SPECSAVERS | THE MISHEARD VERSION | 2024
Testing a Nation's Hearing With a Mishearing / SPECSAVERS "THE MISHEARD VERSION"
They had Rick Astley re-record "Never Gonna Give You Up" with the lyrics deliberately swapped for commonly misheard versions, then released it with no explanation at all. It got 20 million plays in 8 hours. At Cannes it won six Lions and two Grand Prix. It was the first time a PR agency had won the PR Lions Grand Prix on its own.
The problem
Admitting your hearing is going is scary. Some people put off getting tested for 10 years. Specsavers is known as an eyewear company, not a specialist in ears. And you can't really scare people into booking appointments.
The insight
This song is famously the most misheard song in the world — people hear completely different words than what's actually being sung. Because it's just a mishearing, anyone can laugh about it and talk about it openly. That gave them a way to bring up hearing without confronting anyone with the scary subject of aging.
The idea
They gathered all the misheard lyrics people had posted online and had Rick Astley himself re-record the song singing those exact words. They released it on social media and radio without revealing the brand, Rick-rolling the entire country. Once people started wondering whether their own hearing was off, Specsavers revealed what was really going on — including the fact that Rick Astley himself has hearing loss and wears a hearing aid. They spent zero money on paid advertising.
What happened
Hearing test bookings rose 1,220% above target. Google searches for hearing loss went up 138%, and hearing aids became the top trending search term online. 95% of major UK media outlets covered it as news.
Afterthought
The jury chair said: "There was an easy path available — just play the song and tack on a line at the end. Instead, they deliberately chose the harder path." A 1,220% increase with zero paid media says everything about how powerful good PR can be. I wish I could've been part of pulling off a prank this committed.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2024
Featured in
- The Ear Catches On FirstFrom an ad that introduced itself with four consonants, to a one-second quiz.
