Magnif-eye, our campaign with 1001 Optometry, has won a Silver Lion in the Health & Wellness category at Cannes Lions 2026. It was one of only ten Silver Lions awarded from 889 entries in the category.
The campaign was created in collaboration with VML Sydney and Burson Sydney, with Word of Mouth Digital leading performance media. We’re proud of the Lion. We’re prouder of what the campaign did for Australian families.
The problem worth solving
One in five kids has myopia and doesn’t know it. Neither do their parents. Childhood short-sightedness is progressing faster than in any generation before, driven by screen time and less time outdoors, yet most families only discover the problem once it’s already affecting a child at school.
1001 Optometry had a genuine first-mover opportunity: exclusive early access to Miyosmart IQ and a tool called Magnif-eye, which uses AI and smartphone camera technology to detect early signs of myopia in children by analysing photos uploaded through an app.
A brilliant product solves nothing if parents never find it. Our job was to take Magnif-eye from a clever piece of technology to a household behaviour. Scan your child’s photos, understand the risk, book an eye test.
How the campaign worked
We built a full-funnel media plan where every channel had a defined job, backed by a total media investment of $70,000 that we negotiated up to $80,000 in working media value.
- Google Search and PMax captured existing intent. Parents searching terms like “paediatric optometrist” and “kids eye test” converted at a steady CPA, and PMax doubled its conversion volume month on month as the campaign matured.
- Meta did the heavy lifting on volume. Ads built around myopia risk and early detection consistently outperformed direct booking messaging, driving thousands of Magnif-eye completions and booked eye tests at the strongest efficiency of any channel.
- TikTok played top of funnel, introducing myopia risk through simple camera-roll style educational content. Over 2.1 million impressions built the audience pool, and retargeting converted it.
- YouTube extended search with a visual education layer, with creative resonating strongest with mothers aged 35 to 44.
- Parenting podcasts delivered trust at scale. Sponsorships with Mamamia’s Parenting Out Loud and Beyond The Chaos put Magnif-eye in front of highly engaged parenting audiences through host-read endorsements, articles and social extensions. Both placements beat their download goals.
- UGC closed the trust loop. Our content production team briefed 11 parent creators across the eastern seaboard to use Magnif-eye ahead of a real eye test and document the in-store experience with their kids. Several went on to book their own eye tests and buy lenses for their children.
The numbers
- Over 3,000 Magnif-eye scan completions, putting an AI myopia screening tool in the hands of thousands of Australian families
- Over 300 booked eye tests, converting awareness into clinical action
- Over 4 million paid impressions across search, social and video
- 88 to 91 percent engagement rates from Facebook and Instagram traffic on site
- Podcast download goals exceeded on both partnerships, up 4 percent and 9 percent against target
When the campaign objective sharpened mid-flight from app scans to booked eye tests, the funnel proved its resilience.
What it proved
Awards are nice. What matters more is what the work proved: that performance media can carry a public health message without flattening it, and that when you lead with education, parents act.
Most parents won’t book an eye test until they understand why it matters. Every channel decision in this campaign flowed from that single insight. Educate cold audiences, convert warm ones, and let trusted voices carry the message where ads can’t. That mix of performance media and brand partnerships is a model we use across categories.
For the full breakdown of strategy and results, read the 1001 Optometry case study.
Want a funnel that turns awareness into appointments? Talk to Word of Mouth Digital.
