Cochlear Americas

Closing the Hearing Health Awareness Gap for Older Adults

Linhart supported Cochlear in educating older adults and their families about the impacts of untreated hearing loss and how cochlear implants can help by sharing powerful user stories that generated more than 130 million earned media impressions in local markets and national outlets that reached the target.

Challenge

One in three Americans over age 65 has hearing loss, which can contribute to social isolation, balance issues and diminished mental sharpness when left untreated. Yet only 5% of the nearly 2 million Americans who may qualify for cochlear implant technology have received treatment due to low awareness, apathy and misinformation. There was an opportunity to bridge this gap through educational and relatable human-first media coverage on common hearing loss symptoms, when to consult an audiologist and how cochlear implants work.

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Strategy

Linhart developed a media relations strategy that paired fact-based messaging with credible hearing health experts, as well as inspiring cochlear implant recipients eager to share their personal hearing journeys. To reach older adults and their loved ones, the team planned local market print and broadcast outreach for recipients in their hometowns and uncovered national news opportunities to share information about the importance of hearing health, the differences between hearing aids and cochlear implants, early signs of hearing loss and more.

Execution

To ensure accurate message delivery and that hearing loss education and solutions were at the forefront of all coverage, Linhart created training materials to prepare recipients and hearing health professionals for interviews. The team leveraged the older recipients' inspirational stories for local media and paired important hearing health information delivered by hearing health experts with impactful user stories to land national coverage as well. A veteran cochlear implant recipient was a match for a USA Today Memorial Day special edition, and AARP covered a musician who overcame gradual hearing loss with his cochlear implant for a piece on sensory loss.

130M+

national and local earned media impressions

100%

delivery of factual hearing health messaging across coverage

local stories for six recipients

Results

Generated more than 130 million national and local earned media impressions.
Secured two national recipient-focused print stories in AARP and USA Today, reaching more than 22 million older adults.
Earned local coverage for six recipients, plus a national Yahoo Life! syndication, resulting in nine stories and more than 108 million impressions.
- One local TV story drove a viewer to visit her audiologist, where she learned she was a cochlear implant candidate – and she moved forward with getting one!
Achieved 100% delivery of factual hearing health messaging across coverage.
Earned a Gold Pick award from the Colorado Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America

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