We spend all day staring at screens, which can reduce our blink rate by 70%, causing dry eyes. There’s a medical test to see if you’re a sufferer, called the blink test, but it’s dull. So we reinvented it as a social starting contest. Our staring champion, Rodrigo, lays down the challenge. If you’re unable to outstare him, then you may suffer from dry eyes, and benefit from Optrex ActiMist, as explained in the titles.

It was imperative our Rodrigo character exhibited a captivating manner that could stop people scrolling through their newsfeed. He was carefully cast based on his welcoming, charming and credible demeanour, as well as fantastic facial expressions and the ability to not blink!

Uniquely with Facebook posts, we also needed to consider the ability for the idea to work without sound. Our ambition was that a character welcoming a staring contest would encourage people to turn on their sound, however subtitles ensured the message would be communicated regardless.

“Rodrigo” ran on Facebook for 4 weeks (16th September - 13th October 2016), reaching 8 million users and challenging 3 million to stare into his eyes and learn about eye health.

Despite the small media budget for the execution, the idea gained PR coverage as well as industry recognition, being voted 5* on David Reviews

The trial was so successful we are now considering the role of Rodrigo on a larger scale and in other channels. Similarly it has proved the potential for Optrex to evolve its brand voice and talk to a wider and younger audience.