(PRESS RELEASE) ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Vision Council is promoting the importance of ultraviolet (UV)-protective eyewear through the celebration of National Sunglasses Day, taking place Monday, June 27, 2022. The day of recognition, brought to life each year by The Vision Council, reminds consumers that wearing sunglasses is not only fashionable, but also a health necessity to protect the eyes from long- and short-term damage from the sun’s UV rays.
The Vision Council encourages the vision care community to participate in National Sunglasses Day by posting on their social media channels using the official hashtags #SunglassSelfie and #NationalSunglassesDay and tagging @TheVisionCouncil on Facebook and Instagram and @OpticalIndustry on Twitter.
“Every year, National Sunglasses Day is a great opportunity for the vision care community to amplify awareness about the harmful impact of UV exposure and the breadth of stylish and functional UV-protective eyewear options available to consumers,” said Ashley Mills, CEO of The Vision Council. “We’ve created sample marketing materials that we hope will be helpful to the community as they make their National Sunglasses Day plans, and we also encourage the industry to get creative with this special day and have fun activating around it. For eyecare providers, it’s the perfect moment to engage with patients in conversations around healthy vision maintenance.”
The Vision Council has created downloadable marketing assets for members of industry to use to promote National Sunglasses Day, including new social media images and web banners, as well as sample social media graphics and posts, posters, logos and more. The marketing assets are available to download on the National Sunglasses Day website, here.
Additionally, members of The Vision Council can print National Sunglasses Day promotional materials, from stickers and posters to gift bags and t-shirts, at a discounted rate through The Vision Council’s new Vistaprint ProShop. Click here to create an account and start ordering today. Members of The Vision Council also have access to a consumer-facing social media content calendar for June, which is part of a new member benefit and includes posts for National Sunglasses Day. Click here to download the June calendar.
The Vision Council is also sharing recent data around consumer sunglass purchasing and wearing habits through its Consumer inSights Q1 2022 Report and a Morning Consult survey, issued in May 2022, about sunglass usage and consumer perception of the benefits of wearing sunglasses.
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According to The Vision Council’s Consumer inSights Q1 2022 Report—which is available to members of The Vision Council as a complimentary download and to non-members as a paid report in The Vision Council’s Research Download Center, click here – more than one in every four U.S. adults—67.2 million people—wears plano sunglasses. Other key takeaways from the report, which surveyed 15,015 adults, include:
- In the first quarter of 2022, 46.5 million adults purchased at least one pair of plano sunglasses.
- 76 percent of those with a recent purchase said they bought in-person while 23 percent said they bought their sunglasses online.
- More than half, 52 percent, of those with a recent purchase said they spent $50 or less on a new pair of plano sunglasses.
- The rate of sunglasses use is similar for U.S. adults using corrective lenses and those without corrective lenses – 24 percent of prescription glasses users also use prescription sunglasses, close to the 26 percent of U.S. adults who use plano sunglasses.
Additionally, in May 2022, Morning Consult conducted a survey on behalf of The Vision Council about sunglass usage and consumer sentiment around the health benefits of wearing sunglasses. The poll was conducted among a sample of 2,210 U.S. adults. Key takeaways from the survey include:
- Two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) report wearing sunglasses always, most, or some of the time when spending time outside. These respondents are significantly more likely to wear sunglasses during summer compared to other months.
- A majority of parents, (70 percent), say their children wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun when spending time outside.
- The survey found that awareness of sunglass’ health benefits increases adults’ likelihood to wear them, and makes parents say they would encourage their children to use them as well.
The survey also showed some differences among specific demographics who wear sunglasses regularly, including:
- 50 percent of Gen Zers wear sunglasses always, most or some of the time outside, compared to 71 percent of Millennials, 72 percent of GenXers, and 68 percent of Baby Boomers.
- Adults in the Northeast (63 percent) are less likely than those in the Midwest (70 percent), South (68 percent), or West (69 percent) to wear sunglasses when spending time outside.
The view the survey summary, click here.
This year, The Vision Council will elevate awareness of the campaign and encourage consumers to get involved through the distribution of a press release over PR Newswire. Additionally, The Vision Council will host a consumer media and influencer event in New York City on June 21, the week leading up to National Sunglasses Day, to further amplify awareness. Media and influencers will be invited to enjoy cocktails and light bites, discover the latest sunglass and UV protection products from The Vision Council’s members and learn about the importance of UV protection through a fireside chat with two of The Vision Council’s medical advisors.
For more information about the National Sunglasses Day campaign, visit here. For questions regarding the campaign and to share your company’s efforts to help promote National Sunglasses Day, contact Hayley Rakus at hrakus@thevisioncouncil.org.
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