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.

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.

We convinced the BSN to partner with ACUVUE in a visual health program that administered free visual exams to referees, provided free contact lenses to those who needed them and certified every single basketball referee on duty at the beginning of the 2014 season.

The exams were conducted by well recognized visual health professionals in alliance with the Inter American University School of Optometry to maximize credibility and strengthen relations with potential brand advocates.

Referees boasted the ACUVUE Certified Seal as a testament of their accurate performance at the court. The ACUVUE Certified Seal was also used to brand instant replays at television transmissions.

The tests and certifications became content for TV, Internet, social platforms and live activations during the games.

The program launched at the BSN press conference led by the commissioner of the league, where media materials were distributed.

Output/Awareness:

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

• 400,000 impressions in earned media on first week

• 650,000 fans reached during games

• 4.9 million impressions through television transmissions without any media investment

• Earned 2,645,740 impressions on social media

• The earned media portray the program in a positive way, stressing the role of ACUVUE as a credible visual health provider.

Action/Business Impact:

• Interaction within the fanpage 19 times stronger during the program

• Likes rates increased 17%

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

• 200 health professionals engaged

• Market share increased from a 52% to 61% during the campaign

BSN rulebook was amended making it mandatory for referees to get a visual exam each season, recognizing the importance of visual health before the island’s sports community.