Did You Hear? Consumers Tune in to Multimedia Marketing

Abstract

Many people who would benefit from wearing hearing aids don't use them, largely because they're put off by the negative images associated with these products. No matter what their age, many potential users avoid purchasing a hearing aid because they believe that wearing one would make them appear old, feeble, and incompetent. A July 1997 article in the American Psychological Association's Monitor, a publication for practitioners and clinicians, described the denial and depression people associate with hearing loss. It reported that people don't want to admit their hearing loss to themselves because it connotes aging. Nor do they want to admit it to others, for fear of being viewed as incompetent.

In addition, hearing loss, if not assisted with hearing aids, can lead to greater dependence upon a spouse and/or withdrawal from social events. Many times family members, co-workers, or anyone secondarily affected by the focal person's hearing loss may first diagnose the problem and recommend the impaired individual seek help.