Specsavers’ humour drove international growth, substantial profit and brand value.
This case describes how Specsavers’ trademark humour enabled it to respond to challenges including the pandemic, growing its business in the sensitive category of hearing services, and international expansion.
The brand’s use of ‘affiliative humour’ – jokes audiences are more likely to share – evolved from an advertising line to a broader platform, from TV-centric to multichannel, and from being a driver of awareness to consideration.
Between 2014 and 2025, it is estimated that this strategy returned approximately £10 of revenue for each pound invested. Modelling calculates that since 2003 communications generated £635m in incremental profit and increased the value of the Specsavers brand to £3.6bn.