Execution

1. Conceptualise (planning, discovery, provocation, ideation): September 2017 – November 2017 a. Defined the problem by talking to hearing loss sufferers. b. Involved cross-disciplined experts such as audiologists and specialist sound engineers to ideate. 2. Commercialise (selection and prototyping): December 2017- February 2018 a. Prioritised ideas on commercial, customer and technical feasibility. b. Tested and optimised various versions with target audience. 3. Optimise (launch, promote, iterate): From March 2018 a. Data driven media strategy to ensure the Hearprint reached our niche audience. b. Launched the tool alongside documentaries about famous Australian Cochlear implant recipients, housed on a dedicated campaign website. c. Ongoing monitoring and iteration will continue.

The Campaign

Cochlear Hearprint is purpose-built software that bypasses the internet’s ‘one size fits all’ audio, calibrating music, TV shows and online content to your unique hearing ability. People set their Hearprint against four frequencies – identified by Cochlear audiologists as some of the most important for human hearing. Hearprint can be updated over time, giving Cochlear a direct view of how people’s hearing changes. Cochlear then uses this information to identify the ideal time to start a conversation with the user about their hearing loss. Hearprint uses every piece of digital footage, online video, and audio track on the internet, into a moment to remind Australians of their unique hearing ability.

Creative Execution

Cochlear Hearprint is purpose-built software that bypasses the internet’s ‘one size fits all’ audio, calibrating online content to people's unique hearing ability. • Hearprint is housed on a dedicated campaign website and launched alongside two documentaries. The films shared the stories of inspirational Australians whose lives were changed by their Cochlear implant. • To watch the films, users first set their Hearprint, meaning no two viewers hear the films in the same. • Four scenes were selected from the films that best sampled each frequency band. • Users alter the decibel level of individual frequencies within a piece of media from the film while it’s playing. Allowing them to select their own level of hearing comfort. • The software also captures whether users have existing hearing support (i.e. hearing aids). • Once Hearprint is set, the film's audio is automatically calibrated to their unique hearing. • A dynamic data visualisation of their hearing ability is generated for each user which they can share. • The Hearprint plugin can be installed via the campaign website, pulling through the users settings from the campaign website. • Hearprint can be updated over time by simply altering any of the four frequency bands.

Results three months in to the 12- month campaign are as follows: • 1,020 high-value leads are already talking to Cochlear experts about the most relevant treatment path. This is 62% of our commercial lead target reached, in just three months of a 12 month campaign. • 5,307 have set their Hearprint, providing Cochlear with a view of their hearing ability. • 59% (3,146) of the Hearprints set to date have been identified as 'abnormal', indicating Cochlear could help. Hearprint has also attracted enormous media interest, securing morning TV, metro newspaper, national radio, online news, and international coverage. We estimate the activity has reached over 30 million people already.

Hearprint uses data, creativity and technology to personalise Cochlear’s purpose– to help transform the way people understand and treat hearing loss. In a country where hearing loss is often called the ‘invisible disability’, this interactive experience was the first to make ‘hearing visible’ with a piece of software that modifies user inputs to turn every video, TV show and audio track on the internet, into reminder about people’s unique hearing ability. As Hearprint is updated, the software tracks changes in hearing ability over time, meaning Cochlear can identify the ideal moment to start a conversation about the user’s hearing loss.