Specsavers in nationwide mishap appeal
By Connor Steel
SPECSAVERS have announced a nationwide campaign as they celebrate twenty years of a memorable campaign tagline; inviting Gosport and Fareham residents to share their own sight / hearing mishaps or anecdotes through a social media competition with just one winner available.
The brand is celebrating two decade since the launch of its famous ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ campaign; previous adverts including a short-sighted farmer shearing his dog instead of his sheep, and a vet checking the pulse of a fur hat instead of a cat receiving much acclaim from viewers.
And now audiences across the country are being invited to share their stories that could inspire the next advert for the campaign; which will be the first to be based on real life experiences and stories in the tagline’s 20 year history since being founded back in 2002 by their marketing teams.
The announcement comes as the campaign was voted one of the most ‘popular and memorable’ amongst a public vote in early 2022; with social media reactions and memes proving to include topical moments such as the PM’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings’ drive to Barnard Castle to ‘check his eyesight’ in 2020.
To enter the competition readers should post their mishaps or anecdotes by posting on the Specsavers’ Facebook and Twitter channels; although they should use both or either the hashtags #Specsavers and #ShouldveGoneToSpecsavers. The deadline for these entries is scheduled for July 1 (next Friday); after which a team of industry brand experts will shortlist four entries that epitomise Specsavers’ iconic slogan.
However the final choice will be made from the general public, who will be asked to choose their favourite submission in an online vote via Specsavers’ social media channels in due course. The winner will receive an expenses-paid trip for them to star in their own advert; which will include two nights of accommodation for two people and an eyecare voucher of £169 to spend with Specsavers.
Director Lee Johnston from the Specsavers Whitely Store said in a short statement announcing the new campaign: “As we mark 20 years since the first iconic Should’ve gone to Specsavers TV advert, we can’t wait to give one lucky person the chance to turn their own Should’ve moment into a fully-fledged ad.”
He continued to congratulate the landmark of the tagline, adding: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of a campaign that has spanned two decades and is well and truly engrained in British culture, having become part of our everyday vernacular. Football managers use the phrase, its often quoted in newspapers and it’s even been bought up in Parliament.”
PICTURED BY ALAMY: Specsavers’ branded sign outside a retail shop as they launch their advert appeal.