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Welcome to this week’s edition of The Baseline!

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Let’s dive right into it…

CREATOR BLUEPRINT

This SEC college basketball team just did something brilliant, but no one is talking about it.

My prediction, though, is that every team will copy this strategy next year.

Most college basketball teams still rely on legacy media and local broadcasters to tell their story.

But today’s attention is clearly in the hands of social media creators.

Audiences trust creators, giving them the most powerful distribution channels.

That’s why the University of Missouri’s strategy to invite basketball creators to their Pro Day was genius.

These creators captured behind-the-scenes content, viral videos and unique athlete storytelling.

This helps the Mizzou athletes grow their brands, attract new fans for the school, and helps with future recruiting.

It’s also additional exposure and engagement for the school’s sponsors and NIL collective.

This strategy is no coincidence because Mizzou recently hired former Overtime Elite executive Tim Fuller, who understands that content equals currency.

This wasn’t just a typical college basketball Pro Day but a multi-platform marketing moment that will reshape how college basketball teams position themselves in the future.

Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

FREE THROWS

Sharing the tools and resources that I’m using this week:

🎨 My Mind Color Palettes - A curated collection of unique color combinations for your next design project. Use this as inspiration without having to start from a blank slate.

🗓️ Skej - Your AI assistant that handles all the back-and-forth to schedule meetings, send calendar invites, and connect to all your calendar settings and tools.

⚡️ Zapier - Automating all my workflows to make my life easier. Honestly, not sure why I didn't do this years ago.

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POST-GAME

Thanks for reading—I’ll see you back here later this week!

And if you enjoyed reading today’s newsletter, please share it with one friend.

- Jeff Chen | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻