College Athletes Are Influencers Now. What Does That Mean for Marketers?

It used to be that only the Nikes of the world could partner with athletes. But now nearly every business can, thanks to new NCAA rules. Here’s how to dip a toe into this new market, according to experts.

For SMBs, partnering with college athletes is “an opportunity,” influencer marketer Stephanie Stabulis told MarketerHire.

How can SMBs make the most of it — and how much should they expect the “opportunity” to cost? We spoke to three experts to find out:

• Stephanie Stabulis, an influencer marketer and founder of Social Creates Impact
• Ishveen Anand, founder of the OpenSponsorship platform
• Sam Weber, senior director of brand marketing and communications at Opendorse

They described a changing partnership market, the scope of possibilities for small and local brands, and the five-step playbook for partnering effectively with NCAA athletes.

You can partner with a student athlete for $10. Why?

1. Student athletes compete more for sponsors: The sheer number of student athletes now available for brand deals drives down the cost of endorsements. Weber estimates that there are about 5,000 professional athletes in the U.S. market, and 500,000 college athletes.
2. Student athletes have less time to build their brands: College athletes aren’t permanent fixtures at their institutions. Most play for four seasons, then graduate — from school and fame. By contrast, professional athletes tend to be active for four to seven years — often on top of college careers — and they can end up playing (or at least maintaining their celebrity status) much longer.

2 impactful NCAA partnerships — and one 14-inch burrito

A buzzy national deal: Boost Mobile and the Cavinder twins:

Boost Mobile, for example, got a Times Square billboard to light up for its partnership with Fresno State basketball players (and twins) Hanna and Haley Cavinder, who have 3.6 million followers on TikTok.

A deal that doubled sales WoW: Muchachos and the Nebraska offensive line

Muchachos invited the University of Nebraska’s offensive line to create a menu item, the “Pipeline” — a four-pound, 14-inch, chicken, pork, and brisket burrito — in exchange for a percentage of the burrito’s sales.

According to Opendorse, Muchachos saw a 104% week-over-week jump in sales from the partnership.

The 6-step NCAA partnership playbook for local brands

1. Get familiar with the athletes at local schools.
2. Run through the audience.
3. Run through the dollars.
4. Assess the risks and make contingency plans.
5. Do a lot of orientation.
6. Make sure creative feels authentic and relatable.

More details & the full article on how to run NCAA sponsorships is here.