Rock Legend Huey Lewis is Oticon's "Real Deal" Spokesperson
Somerset, NJ January 28 - This month, Oticon, Inc. will release a variety of new marketing tools promoting Oticon Dual. The newest addition to the Oticon family will be showcased on the ears of a more familiar "addition" to the Oticon family, rock legend Huey Lewis, founder and lead vocalist of Huey Lewis and the News. Lewis, an early adaptor and enthusiast for Oticon Delta, helped Oticon bring to life Delta's message of style and performance and this month, will share his real life experience "trading up" to Oticon's newest innovation.
"Huey is the 'real deal'," says Gordon Wilson, Oticon's Vice President of Marketing. "We wanted a spokesperson who literally wore his commitment to our hearing solutions on his ears. We reasoned that if we are attempting to spread the word about better hearing and the benefits of hearing solutions then we needed a personality who could demonstrate through his own experiences that hearing devices can be part of an active lifestyle." Wilson reports that during the two years the company has worked with Lewis, the Grammy Award winner has recommended Delta to countless friends, family and fellow musicians, many of whom now wear Delta.
Keeping it real was a key goal in designing the new Dual marketing tools which capitalize on Lewis' personal experience to attract both new and experienced users. The video and photo shoot took place in Sausalito, California, using some of Lewis' favorite locations as backdrops. No props were needed;Lewis wore his own Sunset Orange and Cabernet Red Duals and black Streamer throughout the day-long session
"With over 20 million albums sold worldwide, Huey Lewis is a personality with enormous appeal to a wide range of consumers," notes Wilson. "He is a wonderful role model for new users who hesitate to consider hearing solutions because of outdated stereotypes. And, at the same time, as an experienced user, he can speak credibly about Dual's fantastic sound quality with Spatial Sound and full wireless connectivity."
The marketing tools include a variety of eye-catching posters, postcards, in-office displays, a cover story in Oticon's Sound Advice magazine and a videotaped interview for in-office viewing. All share Lewis' success story with Dual and encourage others who want the ultimate combination of appealing design and outstanding performance to talk with their audiologists about new Dual.
Wilson points out that Lewis was an excellent test case for Dual's appeal to experienced users. "When we asked Huey to try Dual, he was a bit hesitant. He had been quite satisfied with his Deltas," Wilson explains. But trying was believing. "I'd been a Delta wearer for two years," Huey reports. "I was mad about my Deltas. But then I was introduced to the new Oticon Duals. I was told they were even better than Delta and I couldn't imagine how that could be. But they are."
Lewis notes that Dual enables him to more easily identify who is talking, especially when voices or sounds come from different areas of the room. "I am able to focus on the sounds I'm really trying to listen to. In other words, if you're speaking, I am more able to focus on you even though I might hear peripheral noises," he explains. "I can hear both the close sounds and the faraway sounds. Before I had trouble determining where sound was coming from. My new Duals really help me zero in on what I want to hear."
An added bonus for Lewis was the optional Streamer companion device that enables Dual users to wirelessly connect to landline and cell phones, TV systems and other popular personal entertainment systems such as MP3 players.
"With Dual, I can talk on my cell phone hands-free," Huey states. "I live in California where they just passed a law restricting driving while talking on a cell phone. So this is fantastic. And I can also plug the Streamer into my iPod and listen to music."
The new marketing materials, shipped in late December, are appearing in the hearing centers and offices nationwide. For information about new Dual and the new marketing tools visit https://www.oticonusa.com or the Oticon web channel on Audiology Online. You can also call Oticon at 800-526-3921.
