Dive Brief:
- Two days before the NFL's AFC title game that took place over the weekend, the Indianapolis Colts' website went down.
- The stunt — what the team called a "blue-out" — changed the website to only show one short video of Colts players offering up words of motivation.
- At the end of the video, the following phrase appeared: “We’re sorry. Colts.com is currently experiencing a blue out. Colts Nation, please direct all focus to our game this coming Sunday. #BlueFriday.” At the bottom of the screen, there was a call to action to download the team's mobile app.
Dive Insight:
The Colts aren't the first brand to blackout (or blue-out) their website to get attention. Taco Bell recently had success in blacking out all its social media pages to drive mobile app downloads. In a digital space where there is a lot of noise, being quiet can sometimes be an effective strategy. Silence ahead of what was likely the busiest weekend for the team's website grabbed the Internet's attention.
