Should’ve gone to Canada. Specsavers’ line makes North American debut

Specsavers is introducing its long-running “Should’ve gone to Specsavers” line to Canada, where the retail brand opened up shop last year.

They’ve made the best of the Canadian landscape, placing the “action” in a stunning outdoor setting, where they’ve found new ways to bring the familiar message to Specsavers’ audience.

“These spots called for sophistication in the execution by tonally and visually maintaining a level of restraint,” says Richard James, creative director at Specsaver’s in-house agency. “Nothing in the filmmaking overtly alludes to comedy – we approach the comedy in an underplayed manner through authentic settings and characters, effortless performances and observed cinematic style.”

It’s the line that keeps on giving. Introduced more than 20 years ago, Specsavers is more the exception than the rule these days in making it work for so long – and with an in-house agency to boot.

MAA creative scale: 7