Branding a profession

Not only do consumers routinely confuse Opticians with Optometrists and Ophthalmologists, but many perceive Opticians as people who only sell glasses, not recognizing them as professionals who have the significant technical skills and knowledge that help people see the best they can.

To solve this problem, Outsidein Communications and our creative partners Bau+Wow Design were engaged by the Opticians Council of Canada to create a national brand for the Opticianry profession to clarify its role for the public and raise awareness.

The Brand: After much research, we differentiated Opticians as the professionals who make you see better. To reinforce that Opticians were trained and regulated professionals, we positioned them as “Licensed” Opticians. The tagline “Vision refined” speaks to the distinctive value proposition of an Optician. The visual logo reflects a contemporary, confident and intelligent profession.

Raising Awareness: We created and executed on a strategy for an integrated awareness campaign directed at both the 6000+ Opticians across Canada, to engage them in the brand and awareness process, and at the general public. We told the Opticians story through a brief multi-media clip. We used direct mail to tell Opticians about the campaign and to drive them to the Licensed Optician website where they could access tools and get involved. For the public, we created educational material, a Find-an-Optician online tool, as well as a TV ad targeted at women 35+ years.

Results: Already many Opticians have signed up via the website to engage in the campaign. Website traffic for the public to find an Optician is growing and Youtube, where the ad is available, is showing very encouraging stats.  This is the first wave of a long-term campaign strategy.