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Today’s Case

Ritz launches NIL basketball roster ahead of March Madness

March Madness brings peak marketing value (and NIL deals) for athletes and schools.

In addition to serving as the official cracker of the 2024 Men’s and Women’s NCAA Basketball Championships, Ritz has coordinated the timely launch of two new flavors to their toasted chips product line, along with sixteen current college basketball players as ambassadors for the new products. The new flavors, Sweet Habanero and Honey Barbecue, will be promoted by the athletes via social media throughout the duration of the tournament.

Select men’s players include Arizona’s Caleb Love (pictured) and Hunter Dickinson of Kansas, with select women’s players including Juju Watkins of USC and Cameron Brink of Stanford.

The Verdict

• Ritz going big with their NIL partnerships

  • With March Madness being the pinnacle of college basketball for both men and women, it makes sense that Ritz wants to make a significant impact - hence signing popular athletes (many with six-figure Instagram followings).

  • While I’m a big believer in NIL for All, there is nothing wrong with brands using big names (and presumably spending big money) to secure the athletes that will best fit their campaign and provide them the broadest target audience.

• More similar deals to come

  • Be on the lookout for an influx of March Madness deals, as this is the perfect time to get eyeballs on products and campaigns.

  • Last year, Pringles partnered with three men’s college basketball stars ahead of the big tournament for their limited-edition March Mustache Collection.

• Potential long-term opportunity?

  • While it seems this may be a short window campaign, there is definitely a play here to continue the relationship into next season.

    • Athletes continuing to promote new flavors on social media, sharing products with teammates and getting their reactions, behind the scenes content, etc. are ways to have this campaign live on beyond March.

Does NIL affect team chemistry?

Former Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman recently addressed this question. Check out this video for more!

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^{I discuss insights and news related to name, image and likeness in 3 minutes or less every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12p ET/9a PT.}

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