When Cochlear prepared to launch the Nucleus® Nexa™ System – the world’s first smart cochlear implant – they faced a significant communications challenge: introducing a complex, cutting-edge medical innovation to a broad New Zealand audience, while highlighting its transformative potential for people with hearing loss. The task called for clear storytelling, coordinated media outreach, and a powerful human connection. 

Working closely with our agency affiliate Sefiani, Cochlear’s lead agency in Australia, we supported a seamless trans-Tasman communications strategy tailored for the New Zealand market. Our campaign centered around earned media, leveraging expert voices and lived experience to bring the benefits of the technology to life. 

A highlight was the national broadcast feature with 69-year-old Barbara McBride on 1News Breakfast. Her personal story of receiving a cochlear implant and regaining social confidence illustrated the emotional impact of the Nucleus® Nexa™ System. To add depth and authority, we secured interviews with Cochlear’s President for Asia Pacific & Latin America, Stu Sayers, and renowned ear, nose and throat surgeon Dr Michel Neeff. Their appearances on RNZ’s Nine to Noon and Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Collective unpacked the science and significance of the innovation for New Zealanders. 

The campaign generated wide-reaching, high-quality media coverage across TV and radio, with messaging consistently highlighting the Nucleus® Nexa™ System’s unique features, including real-time software updates and long-term user benefits. Communications brought the product’s human value to the forefront, reinforcing Cochlear’s leadership in hearing health innovation. By translating technical advances into relatable storytelling, we helped ensure this next-generation technology made a meaningful impression on patients, families, and healthcare professionals alike.