The 95-year-old actor and Star Trek icon brings personal experience with hearing challenges to a new brand ambassador role for the Scottsdale-based OTC hearing aid maker.
Audien Hearing has announced a partnership with actor William Shatner, launching a campaign called “Boldly Hear What’s Next” aimed at encouraging adults with hearing loss to take steps toward better hearing. The campaign centers on the message that aging does not preclude continued engagement with life, conversation, and experience.
Shatner, 95, brings firsthand experience to the role. He has faced hearing challenges himself and uses Audien’s Atom X over-the-counter hearing aids to stay connected to the conversations, people, and experiences that matter to him. As brand ambassador, he will appear across a wide-ranging marketing and social media campaign.
“I’ve spent a lifetime thinking about the future, and at 95, I still want to know what’s next: the next conversation, the next idea, the next adventure,” says Shatner, in a release. “I know firsthand how hearing challenges can affect those moments. That’s why I partnered with Audien. There’s a lot of life left to live, and a lot worth hearing.”
Shatner is no stranger to public conversations about hearing health. He has previously spoken openly about his tinnitus, and his profile as a public figure who has personally navigated hearing difficulties underpins the campaign’s consumer-facing credibility.
Addressing the OTC Access Gap
The partnership arrives against a backdrop of persistent underutilization of hearing devices among older Americans. More than 1.5 billion people worldwide — nearly 20% of the global population — live with hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization. Approximately 37.5 million American adults report some degree of trouble hearing, yet among adults 70 and older with hearing loss who could benefit from hearing aids, fewer than one in three has ever used them, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
Audien Hearing, founded in 2019 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., positions itself as an accessibility-focused player in the OTC hearing aid market. Its product lineup includes rechargeable in-ear and behind-the-ear devices available online and through national retail partners, intended for adults 18 and older with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss.
“We started Audien because too many people were being left out of conversations they deserved to be part of,” says Ishan Patel, co-founder and CEO of Audien Hearing, in a release. “Making hearing more accessible means giving people a way back into those moments. William embodies why that matters: there is still so much life ahead worth showing up for.”
The Atom X and Human Support Model
Central to the campaign is Audien’s Atom X, a rechargeable in-ear hearing aid featuring a touchscreen charging case that allows users to adjust volume and hearing modes without a smartphone app. The device is paired with a free one-on-one Sound Check appointment with a hearing specialist for personalized setup and guidance — a support model the company says is designed to reduce barriers for first-time users.
“With Audien we spent years thinking we could change the world, even when people thought we were crazy,” says Zack Hubbard, co-founder of Audien Hearing, in a release. “That’s what boldly means to us: believing a better future is possible and having the courage to build it. William has inspired generations to dream that way. Partnering with him is a dream come true.”
The “Boldly Hear What’s Next” campaign reflects a broader industry trend of consumer-facing hearing health advocacy, as OTC hearing aid brands increasingly look to high-profile spokespeople to reduce stigma and drive adoption among adults who may be reluctant to seek help. For hearing care professionals, campaigns of this nature have the potential to bring more patients through the door who are newly aware of — and motivated to address — their hearing loss.
More information about Audien Hearing and its product lineup is available at AudienHearing.com.
Featured image: William Shatner partners with Audien on “Boldly Hear What’s Next” campaign for OTC hearing aids. Photo: Audien
