The Alberta Association of Optometrists (AAO) is emphasizing that eye care is part of a regular regimen of healthy habits in a new campaign.

“Eyes Need Care Too” taps into the resistance that parents experience from their kids when they’re trying to instill healthy habits – for example, a toddler is shown turning his nose up at vegetables before being taken for an eye exam, with the organization encouraging viewers to book an appointment.

“Our research showed a big majority of our audience places more value on their eyesight over any other sense, but a small minority actually book their annual eye exam,” says Derek Elliott, partner and managing director at Brandish, which recently merged with Red The Agency, and is the shop’s first creative campaign with AAO. “We want to show how easy it is to look after your eye health by showing them how much work they put into building healthy habits around other senses by comparison.”

The campaign intentionally uses digital, audio, print and out-of-home to ensure broad visibility across Alberta, Canada, bringing awareness about the ease and significance of eye health to all, says Alexandra Martin, partner and director of strategy for Brandish.

“We’re going for broad awareness here, and trying to catch audiences during their day-to-day while they’re already thinking about their mental to-do list, especially for parents,” Martin explains. “We know how much great thinking happens during the commute. Following up with digital made sense to give us more specific targeting options per audience segment.”

As Martin explains, parents and seniors are two critical segments for eye health, adding that the timing of the campaign (around back to school) is meant to catch parents when they are trying to re-establish routines.

The organization’s insights also reveal that many Albertans are not aware of Alberta Health coverage towards optometric services, including annual comprehensive eye exams for school-aged children under 19, for example. The “Eyes Need Care Too” campaign seeks to address this discrepancy by removing perceived barriers to eye healthcare services in the province.