Submitted by EdelmanAgency IPI Score 94/100

Senses Working Overtime

PR & Communications

Edelman built a WHO-data thought leadership platform for Cochlear to drive hearing health awareness and professional consultation across Europe via earned media.

728KSocial media shares
1.65MMedia coverage views

About the campaign

Cochlear operates in a specialist medical device category where overt product promotion carries credibility risks, yet 466 million people worldwide live with disabling hearing loss and awareness of risk factors, symptoms, and treatments remained low across Europe. Edelman's route in was WHO data showing that one in five people with disabling hearing loss would benefit from a hearing aid or implant, a gap rooted in low awareness rather than a lack of solutions.

The agency built The State of Hearing, a thought leadership platform anchored in WHO research that positioned Cochlear as an authoritative public health voice rather than a product advertiser across its key European markets. The platform briefed health and news journalists on underappreciated risk behaviours such as listening to loud music and skipping ear protection in noisy environments, and encouraged audiences to consult a healthcare professional, creating a funnel entry point without overt selling.

EastEnders actress Rita Simons, whose daughter has a cochlear implant, added personal narrative to the statistics and extended the campaign's earned media reach. Edelman reports the work generated 1.65 million views of media coverage and 728,000 social media shares, though referral and conversion figures were not disclosed.

Case in 60 seconds

Worldwide, 466 million people live with disabling hearing loss yet public awareness of risk factors, symptoms, and available treatments remained low across Europe, limiting the number of people seeking professional help or considering implant solutions.

WHO data showed that one in five people with disabling hearing loss would benefit from a hearing aid or implant, pointing to a significant gap between scale of need and rate of action — a gap rooted in low awareness rather than lack of solutions.

Position Cochlear as an authoritative public health voice rather than a product advertiser by building a thought leadership platform called 'The State of Hearing', anchored in WHO research, to reframe hearing loss as a major underappreciated issue.

Edelman launched 'The State of Hearing' platform across Cochlear's key European markets, using WHO-sourced data to brief health and news journalists and engaging EastEnders actress Rita Simons — whose daughter has a cochlear implant — to add personal narrative to the statistics and extend earned media reach.

Edelman reports the campaign generated 1.65 million views of media coverage and 728,000 social media shares. No independent verification, conversion figures, or referral data are available.

Strategy Breakdown

The primary strategy-learning section — interpretation, not a press-release summary.

Adults across European markets who may be at risk of or experiencing hearing loss but have not yet sought professional assessment. The campaign also targeted health and news journalists as an intermediary audience capable of amplifying the public health framing.
Hearing loss at scale is a documented public health problem, yet it is widely treated as an inevitability or a niche medical concern rather than something to address proactively. The campaign sought to challenge that passivity by foregrounding the prevalence of the condition and the availability of effective interventions.
Cochlear operates in a specialist medical device category where direct promotional messaging carries credibility risks and limited organic reach. The brief required raising awareness of hearing health broadly — not just of the brand — while still creating a pathway into the commercial funnel.
Cochlear was positioned as an authoritative voice on hearing health, using WHO research to lead a public conversation rather than simply advertising its implant products. The intent was to build trust and category relevance simultaneously.
The campaign identified specific underappreciated risk behaviours — such as listening to loud music and failing to use ear protection in noisy environments — and used data to make the personal relevance of hearing health tangible for general audiences.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • 'The State of Hearing' thought leadership platform, drawing on WHO research
  • Earned media coverage across European health and news outlets (specific publications not named in source)
  • Social media sharing as secondary distribution channel

Partners

  • Edelman (lead agency, per agency self-report at https://www.edelman.com/uk/work/senses-working-overtime)
  • Rita Simons, EastEnders actress and parent of a cochlear implant recipient (celebrity spokesperson)
  • World Health Organization (data source)

Participation mechanic

  • Earned media seeding of WHO-backed research findings to health and news journalists
  • Celebrity personal narrative to drive public engagement and social sharing
  • Referral prompt encouraging audiences to consult a healthcare professional

Creator role

  • Rita Simons served as a celebrity spokesperson with lived personal connection to the product category, providing human narrative to accompany statistical data

Results & Evidence

MetricValueResult typeConfidence
Media coverage views1.65 millionReachAgency reported
Social media shares728,000EngagementAgency reported

Why Edelman's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Anchoring campaign content in WHO data gave claims third-party authority, making earned coverage from health and news journalists more accessible. (Source)

  2. 2

    Selecting a celebrity spokesperson with direct personal experience of the product category — Rita Simons's daughter uses a cochlear implant — created a credible human story that could stand alongside statistical content without appearing manufactured. (Source)

  3. 3

    Framing the campaign as a public health conversation rather than a product advertisement allowed Cochlear to reach broader earned media channels that would not typically carry medical device advertising. (Source)

  4. 4

    Designing awareness activity to direct audiences toward healthcare professionals created a natural commercial funnel entry point without requiring promotional messaging, aligning communications and business objectives simultaneously. (Source)

  5. 5

    Identifying specific behavioural risk factors — loud music, absence of ear protection — gave general audiences personally relevant hooks into what might otherwise feel like an abstract public health statistic. (Source)

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