December 6, 2021
Parent influencers are explaining the importance of taking kids to their annual eye exams.
ST. LOUIS – The Global Myopia Awareness Coalition (GMAC) has launched a new myopia management public awareness campaign including social and paid media, which will continue the organization’s commitment to drive myopia management awareness among parents.
Following on the success of the most recent “Little Kid License” campaign (the aggregated posts made over 265 million impressions on social media), this fifth installment of direct-to-consumer advertising will raise awareness about myopia and encourage parents to ask eye doctors about the new treatments that are available – beyond conventional glasses and contacts – that can help slow the progression of the disease.
To amplify this important message, GMAC is collaborating with parent influencers, and for the first time, eye care professional influencers, who will share their personal and professional myopia stories on Instagram and TikTok, urging parents to schedule an annual comprehensive eye exam for their children – while the family is on holiday break – to learn more about new myopia treatment options. Additionally, GMAC will distribute editorial content to local online newspapers across the U.S. to reach parents and direct them to the GMAC website to learn more.
GMAC has already lined up several parent and ECP influencers to help spread the message about myopia and the importance of regular eye exams. From the parent side, the organization will have Laura Izumikawa (553K followers), Jared Mecham (400K followers), Myriam Sandler (894.2K followers), and Angela Kim (262.7K followers). There are also two practitioners with significant online followings who will participate in the campaign: Dr. Rupa Wong (64.5K followers) and Dr. Carly Rose (238K followers).
These efforts are already in effect, with some of the influencers already posting content. Myriam Sandler, Dr. Rupa Wong, and Dr. Carly Rose have already shared these messages to their social media channels, and more of these posts are scheduled to go live in the coming weeks.
This round of direct-to-consumer advertising is targeting parents’ myopia education. The organization hopes to continue to raise awareness and deepen the education around the need for myopia management. With upcoming holiday times often coinciding with use of health care benefit spends, GMAC hopes to drive the urgency for parents to prioritize their children’s eye health.
While the primary goal of the campaign is to make parents more aware of myopia management, the organization also hopes that ECPs will share these resources with their own patient bases. Practitioners who offer myopia management can follow the influencers and share this content on their own practice channels directly to reach their audiences.
