INSIGHTS Creative, Quirky, Attention Getting—Georgetown Sets The Bar High By Marge Axelrad Monday, October 19, 2015 12:00 AM What a breath of fresh air. Super quality, creativity, production value, cleverness… and style! That was my reaction to watching “Our Family Knows Glasses,” the incredible video and accompanying digital media campaign launched by Georgetown Opticians earlier this month. Wow. Watch it now on Vimeo or YouTube. What a way to build an identity, share an aesthetic, communicate knowledge and expertise—yes, eyewear expertise. Georgetown, the Voorthuis family and their agency, Design Army, crafted a new way to reinforce the opticians’ curated collections and reframe their image to a whole new audience while, I’m guessing, reaffirming the connection to the boutiques of their loyal customers. It’s illustrative of what’s needed in today’s most successful and impactful marketing—which is the interconnection between advertising, social media and multi-platform presence and “shareability.” This campaign sets a new bar, in my opinion. In this month’s feature, under our dba banner, which is the news and feature platform we use to identify what leading regional and national chains are doing to manage all aspects of their businesses, we examine a diverse range of TV marketing happening this year. And, as you’ll see, in addition to sending key messages about the importance of eye health and the choice of eyewear assortments and service, today’s successful optical retailers and ECPs are remarking on the need for campaigns to “live” beyond the TV into other visual and social digital platforms. This helps them reach out to new and existing customers and it stretches the messages into other realms. Optical retailers and eyecare companies have not traditionally marketed beyond the promotional. And when they have taken to the airwaves to communicate other messages, they hit in a major “season,” like back-to-school or the fall or spring time frames, and then go silent. Today’s digital media platforms offer dozens of new opportunities to amplify campaigns and images all the time and in relatively cost-effective ways. The clutter of messages out there today demands a unique voice to bust through into building awareness on a sustained level. This can be in the fashion realm, in the health care realm or in the service arena. Watch “Our Family Knows Glasses” and be inspired about the ways that “unique” can work in your favor, too. maxelrad@jobson.com