Visionworks Disguises Ads As Movie Trailers That Test Your Eyesight

“If you have trouble reading this, you need your eyes checked,” reads the statement at the end of a movie trailer. Turns out, no such action movie is showing in cinemas, as the cleverly-disguised videos are actually advertisements by Visionworks to test moviegoers’ eyesight.

Created in collaboration with advertising agency Leo Burnett, the concept features two different spots—Bomb Squad and Bed. Each takes on the aesthetic of a foreign-language trailer, in which viewers rely on subtitles to understand what’s happening in the 60-second commercials.

The font and size of the subtitles used in the advertisements were specifically chosen to fit the size of subtitles one with 20/20 vision would be able to read, so if the text appears too small or blurry to a viewer, it may be time to scan the QR code at the end to schedule an eye appointment.

Aside from appearing in over 800 movie theaters, the company plans to release the commercials across television, streaming platforms, and social media to commemorate the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy Vision Month.

Stan Lippelman, Senior Vice-President of Visionworks, told The Drum he hopes the campaign will help convey the importance of maintaining one’s eye health in an “entertaining and unexpected way.”

Britt Nolan, President of Leo Burnett, concurred, explaining that the best advertisements aren’t simply persuasive, but reward the audience for their attention. In this case, the twist at the end of the trailer reminds viewers to schedule a check-up and elicits an element of surprise.

[via The Drum and iSpot.tv, cover image via Visionworks]