A new ad campaign by Clearly Contacts aims to open customers’ eyes to a cheaper way to buy glasses–online.
“We really wanted to go out and communicate to the general public that this whole idea of what’s really contained within a pair of eyeglasses and the actual price that you get charged for them is really incongruent with rational thought,” said Curtis Petersen, director of acquisition and retention for the Vancouver-based company.
The TV, print and online campaign features spokesperson and former hockey star Trevor Linden.
In a TV spot a serious Linden tells viewers that eyeglasses are expensive, but they don’t need to be. “Glass, plastic and two tiny little screws–truth is they should cost a fraction of what you pay for them,” he said, comparing the price to cameras and laptops.
“Clearly Contacts has the same designer frames you’ll find anywhere else. They include the lenses and all the coatings free of charge and they start from just $38.”
However, humorous outtakes are also running on YouTube and promoted through social networking sites. In one, Linden is wearing his hockey gear and a pair of glasses under his helmet and arguing with the director that nobody would ever do this; “hockey is a contact sport,” he says.
Outdoor will kick off in early June and leverage the same creative and messaging, said Petersen.
The ads target consumers in their mid-30s to mid-40s, with a slight skew to females who have done some online shopping in the past, but are not heavy Internet users, said Petersen. The challenge is that glasses are both a fashion statement and an item customized specifically for the individual.
“It’s a more complex type of purchase,” he said. “Not only are you convincing someone to do something differently, but you are asking them to change their behaviour and their perception of what they should do to complete a purchase.”
All advertising is done in-house and the campaign is only running in B.C. where, said Petersen, Linden is seen as a trusted public figure.
