Optyl: a journey through time

A new optician-oriented marketing campaign was launched in March to promote Optyl, the brand name of a special plastic material used exclusively by Safilo for certain models in its most prestigious eyewear collections.

The communication begins with the origins of Optyl and an imaginary scientist, Fridebald Schulz, who announces his sensational discovery to the world.

“The Optyl brand not only identifies a material, it is, above all, a philosophy of life: events may change us, but they will never take away our identity” (a statement by Fridebald Schulz, the protagonist of this imaginary project).

To provide an effective and original explanation of this material’s potential, all opticians received a cardboard box that had been aged to look as though it had been sent in 1970. The box contained a special kit comprising a letter from Schulz describing the characteristics of Optyl, a copy of an invented magazine, “È Scienza!”, dated 1970 and dedicated to this discovery, and a glass bottle containing a front piece in this material which can be used as an original counter display to arouse customer curiosity.

The bottle keeps the result of an experiment and can be used to demonstrate the memory effect, one of the characteristics of this material: the bottle and the front piece were heated to 140°C, at which point the distorted front piece was placed in the bottle. When it cooled, it returned to its original shape.

Optyl is a brand registered by Safilo. Created by a special combination of substances, it is a thermosetting plastic material with exceptional qualities. As well as being about 20% lighter than acetate or other materials, it adapts perfectly to any face shape and it is extremely comfortable and durable. It is also non-allergic because it does not contain plasticizers and the surface is treated with a special coating resistant to perspiration and cosmetics. Moreover, the material has an excellent finish and guarantees extraordinary color and three-dimensional effects.