A Look At How Brands Are Engaging College Basketball Players Through NIL Deals During March Madness
Source: Bose
The March Madness tournament kicked off this week, which is one of the most exciting times of the year for sports fans. This year, it’s even more exciting as it marks the first time that name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals are possible. College basketball players can take advantage of the increased popularity of their sport during this time and earn money from brand partnerships and endorsements. In addition, brands can attach themselves to the iconic annual tournament by partnering with student-athletes.
Here is a look at how brands are working with student-athletes on NIL during March Madness.
Dollar Shave Club: Noticeable Smooth
Source: Dollar Shave Club
The official razor of March Madness signed Gonzaga University's Drew Timme as its “first and only chin-influencer." Timme, who made waves during last year's tournament with his handlebar mustache, will share sponsored content, host an Ask Me Anything with fans, and be featured in digital marketing.
Other components of the brand’s larger Noticeable Smooth marketing campaign include television spots and sweepstakes where fans can win tickets to the Men's Final Four. They can do so by sharing a photo of their smooth chins on social media with #chintry as the hashtag, buying products, or referring others to the brand website.
Timme's prowess on the basketball court and his internet-breaking look help raise awareness of the brand in a fun and quirky way. By tying in sweepstakes that allow fans to get in on the action through social content and other activities, Dollar Shave Club promotes user-generated content that expands the reach of the activation.
Wings Over: Madness Meals
Source: Wings Over
Wings Over is partnering with over a dozen men's and women's basketball players to create Madness Meals at its locations nationwide. University of Connecticut's Christyn Williams, Providence College's Jared Bynum, Ohio State University's Kateri Poole, and others customized their own Wings Over meals. The meals are available for a limited time at select Wings Over locations. Athletes are promoting the meals across social with promo codes.
Through the name Madness Meals, Wings Over establishes a link between its brand and the tournament without violating any copyrights, which can pose a challenge for brands hoping to become a part of March Madness. The custom meals, which are essentially co-branded products, make these partnerships more personal. Rather than promoting standard meals, athletes get to share their personal favorites with promo codes that their fans can use to get discounts. The addition of promo codes allows the brand to track the conversions athletes drive, allowing them to evaluate these partnerships more effectively.
Yahoo Sports: Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick’Em
To mark the first NIL deals for promoting bracket gaming, Yahoo Sports signed Duke University's Paolos Banchero and Gonzaga University's Chet Holmgren to support its Yahoo Sports Tourney Pick’Em bracket game. They will serve as brand ambassadors, sharing sponsored content across their own channels and being featured in branded assets that are amplified on Yahoo-owned digital properties.
Banchero and Holmgren are two of the biggest names in the tournament with both expected to be early draft picks in the forthcoming NBA Draft. The activation is relatively straightforward with content and amplification being the main plays, which works in this case. Even though bracket games are already popular with fans, Banchero and Holmgren can use their star power and endorsement to convince fans to play Yahoo's game as opposed to other alternatives.
Wing Stop: Wing Experts
Source: Wing Stop
Wing Stop is celebrating women on the court with its Wing Experts program. The program’s name is a play on “wing players,” a term for basketball players that can switch between playing shooting guard and small forward, and a nod to its 11 iconic flavors. The wing chain is partnering with players such as University of Maryland’s Angel Reese, NC State University’s Jakia Brown, Baylor University’s NaLyssa Smith and Stanford University’s Lexie Hull. Players will receive Wing Stop swag and share their experiences across social media, while fans can take advantage of a free delivery promotion on select dates throughout the tournament.
Through Wing Experts, Wing Stop covers March Madness and Women’s History Month. Focusing its partnerships with some of the standout players in women’s basketball, the chain extends its commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment through its ESG initiatives. This is also a sign of deeper investment and interest in the women’s side of the tournament.
Outback Steakhouse: TeamMATES
Source: Outback Steakhouse
The steakhouse added 12 basketball players to its TeamMATES program roster, which pairs men and women players from the same teams, such as the University of North Carolina, University of Michigan, Arizona State University, and Villanova University. Players will share their favorite Outback Steakhouse bundle meals and help generate awareness for American Cancer Society’s Coaches Vs. Cancer initiative. Fans can also participate in sweepstakes for a chance to win $10,000 towards a fan base home renovation and a trip to watch the National Championship game.
Outback Steakhouse provides an example of how student-athletes can help contribute to a brand’s philanthropy efforts. With the brand highlighting basketball players that are leaders on and off the court, it can help people view college-athletes through a new lens.
Candy Digital: Candy Sweet Futures Basketball Collection
Source: Candy Digital
Candy Digital expanded its Candy Sweet Futures Basketball Collection, an NFT collection featuring top basketball players with the addition of University of Memphis’ Jalen Duren, University of Notre Dame’s Blake Wesley, University of Nebraska’s Bryce McGowens, and others. NFTs combining 2D photography of the players and immersive digital environments will be available for purchase at price points ranging from $20 to $250, depending on their rarity.
Digital collectibles such as NFTs have been an increasingly popular way for student-athletes to monetize. Candy Digital’s expansion of its Candy Sweet Futures Basketball Collection gives fans the opportunity to get their hands on digital collectibles of a trio of likely first-rounders.
Bose: QuietComfort 45
Source: Bose
The audio equipment leader signed University of South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, Duke University’s Wendell Moore, and Gonzaga University’s Chet Holmgren to Team Bose. The trio will receive and help promote the Quietcomfort 45 noise canceling headphones to help them train, prepare, focus, and tune out distractions during the tournament. In addition, they are featured in videos, where each of them talks about their journey leading up to the tournament and explains how they block out the noise.
Bose extends its list of college-athlete partnerships with the addition of this talented trio. With headphones being a go-to for athletes, the partnership is authentic and natural. It shows how brands can get involved by integrating themselves into the college-athlete’s lifestyle.
Sheets & Giggles: Dream Team
Source: Sheets & Giggles
Sheets & Giggles has teamed up with five men's and five women's players from some of the top teams in the tournament. Calling the group its "Dream Team," they are players who have played the fewest minutes on their teams, including the University of Tennessee’s Brock Jancek and University of Central Florida’s Becca Ripley. In exchange for cash and Sheets & Giggles bedding, the five will share branded content and their "sleep stats" during the tournament to educate fans about the importance of being well-rested.
Instead of partnering with the top players for NIL deals, Sheets & Giggles works with student-athletes who receive the least amount of playing time on their teams, which is different from the majority of brands engaging in the NIL space. The approach is innovative as it demonstrates that NIL isn't limited to just the best; it also offers student-athletes of all profiles the chance to monetize their audience. Lastly, the bedsheets company engages these athletes in a playful manner to match its brand voice with plenty of sleep-related puns.
What To Expect For NIL During March Madness In The Future
With eight months of NIL activity, brands and athletes continue to get familiar with navigating the space. Due to the legal barriers that exist for brands to participate in March Madness and the fact that the tournament really demands top-notch concentration from players, we’re likely not yet seeing as many brand deals as we will in the future. In all likelihood, the deals taking place during this period are just a fraction of what will happen for future March Madness tournaments. For future tournaments, though, brands will need to think more proactively and line up athletes well in advance of the competition. This will allow brands to maintain a high level of strategy while also allowing athletes the appropriate time to mentally and physically prepare for their games.
Based on the deals that are occurring this year, March Madness provides a great opportunity for brands and athletes to collaborate on branded content in many ways. As these examples show, brands in the food and beverage space can partner with athletes on customized meals that fans can enjoy during the action. In addition, brands or Web3 companies can engage top players for digital assets that fans can buy to support their favorite players as they try to make it to the big game.
