Our intent was simple: create a more convenient and enjoyable way for parents to check their child’s eye health.

Therefore, we wanted to incorporate the check into an activity children already enjoyed doing with their parents, in the safety and comfort of their own home.

Reading ticked both of these boxes.

It was also the perfect activity to incorporate vision screening tools as:

1. Vision plays a critical role in the activity.

2. Parents have a high degree of control, allowing for the easy operation of the screening tools.

However, there were no universal vision screening tools for children.

So we partnered with the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences at the University of Melbourne to help us to develop a series of vision screening tools for children that could be operated by an untrained parent.

The award winning children's author/illustrator Kevin Waldron was then commissioned to develop a children’s storybook that could incorporate these screening tools.

The result was a world first.

Penny the Pirate is a storybook and a certified medical device, which enables parents to screen their child's vision (approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia).

The story follows the journey of a young girl as she tries to become captain of the Mighty Pickle. She has to plunder treasure, read the Captain’s log, and see sails in the distance to prove she’s a worthy leader of this brutish bunch of pirates.

Parents need only read the story to their child, helping them to undertake the simple screening exercises, before uploading the results online to determine if their child requires a full eye test.

Penny the Pirate is a huge commercial success, with a sustained uplift in OPSM’s children’s eye tests (average monthly growth of +22.6% YOY) and in OPSM’s children’s eyewear sales (average monthly growth of +22.4% YOY).

There are now over 126,000 medical devices out there in the community, helping to improve the lives of at least 21,000 children. Many of these devices are still in circulation thanks to our pass-it-on program (and with more available from stores and available for download), ensuring that this initiative will have an on-going effect on children’s eye health in this country. OPSM plans to continue using Penny to engage parents and ensure all children and having regular eye tests.

Penny showed how creative agencies need to go beyond traditional advertising to develop effective solutions for their clients and brands. It was also a powerful demonstration of long-term planning (investing in a new medical device) as opposed to a short-term response, resulting in a solution that is delivering sustained growth.