Fuelling the next stage of growth for a hearing protection brand in the UK
28 Aug 2025
We’ve been working closely with a hearing protection brand that has been operating out of the Netherlands for over 30 years.
Their products are offered in 65 different countries, with close partnerships with the likes of F1 and Live Nation.
A new way of seeing
We used this simple statement as a jumping off point. Collaborating on uncovering the core problem we were aiming to solve and clarify the destination we’re aiming to arrive at.
Taking a step back to take a leap forward
We started off by taking a step back and looking under the bonnet, the category and the micro and macro trends in the market.
Without a full scope to do research, we came up with a quick and simple way to get a pulse check on the state of play.
Pairing their internal research, data and anecdotes. With going deep in the comment sections across social, forming WhatsApp groups with their audiences and looking at the macro forces at play across the UK.
Understanding reality
We uncovered three main themes:
1. People get the need for hearing protection: through pairing internal data and search data we found that awareness and usage for hearing protection is growing in the UK.
2. We’re losing them on the first impression: through our WhatsApp groups with their audiences we found there was a lack of understanding of the brand and what they offered. When prompted they knew their competitors but not them.
3. Their main competitor is becoming the noun: dominating the market by becoming the ‘Uber or AirBnB it’, forming a strong moat that is increasingly hard to compete with.
Want relevancy? Understand what’s going on in the UK first
It’s very easy to get a warped idea of how the brands one works for or works on are experienced.
We often forget they sit in the messy, complicated ever-changing world we’re all experiencing day-to-day.
We often gloss over the underlying tones that are at play and how they influence the people we’re speaking to and ultimately selling to. We wanted to route our thinking in the backdrop of the reality that many are facing.
What was and wasn’t working
It's easy to point out what isn't working. We believe when brands approach us in their moment of change our job is to concentrate our efforts equally on what is working as what isn’t.
We uncovered two main findings of what was working:
1. Once people got the product, they really enjoyed them from the quality to the design.
2. They liked some of the ‘vibe’ of their marketing. It just felt disjointed and inconsistent across channels.
Bringing it together in the short and long-term
Like with any good audit, we needed to turn our findings into actions. Some longer-term but like any business we needed options that could be activated in weeks, not months.
We found three opportunities we could start getting on with right away:
1. Music is a potent force and at the heart of the brand for the last 30 years. The UK festival scene felt like the most obvious way to turn up in an enriching way.
2. Adapt the TOV to how their target audience talks and the language they use. Without moving too far away from who they are as a brand.
3. Test, test, test. No brand is ever going to get everything right straight away. Try stuff out, understand its impact and refine, refine, refine.
Turning theory into action
In the short-term, the most obvious starting point as we headed into Summer was tapping into the UK festival scene.
Our first activation was at LIDO festival in London. Where the brand was already planning on having a presence.
To make the most of the opportunity we needed to move fast. Moving away from the traditional approach of long and costly shoots that take months to plan to a rapid production model.
We decided the fastest and most cost effective way was to work with creators and our videographer Ben to allow us to capture a breathe of content across paid and organic.
Working closely with our sourcing team we picked creators that were already embedded in the UK festival scene.
What we achieved together
Outside of impressions, engagement and comments. The audit and activation was the start of a mindset shift within the brand. Engaging their CEO and Marketing Director to start seeing their approach to the UK in a new light. Rather than pasting what worked in one market to the next, thinking strategically about what will start to shift the dial in the market and how to execute in a more effective way.
If you're in a moment of change and looking for a fresh perspective, get in touch here.
Credit
Creators: @althecontentgal & @russfestivalfriend
Influencer Manager: Layna Duggan
Videographer: Ben Smith