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.

The campaign targets were potential consumers with an active lifestyle and visual health professionals.

The ultimate campaign objective was to increase market share during the period.

Goals:

• Create awareness and drive positive conversations about ACUVUE

• Strengthen links with visual health professionals and potential brand advocates

Instead of sponsoring basketball players, ACUVUE sponsored referees.

Referees have to endure constant pressure from fans, players and coaches, who hold their vision accountable for games’ results, even calling them 'blind'.

However, referees are not required to take a visual examination to work on the Puerto Rico National Superior Basketball League.

ACUVUE decided to end the bad calls, giving free visual tests and contact lenses to BSN referees and attesting their accuracy with the ACUVUE Certified Seal. The brand partnered with key visual health professionals and created strategic alliances.

The program was called: 'They call it as they see it'.

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.

Some brands pursue the association with sport events because of their vast audience and pertinence. Usually they pay costly sponsorships of key athletes or teams. Nobody had focus on the referees.

Refs are the black sheep of the game: almost invisible until they make a call (and that is always bad for one of the teams). When a team loses, referees are to blame – or better said, their eyesight.

The strength of the idea lies in its simple and pertinent link to the brand benefits of improving performance by taking care of visual health.