🧡 The NIL Blueprint

Strategy and advice for Brands & Athletes

Author

Jeff Chen
January 27, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Together with

Welcome to a special edition of The Baseline!

I was asked the other day by a mentee about my thoughts on the current and future state of NIL.

Coincidentally, I had just shared my insights in an interview with NIL Wire—the leading newsletter for NIL in sports.

Here’s the Q&A from my interview, where I breakdown the role of NIL collectives, the power of social impact, strategies for platform-specific content, and tactical advice for athletes and brands.

INTERVIEW FROM NIL WIRE:

QUESTION: How has the rise of NIL collectives like Division St. at Oregon and The Grove Collective at Ole Miss changed the landscape of sports marketing, and what strategies have you seen these collectives employ that have been particularly effective?

NIL Collectives have given student-athletes the resources to enhance their personal brands in this new era of monetization. Division St, in particular, has been great at providing bespoke, end-to-end services for University of Oregon student-athletes—developing creative concepts, producing content and brand campaigns, managing partnerships and the client sales process, driving fan engagement, and ultimately generating revenue for the student-athletes.

The winning formula that has been particularly effective includes strategies that share the athlete's unique stories in fun and creative ways, leverage distribution channels, and connect with fans authentically in hyper-localized campaigns.

QUESTION: We've seen athletes like Kenny Pickett use their NIL deals for charitable causes. How can brands and athletes collaborate to create meaningful social impact campaigns that resonate with fans and benefit communities?

Sports have always had the power to bring happiness to people. Pro athletes have long established foundations, engaged in philanthropy, and partnered with brands on community impact programs. Now, with NIL, student-athletes can use their platforms to partner with brands that align with their values, supporting community initiatives that matter to them.

Both brands and athletes have the potential to create meaningful work in these communities because every college athlete is a hometown hero. There are only 450 NBA players and 144 WNBA players, but over 9,000 D1 men's and women’s basketball players. That's 9,000 different communities that can be celebrated and uplifted with a brand's support.

Learn What Fortune 500 Marketers Know

Unlock expert marketing insights with Masters in Marketing by HubSpot!

This weekly newsletter brings you:

  • Strategies straight from industry leaders like the NBA, Liquid Death & Oatly.

  • Behind-the-scenes stories of campaigns that crushed it.

  • Actionable tips to boost your results today.

Stay ahead in the ever-changing marketing world. Don’t miss out—subscribe now and level up your skills!

QUESTION: With the success of athletes like Olivia Dunne in leveraging social media for NIL deals, how do you see the role of platform-specific content creation evolving in sports marketing strategies?

Athletes and creators must constantly evolve as social platforms update their features and audience behaviors adapt. The great advantage of being active on multiple platforms is the opportunity to grow a collective audience across them. Developing differentiated content that performs well on each platform while engaging with its unique nuances is a superpower to have. Mastering this multi-platform skillset will only bring more value and opportunities your way.

It's also important for athletes to understand the difference between an owned-audience and a rented audience. More superstar athletes, like Stephen Curry, have launched newsletters because they recognized the value of owning their audience.

QUESTION: As we've seen with examples like the Milk Means More campaign with Sierra Brooks, authenticity seems crucial in NIL partnerships. What advice would you give to brands looking to create genuine, effective collaborations with student-athletes?

The best partnerships are rooted in mutually beneficial value for both parties. When a brand's product authentically connects to an athlete's story, the alignment is a home run. For example, a few years ago, I led a collaboration between SLAM and Jahvon Quinerly for a custom jar of organic grape jelly, inspired by JQ's Jelly Fam story. The product sold out in less than 24 hours because everything aligned perfectly—from the product to JQ's story to the content shared.

For brands looking to create genuine collaborations, the best advice is to research the athletes thoroughly. Discover the insights behind their values, interests, and what excites them. Give athletes creative control and involve them in the entire process, from product creation to marketing planning. Make it a true collaboration—not just a pay-for-play moment that fans and consumers can see right through.

POST-GAME

That’s all for today—thanks for reading this interview!

I’m excited about the future of NIL and the continued empowerment of athletes.

If you enjoyed today’s newsletter, I’d appreciate it if you shared it with one friend.

And as always, if you have any questions, ideas, or opportunities to collaborate, just hit reply—it’d be great to connect!

- Jeff Chen | 🏀💡👨🏻‍💻

Reply

or to participate.