This PR program was focused on reinforcing brand reputation and credibility, using a simple but powerful idea to reach news media, influencers and potential consumers.

For over twenty years, ACUVUE brand has been providing the benefits of visual health, transforming vision correction with the world’s first soft disposable contact lenses.

Since contact lenses are proven to provide visual and practical advantages in sports, ACUVUE saw an opportunity to engage consumers through basketball, the preferred sport in Puerto Rico. To reach consumers through the heavy investment sponsorship clutter, the brand needed an innovative approach.

Instead of sponsoring basketball players, ACUVUE sponsored referees.

ACUVUE decided to end the bad calls, giving free visual tests and contact lenses to National Basketball League referees, attesting their accuracy with the ACUVUE Certified Seal. In this task, the brand partnered with key visual health professionals and created strategic alliances.

The tests and certifications became content for TV, Internet, social platforms and live activations during the games. The program launched at a press conference led by the commissioner of the league, where media materials were distributed.

Fans, players and coaches embraced the initiative, igniting conversations, obtaining positive media coverage, and increasing social media interactions for the brand.

A simple idea gave both referees and ACUVUE, a lot of visibility.

Local basketball fans follow BSN games at courts and watching TV transmissions at home. An estimated 1.5 million fans can be found at courts during a regular season. Another million people are estimated to watch the transmissions, so almost half of the Puerto Rican population can be reached through the BSN.

To reach them, we used the referees with the ACUVUE Certified Seal as a proof of their accuracy during live activations at games.

For those at home, instant replay integrations were created during the TV transmissions, with the ACUVUE Certified Seal. This was negotiated as part of the alliance with the Basketball League, without any additional investment in paid media.

Since basketball fans are also very active online; visual exams, interactions with referees and game activations were used as branded content on social media.

We created a new media channel on a sport dominated by big spending brands.

Market share increased from 52% to 61% during campaign.

• Brand conversations ignited with 28% increase on social media impressions on the first week alone.

• 400,000 impressions in earned media were obtained during first week

• 650,000 fans reached during games’ activations

• 4.9 million impressions through television transmissions without any media investment

• Earned 2,645,740 impressions in social media

• Interaction within the fanpage was 19 times stronger during program

• Likes rates increased by 17%

• 200 health professionals were engaged

A sponsorship negotiation that would’ve cost over $216,000 was achieved with only 10% of that investment.