to 10 years due to stigma around hearing loss; resulting in reduced quality of life and feelings of isolation.

But this is much more significant than a hearing problem. Hearing loss is linked to heart conditions, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic diseases including diabetes and high blood pressure. Regular hearing screenings can show warning signs of these medical conditions, helping you get the required care sooner.

Specsavers - a brand normally associated with eyecare - needed to change the trajectory of hearing test engagement to save not just hearing, but also protect long-term public health.

Our brief was to create an idea that reimagined the public health awareness campaign model to increase hearing test bookings by 5% among our core target audience of 40 – 60 year olds and their ‘peer influencers’ aged aged 25 – 40 year old.

The Misheard Version: The World’s First Mass Hearing Test.

As no one wants to listen to a normal hearing test, we turned one of the world’s most famously misheard songs into a mass hearing test the nation couldn’t ignore.

In October 2023, Specsavers partnered with Rick Astley to re-record “Never Gonna Give You Up’ with lyrics the public have been mishearing for years. Including ‘Then I’m going to run around with dessert spoons’ , ‘You wouldn’t catch nits from any other guy’ and ‘your aunt’s been naked’.

Then Specsavers rick-rolled the nation's ears. Releasing The Misheard Version without explanation or branding across social media. As TikTok blew up with over 20m organic plays in 8 hrs, Specsavers revealed their campaign – with Rick announcing his own hidden hearing loss & new hearing aids across social content on TikTok, X and Meta - plus blanket media coverage tackling hearing loss stigma.

Hearing loss sounds really scary, so people ignore the topic. However, on social media, the conversation around hearing loss is warmer and more engaging. It focuses on the humour of ‘Mishearing’ which connects people through shared experience. Misheard song lyrics are a particular focus.

This led to our creative insight: ‘Hearing loss is isolating, but mishearing is connecting’.

To reach the 25 – 40 year old ‘peer influencers’ of our wider target audiences of 40 – 60 year olds our strategy was to provoke conversation about hearing tests by taking one to them on social: Reimagining an iconic social piece of content through the lens of 'mishearing' to act as the world’s first ‘mass hearing test' on TikTok. Causing a reaction that would spread across social and culture, before Specsavers revealed their hearing loss campaign; converting social hype to hearing test bookings for people of all ages.

At launch, we ‘Rick-Rolled’ the nations ears by Rick releasing a TikTok video of him in the studio performing The Misheard Version without explanation or branding; causing the world to question their hearing and start talking.

As conversation peaked, with TikTok views organically reaching over 20m in 8 hrs, Specsavers revealed their campaign – with Rick announcing his own hidden hearing loss and journey to getting his first hearing aids across reveal social content on TikTok, X & Meta; as well as iconic TV shows including ITV, Sky News and This Morning. Radio news played The Misheard Version as show hosts celebrated its humour and healthcare goal, while digital media coverage directed people to credible, educational video content on Youtube featuring notable audiologists talking in-depth with Rick to help destigmatise hearing loss and hearing aids. Ultimately driving people to click through to book a hearing test with Specsavers.

BUSINESS IMPACT: Achieved a 1220% above target increase in hearing test bookings (66% increase vs 5% target), a feat unparalleled in Specsavers' history and among its competitors. With a 16% year-on-year increase in sales of hearing care products.

CULTURAL IMPACT: Generated a nationwide conversation on hearing loss, securing coverage from 95% of mainstream news outlets and 400+ pieces of organic media, with a reach of over 100 million. Featured prominently in top-tier media such as Sky News, Daily Mail, Lorraine, This Morning, and ITV news. With no paid media spend, achieved over 20 million organic social post views within 8 hours, with Rick's Tik Tok teaser his most viewed social post ever. Creating outstanding engagement with 28.2 million organic social reach, 193 million impressions, & 4 million interactions. Driving a 138% surge in search traffic for Specsavers audiology services, with "Specsavers," "hearing", "hearing aids" trending on Google search during launch.