THE POWER OF ILLUSIONAs part of the UK launch for the latest Phonak hearing system it was decided that a short promotional video would be shot. The emphasis needed to be on the discreet nature of the product and the fact it looked more like a fashion device than a hearing aid.
This was part of a reputation enhancing exercise as much as it was a sales tool. The five minute film introduced the device and then create links between it and other major aspirational brands such as Apple and Nike. By developing a culture of 'cool' it was hoped to defeat some of the stereotypes associated with the deaf community and also draw in the hard of hearing community that would often cope with hearing loss simply to avoid the associations with being deaf.
The film took to the streets to question a wide variety of people on what they thought the device might be. Popular answers included MP3 player and Bluetooth device, very few people associated it with a hearing system.
The film was played at trade shows across the country to support the marketing push of the device.
