College athletes get NIL education in Cash App’s new campaign

In the nearly two years since the NCAA reworked its NIL rules to allow collegiate athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, brands have increasingly thrown their hats into the NIL ring to strike deals with these athletes. But, because of the relative newness of this marketing area and the surrounding legal gray area, NIL deals can be difficult for both brands and young athletes to navigate.

“NIL has taken the sports industry by storm, and many student athletes are seeking financial guidance within this new and ever-evolving landscape,” said Catherine Ferdon, head of marketing and brand at Cash App, in an email. “Student athletes’ ability to market their NIL involvement was effectively turned on overnight, and many athletes have found themselves seeking education around the intricacies of how to monetize themselves and collaborate with brands for the first time.

“As the NIL landscape continues to evolve, this series provides the next wave of athletes with actionable insights from players across a range of sports who have first-hand NIL experiences,” she continued. 

Other brands trying to educate collegiate athletes with NIL-related marketing include Nissan. Last year, the automaker’s “New Frontiers” effort included a video series featuring football stars sharing tips on how to build personal brands. 

To produce its series, Cash App worked with Uninterrupted, a media company co-founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter that works to transform athletes into content creators. Uninterrupted has worked on several other video series with brands, including Geico and PepsiCo’s Rockstar Energy Drink.

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The four weekly episodes of the video series will be available on both Cash App’s and Uninterrupted’s YouTube channels. Cash App will promote “The Road to NILion$” across its other social channels, as well as YouTube TV and in a video spot on Paramount+, Ferdon said. Each episode of the series will also be streamed live on Cash App’s Twitch channel, she said.