Optrex brings ‘Screen eyes’ into focus in new Havas campaign
-Eye care brand debuts spot from Black Mirror director Owen Harris-
Are you reading this on a laptop, tablet or mobile? If so, there’s a good chance you may have Screen Eyes: the focus of a new campaign from RB eye care brand Optrex.
While technology, lifestyle and habits have evolved dramatically over the past 15 years, our bodies have not kept pace – and modern life is taking its toll on our eyes. Screen Eyes is that uncomfortable, dry feeling in your eyes that occurs from looking at screens for a long period of time. This is because staring at screens results in you blinking up to 60% less, reducing the spread of tears and disturbing the protective layer of your eye, causing moisture to evaporate. So the more you stare at screens, the more dry and irritated your eyes feel.
To raise awareness of this very modern problem – and to promote its flagship ActiMist 2in1 Dry + Irritated Eye Spray, a mess free and easy to apply spray* that restores your eyes’ natural moisture – eye care brand Optrex has launched a new TV, press, digital and point-of-sale campaign, devised by creative agency Havas London.
The campaign revolves around a surreal yet eerily familiar TV spot from Black Mirror director Owen Harris, depicting a world where people have developed eyes the shape of screens. The metaphor, coupled with scenes of everyday people going about their everyday lives, connects an increasingly common ailment – dry eyes – with the technology we have become so attached to.
It has been supported by a PR campaign from Virgo Health, which married traditional media relations with a direct-to-consumer activation. A new ‘Screen Dry Eyes Health Report’, developed in partnership with optometrist Brian Tompkins, was launched to media to inform on the state of the nation’s eye health. A team of brand ambassadors also sampled Optrex ActiMist in Central London, stopping passers-by who were glued to their screens and inviting them to complete a quiz designed to help them find out which screens they use the most.
Yvette Younes, Category Manager UK Activation – Nurofen, Gaviscon & Optrex at RB says: “Screens have become fundamental to our lives – from mobile phones and tablets on our commutes, to laptops at work and TVs at home. In fact, there’s rarely a time we’re not staring at one. While 70% of British adults report having experienced symptoms of ‘Screen Eyes’ when they have been looking at a screen for a long period of time, the most common action is to simply look away. We hope this campaign goes some way to helping consumers enjoy their daily activities in more comfort, especially given that almost 60% of the people we surveyed for this campaign told us that they’re concerned about the impact of modern life on their eyes.”
Elliot Harris, Creative Director for RB at Havas, adds: “Owen [Harris, director] has brought our Screen Eyes concept to life brilliantly, crafting a world that is both surreal yet instantly recognisable. That someone of his calibre wanted to be involved is testament to the creative journey we’re on with RB, with whom we’re making some genuinely eye-catching work.”
*based on May 2016 survey of 307 consumers