IPG Mediabrands and Plano Drive Awareness of Myopia

IPG Mediabrands and Plano launched #SeePastTheScreen, a national pro-bono campaign to drive awareness of myopia in Singapore, which is known as “the myopia capital of the world.” The campaign uses the “square eyes” parable, which refers to how one can go “squared-eye” when watching too much television, to drive home the message that excessive device usage has been scientifically linked to a myopia (short-sightedness) epidemic. The campaign is running across OOH, Print, Digital, Television, Mobile, Radio and Social Media.

“Typically eight out of 10 children in Singapore will suffer the affliction by the time they leave school” said Kelvin Eng Chief Marketing Officer at Plano. Critically, the younger a child develops myopia the higher the chance of them developing high myopia which can lead to irreversible blindness.

“Our network has been working with Plano in a CSR capacity since June last year, impressed by the innovative approach they have taken to flip this problem into a solution,” said Leigh Terry, CEO of IPG Mediabrands APAC.

Terry continued, “All of the key stakeholders in this campaign are pro-technology. It’s the misuse of technology that is causing a major issue. As an industry with digital at the heart, we recognize a responsibility to bring awareness to this. With #SeePastTheScreen we aim to help create a societal shift that will bring impactful change.”

“The social element of the #SeePastTheScreen campaign involves a call to action to post a selfie holding a smartphone in front of your eyes to symbolize the message that we’re in danger of being blinded by our devices,” said Matt Scotton, Chief Strategy Officer, Initiative APAC.