“More people are looking at brands that align with their values, reward them for loyalty and show up in the spaces where they are or aspire to be,” said Laurie Blair, vice president of global marketing at Hyatt, adding that the chain also worked with Hyatt (the athlete) to provide gift cards for each of his teammates’ families to help pay for hotel rooms during the Orange Bowl held in Miami in December.

Hyatt is just one example of a brand striking up a major partnership with a college athlete to promote a campaign tied to recent and upcoming sporting events. Clothing brand Lulu’s and sportswear brand Lacrosse Unlimited are also looking to highlight partnerships with college athletes. They are hoping to leverage these athletes to reach out to new consumers, particularly those in the Gen Z cohort.

As a result of the changes to the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s name, image and likeness policy in recent years, college athletes can now partner with brands to capitalize on their influence. This has drawn brands like Hyatt, Lulu’s and Lacrosse to college athletes to boost brand awareness and grow their presence on social media.

“College athletes are celebrities [to] Gen Z,” said David Morrissey, co-founder of Postgame, a full-service NIL influencer marketing agency for college athletes. “You don’t want to age out with your consumer, you want to be able to access a younger one.”

Partnering on Gen Z’s level

Despite the current economic climate, the companies said they do not plan on decreasing their influencer advertising budgets. (It’s unclear how much of the brands’ influencer marketing budgets are dedicated to college athletes as they did not disclose those figures.) This is likely due to the fact that these brands want to connect with Gen Z where they spend most of their time — on social media.

As for Hyatt’s recent NIL agreement with University of Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, the brand utilized its Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook accounts to promote the partnership and generate engagement in a timely manner. The hotel chain also tapped Hyatt to spread the news of its agreement to be the exclusive hospitality sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival through 2025, which Hyatt (the athlete) shared through his Instagram account and Instagram Stories. “The collaboration just made sense,” said Blair.

Lacrosse Unlimited is also tapping into the NIL space to find ways to appeal to Gen Z via social media with its UNLTD Athletes Program. To do so, the brand recently signed new Lacrosse athletes: mid-fielder Belle Smith …read more

Source:: Digiday

Author: Aaron