Metzgerlehner has detectives investigate for Phonak
Phonak has developed a new, extremely small hearing aid: Nano. Metzgerlehner has designed a multi-stage infotainment campaign for hearing care professionals—a demanding and sometimes hard-to-reach audience.
Hearing aid specialists from a wide variety of countries were drawn into an adventure to demonstrate the benefits of Nano, as the agency explains in a press release: Geoffrey Hardcastle, Head of Investigations at Phinkerton Detectives, asked them to help solve the case of «Star Conductor Herbert von X»—specifically, to determine whether the aging star conductor wears a hearing aid or not.
The report goes on to say that, in the initial phase, they deliberately chose not to identify Phonak as the sender. This kept the suspense building right up until the Nano’s launch date. To help clarify the case, hearing care professionals in Phonak’s most important global markets received a comprehensive mailing from Phinkerton Detectives containing various documents: evidence photos, handwritten notes from the investigating detectives, and a surveillance report, all of which were intended to assist the hearing care professionals in preparing their expert assessments.
Using a personal code, about a quarter of all hearing aid specialists who were contacted logged into the Phinkerton Detectives intranet and submitted their expertise electronically. Everyone who actively contributed to solving the case could expect Phinkerton Detectives to show their appreciation—for example, with a pair of binoculars for true-blue detectives or an Aston Martin for a weekend.
To resolve the «Herbert von X» case, all hearing care professionals received a second letter from Geoffrey Hardcastle. This time, it included a thank-you note for their support in this difficult case and an X-ray of the star conductor’s head. It was only thanks to this extraordinary piece of evidence that the hearing aids, which were deeply embedded in the ear canal, could be made visible. An enclosed advertisement revealed that these were Phonak’s new Nano hearing aids and that they would soon be officially available.
Responsible at Phonak: Ora Bürkli (Vice President of Product Marketing), Sonia Torre, and Reto Sigrist (Marketing Communications Manager). Responsible at Metzgerlehner Worldwide Partners: Michael Rottmann (CD), Patrick Meyer (Copy/Concept), Janine Aebischer (Art Director), Annette Vetsch and Katja Kurzweck (Graphic Design), Mark Berger (Metzgerlehner Digital), Silvan Metzger and Anna-Lea Michael (Consulting), Jonathan Heyer (Photography).
