Specsavers

For Specsavers, incremental growth is difficult, especially when you already have 50% of the market and 33% of UK glasses wearers were rejecting the brand outright. Despite four decades of success, brand rejectors consistently dismissed Specsavers as a “glasses supermarket” and not a “proper optician.” Communications had to tackle this foundational barrier.

Research revealed that Specsavers’ long running Home Visits service — offering in-home eye tests for those unable to visit stores — changed those perceptions. Although designed for a niche audience, awareness of the service made non-customers 30% more likely to consider Specsavers. The breakthrough idea was to subvert the famous “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” line with “I Don’t Go to Specsavers… they come to me.”

“I Don’t Go” used TV, cinema, VOD, press, OOH, radio, and digital to reach rejectors where they already encountered the brand. The campaign mirrored the exact language rejectors used themselves, turning rejection into a strength. It used humour and surprise to prompt reappraisal — with a twinkle-in-the-eye tone and protagonists in control. As the campaign progressed, its impact grew, especially among younger audiences, prompting further investment in podcasts, ITV2’s Love Island, postcode-targeted digital OOH, and tailored digital media.

The campaign significantly reduced brand rejectors to 26%, a record low. Trust rose from 56% to 65%; care perceptions increased from 48% to 57%. 55% of all viewers — and 46% of rejectors — felt more positive about Specsavers. It led 10% of rejectors and 12% of non-customer considerers to say they’d book an appointment.

Econometric modelling showed that almost 582,000 people booked an eye test because of the campaign, generating £44m in incremental revenue. ROI reached 3.6:1, and during campaign periods, 41% of customers driven by advertising were new to Specsavers – and so helping us to deliver the incremental growth we set out to achieve.