D.C. United using Tinder to sell tickets

D.C. United's marketing and promotions have been under scrutiny since the team was purchased by Erick Thohir and Jason Levien. At the end of last season, the team used their success on the field as well as a string of promotions to get a series of solid attendance numbers for the last few months' worth of games. However, there have also been times these past few years where the team has been mostly absent from the D.C. sports marketing landscape.

In response to all of that, one D.C. United ticket rep has, apparently, been trying a new tactic when it comes to selling tickets. At least one D.C. United fan has told B&RU that they received messages on Tinder, the dating and social networking app that in which users swipe right or left and make one-on-one connections, from a D.C. United rep offering a Tinder-specific discount code for tickets to an upcoming match. Below is the message received by one United fan after expressing doubt as to the legitimacy of their interaction with the ticket rep to that point:

Hey! No, I'm not spam. I would be way hotter if I were a bot, duh. But if you're interested, I do have discounted tickets to the D.C. United match tomorrow night. Just use the link and promo code:https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/go.htmI?l=EN&t=dcunited&o=165&g=3096

Promo Code: tinder

Hope to see you at the match!

While the NBA's Atlanta Hawks had a Tinder night earlier this year, that was focused on having fans meet each other through Tinder while at a game. This is the first time that I have heard of a sports team using Tinder to try and sell tickets or promote themselves.

Reached for comment, D.C. United spokesman Craig Stouffer said, "We’re actively exploring new and creative ways to grow our fan base, particularly emerging social channels that resonate directly with millennials. We’ve had success with early adoption of Periscope, and we’re looking at ideas to improve the in-stadium experience as well." For now, it seems like this was a one-time play, and it remains to be seen if Tinder is in any future plans as a method for marketing the team.

In a hilarious coincidence, the District Ultras decided to do a Tinder-based tifo for the game against the Columbus Crew, which we include for no other reason than it is awesome.

@goodoldben

Updated with an even better picture of the District Ultras tifo, courtesy District Ultras