Widex – How a radical approach led to its most successful launch ever

Challenge

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In an extremely competitive market, Widex needed the launch of their latest high-end hearing aid to make a big impact. They challenged us to come up with a concept that would win over hearing aid dispensers who:

  • Were experiencing a profound marketing fatigue, driven by the predictable lifestyle messaging and imagery used throughout the industry.
  • Saw the people used in the marketing as completely unrepresentative of their actual customers.

    • Solution

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    Our concept was perhaps the most honest ever seen in the hearing industry, with none of the bland messaging and over-promising that dispensers had grown used to. In that sense, we positioned Widex as truly respectful of the dispensers' time and expertise.

    Instead of showing a walk on an idyllic beach or a tranquil ride on a bike as the competitors might, we showed real hearing aid users (not models) sailing the Atlantic Ocean, or biking down a mountain in pursuit of their personal ambitions. Leveraging the real-life stories of inspiring people in aspirational and authentic communication served two purposes:

  • It referenced the superiority of Widex Unique in providing a comfortable listening experience in challenging environments.
  • It differentiated the Widex brand itself by reinforcing its position as a challenger brand with a product that outperformed competitors on several key parameters.
    • {

    As well as the core launch campaign, we created marketing toolboxes crammed with visual assets that could be localised both online and offline. In total, the campaign comprised more than 20 different films, and 4,000 pictures – all executed in an extremely cost-effective week of shooting.

    On location in Norway

    Product close-up

    On location in Norway

    Product close-up

    Results

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    The Widex Unique campaign ranks as the most successful high-end launch in the company's history.

    The campaign implementation would become best practice for the company, thanks to high levels of reported satisfaction in local markets – especially among those putting more effort into digital- and content marketing. Furthermore, the launch became an instrumental component of Widex's turnaround by elevating awareness of the company on the American market.

    Widex Unique, Ocean

    Widex Unique, Mountain

    Widex Unique, Arctic Challenge