Channel 4 and ITV to introduce each other’s shows for Specsavers campaign

ITV and Channel 4 are collaborating with Specsavers on a UK media first in which the broadcasters appear to mix up each other’s programme announcements.

The high street optician and glasses brand is launching “Should’ve 2.0” across a wider range of media than ever before as it aims to reach a broader audience.

The initial “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” launched 20 years ago and this £4m revamp campaign will start today and run throughout March and April across TV, cinema, digital, social, out-of-home (OOH), print, radio and gaming.

For the first time, Channel 4 and ITV will both have “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” moments throughout this weekend across programmes including Coronation Street, This Morning, Hollyoaks and First Dates.

Continuity announcers will get the scripts “mixed up” and introduce shows for the wrong channel.

Specsavers will also use in-game advertising for the first time through work with Anzu to bring in-game OOH billboards to Tiles Hop, Final Kick, Trackmania and Cooking Diary to reach “millions of younger people and light TV viewers”.

The brand creates its own advertising through in-house The Agency, while MG OMD handles the media planning and buying.

A 30-second TV spot (above) will be supported by four 15-second YouTube shorts all following the comedic misadventures of a poor-sighted delivery man (pictured, main image).

Specsavers’ ear care service will also get its first 15-second TV spot (below) featuring someone getting an unexpected large pizza delivery because someone mishears their order.

OOH and national print activations will include “accidentally” misprinted or incorrectly installed ads as a nod to the “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” strapline.

Richard James, creative director at The Agency added: “Should’ve’s real strength isn’t in the joke, it’s in the friendly nudge it gives people towards better sight and hearing, while putting a smile on their face. Using a location populated by diverse characters, and playing with the line to land new messages, we have successfully evolved it into a more holistic creative platform, reflecting different parts of the business across many different media to give it a new lease of life.