With a product as universal as batteries, Duracell has a lot of scope when it comes to advertising -- anything powered by its products is fair game.
That ubiquity gives the brand license to take on causes it thinks are particularly meaningful without seeming overly exploitative.
SEE ALSO: Duracell and Tim McGraw Highlight First Responders in New CampaignYou May Also Like
In its latest campaign, the Berkshire Hathaway-owned battery maker is focusing on untreated hearing loss, an affliction that affects about 48 million Americans, more than 80% of whom over the age of 65 do not seek treatment.
Backed by a short cameo voiceover from Mad Men's John Slattery, the two-minute commercial follows a new grandfather who feels increasingly isolated from his family and social circle as his hearing begins to fail.
He inadvertently ignores coworkers, misses out on dinner party conversations and -- to his family's alarm -- neglects his crying infant grandkid because of the television volume. That's when the man decides it's time for a battery-powered hearing aid.
"Wow, that's amazing," he says, wiping a tear from his eye after using it for the firm time.
The campaign was timed to coincide with the American Speech-Language Association's national hearing month, and Slattery was chosen for the part based on his father's struggle with hearing loss.
"When we started looking at what these [hearing-impaired] consumers went through, we were very compelled to tell their story," Duracell's brand manager, Ramon Velutini, told Mashable.
According to Velutini, the narrative of the video was inspired by a Hellen Keller quote: "Blindness separates people from things. Deafness separates people from people."
In addition to the commercial, Duracell is offering 50,000 free over-the-phone hearing tests through a partnership with a nonprofit.
The new campaign marks Duracell's first big advertising foray since the brand's sale from household goods giant Procter & Gamble to Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway was finally completed earlier this year.
Update Tues. May 3 9:30 a.m. PST:This post has been updated to include more recent hearing loss stats.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
