What it had to solve
SYLVANIA, a leader in automotive lighting, and agency FITZCO needed to remind drivers that headlights need routine care. January is one of the darkest months, so cars see the most headlight burnout and accident risk rises. It was SYLVANIA's first consumer activation.
The idea
Treat headlights like eyes: a drive-through 'eye exam' with a car-sized phoropter that shows the difference between old and new bulbs.
How it works
To open the 'EYECARE by SYLVANIA' campaign, a pop-up in the desert near Las Vegas offered an interactive drive-through exam. Consumers drove their cars through a custom-built automotive phoropter, similar to those used by optometrists, which showcased old bulbs against new ones. Afterwards, people nationwide could request free at-home kits.
What it did
LBB's report gives no attendance or sales figures. The pop-up extended into a national at-home kit offer, with free kits containing headlights and branded goodies, and the hashtag #EYECAREbySYLVANIA for installation photos.
Background
SYLVANIA, working with agency FITZCO, launched its first-ever consumer activation under the name 'EYECARE by SYLVANIA'. The premise was that headlights, like eyes, benefit from routine care, and that January's long darkness makes burnt-out bulbs a particular hazard.
The pop-up took place in the desert near Las Vegas and mimicked an eye exam for the car itself. Drivers drove through a custom-built automotive phoropter, modelled on the device optometrists use, that showed the difference between old and new bulbs.
The campaign then moved from the desert to the mailbox: consumers anywhere in the country could sign up at eyecarebysylvania.com for free at-home kits with headlights and other branded goodies, described as having a 'Warby Parker-like feel' for your car, and share the installation with #EYECAREbySYLVANIA.
Why it lands
The eye-exam metaphor explained the benefit of replacing bulbs without a technical lecture.
Seeing old and new bulbs side by side through a phoropter made the improvement visible rather than claimed.
A free at-home kit extended a single desert event into a national, trackable sign-up.
Borrowing the look of an optical-retail brand gave a utilitarian product a lifestyle tone.
What you can take
Borrowing a familiar routine from another category, like an eye test, can make a neglected maintenance task instantly understandable and demonstrable.
Since then
LBB's piece describes the at-home kit rollout as the next step after the pop-up and does not report later results.
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