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Today’s Case

Companies use NIL to bring rival school athletes together

Rivalries are being tabled for a moment in time, courtesy of NIL.

Applebee's brings together Sunflower State rivals Jared Casey (Kansas tight end) Hayden Gillum (Kansas State offensive lineman). Both players attended Plainville High School (KS) and were on the same high school team in 2017 when Gillum was a senior and Casey was a freshman.

This is Casey’s third NIL deal with Applebee’s, starring in a solo commercial spot in 2021 and alongside Kansas QB Jalon Daniels in 2022.

Additionally, Utah-based Mountain America Credit Union tapped into the Holy War between BYU and Utah for its latest NIL deal. In a deal featuring BYU receiver Kody Epps and Utah quarterback Cam Rising, the company released a new commercial playing up the rivalry through new credit card offerings.

Rising also teamed up with Mountain America Credit Union for an NIL deal in 2022.

The Verdict:

• Leveraging NIL to bring players of opposing teams together is smart

  • One company leveraging two athletes to attract both fanbases is a win for the company, the fans, and most importantly, the players in said commercials.

• Casey and Rising having pre-existing relationships with respective organizations certainly helped

  • With Casey’s third Applebee’s appearance and Rising’s second Mountain America Credit Union partnership, this bode well for both men as each company saw value in what each athlete brings from an NIL perspective.

    • Also, knowing what each athlete brings vs. working with athletes who do not have a relationship with a company can sometimes be a crapshoot on what type of effort they will receive from the athletes.

• Varied approaches in each spot

  • Applebee’s went with more of an awareness campaign, while Mountain America Credit Union is offering team-specific products to fans.

    • Both methods work well in each scenario, and glad to see all four players maximize an NIL opportunity.

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