Ted Lasso Director Takes on New Specsavers ‘Should’ve Gone to Specsavers’ Campaign ‘Airport’

Thursday, March 7 2024 | 11 h 17 min | News

Specsavers Canada launched its new ‘Should’ve Gone to Specsavers’ campaign with a spot called ‘Airport’. The spot was developed by their in-house agency, Specsavers Creative and directed by BAFTA and Emmy award-winning comedy director Declan Lowney, known for Ted Lasso and Father Ted.

Harnessing the signature Specsavers humour, the ad introduces us to couple Greg and Ella who are about to go on vacation. Ella has an easy check in while Greg parks the car. Greg finally skids into the airport lobby with his wheelie suitcase and is now visibly cutting it close to make the departure.

Checking the departure board, Greg rushes frantically to catch his flight and we see him caught up in a few tricky situations. These include relatable moments like forgetting to empty a water bottle before going through security or trying to run along a moving walkway packed with people who are standing still.

It ends with Greg racing out onto the tarmac where the aircraft is being prepared for takeoff. We cut to a concerned-looking Ella who is already onboard, peering out of a window as she spots Greg. But will he manage to board the plane, or should he have gone to Specsavers?

The spot is crafted entirely without dialogue, with the comedic emphasis being on visual humour. The campaign includes 30 and 15 second cuts, that will air on broadcast, connected TV, and social media.

“Specsavers have managed to achieve that rare feat of creating their own distinctive brand of humour. Their work has a comedy voice of its own so my role was to get the best out of the script and maximize the laughs. And telling a story purely with images – along with humour and wit – was right up my runway, ” says Declan Lowney, Director.

“We’re so excited to be able to share more of the ‘Should’ve’ world with Canadians, especially with something as relatable as airport travel. The combination of our award-winning Specsavers Creative agency, together with direction from Declan Lowney have perfectly blended our brand humour with our purpose of changing lives through better sight.”

Catherine Walsh, Marketing Director at Specsavers Canada

“We wanted to do something different with this spot – up the jeopardy, up the scale and increase the gags. It’s a fun spot that we’re sure will resonate with all sorts of people. Declan and the team worked really hard together to bring the script to life so successfully,” says Richard James, Creative Director at Specsavers Creative.

View the new ad here: 

Click HERE for the full press release.

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