During the AFC Championship game between the Buffalo Bills and eventual winners, Kansas City Chiefs, one of the most opportunistic marketing ploys I’ve ever seen occurred at the expense of a highly-controversial call by the referees.
When it comes to the Chiefs, ask any NFL fan (that isn’t a Kansas City fan) and they’ll tell you the refs tend to side with that team. An impactful decision was made when the refs determined the Bills did not convert a critical fourth down try late in the game, and in that moment, LASIK.com took the opportunity to pounce on a genius post.
“Better Vision. Better Calls. Still literally offering all NFL refs free LASIK,” the X post read.
It was simple marketing in all its glory. The company clearly knows that there are 31 other fan bases who likely agree that the refs call was a bad one, and it took the chance to make a viral post within minutes of the live play.
The brand added another post in the thread that asked people to nominate a referee and “get $1,000 off for your own LASIK.” We’ll see if they stay true to the promotion, but regardless, just a masterclass in marketing. A third post was added later on that attempted to make light of the situation and preach fairness in the game.
“Reminder: referees can be better but so can we all,” the post started. “Never personally attack, message, or harass referees. They’re human, just like us, and mistakes happen. Let’s keep the conversation focused on improving the game and celebrating fairness, not tearing individuals down. Better vision, better calls — and better sportsmanship.”
Clearly LASIK.com saw some of the tweets coming in and figured they needed to clarify that it was nothing personal. Still, what a well done free marketing tactic.
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