Caitlin Clark's college basketball career may be over, but her professional career is just beginning, and fans and brands alike agree.
During her final college season, fans lined up to watch Clark lead the University of Iowa Hawkeyes to the women's NCAA Tournament championship game for the second year in a row, and the games repeatedly broke viewership records.
After Clark declared for the WNBA Draft in early March, ticket prices for the Indiana Fever, the team that drafted him No. 1, skyrocketed. The Las Vegas Aces have moved their July game against the Fever to a venue with nearly twice the seating capacity, and W's CMO said the broadcaster is “competing” for the rights to this season's Fever game. Shortly thereafter, the league announced that 36 of the Fever's 40 regular season games would be broadcast on national television.
Next, we have her NIL value. Clark, who became NCAA Division I's all-time leading scorer last month, had the fourth-highest NIL rating of any college athlete at 3.4 million when he finished playing for Iowa, according to On3's NIL 100 list. It was recording dollars. She has already worked with more than a dozen brands in recent years, including Gatorade, Nike, State Farm, Gainbridge, Xfinity, H&R Block, and Buick.
There's no question that Clark is a star on the court and perhaps one of the greatest college basketball players of all time. But her performance and personality off the court have made her a hot commodity among brands looking to put her in the spotlight, and brands that already have her under contract are looking for a low profile. I feel lucky to have said that.
“You can't imagine the volume of transactions she's seeing,” said Minji Lo, chief strategy officer for life and pensions at financial services firm Gainbridge. Gainbridge began a multi-year partnership with Clark in March and has continued the partnership since 2021. Fever arena naming rights. “We are beyond excited and honored. Take your pick.”
off the charts
Marketers' excitement may be best evidenced by the record Clark is breaking not only with the NCAA, but also with her brand partners.
When Gatorade signs a NIL deal with Clark at the end of 2023, the brand's “You Can Too” campaign will quickly become the most viewed across platforms, according to Brandi Ray, the brand's head of consumer engagement. It has become social content. And in mid-March, Gatorade launched limited-edition water bottles and towels co-designed with Clark on its membership platform, which Ray says sold out in about a day.
“She's literally one of the most engaged athletes on our roster, across our channels,” Ray told Marketing Brew.
View this post on Instagram
Posts shared by Gatorade (@gatorade)
Gainbridge also sees some impressive social statistics related to Clark. On the day the two companies announced their partnership on their social media platforms in early March, Loh said the video announcing the partnership had been viewed 112,000 times, and a month later it had reached 1.8 million views. Told. Working with Clark “is a different ballgame,” Roe said.
small screen
Brands that advertised during University of Iowa games this season also saw “insane performance results,” said Elliott Rifkin, associate director of TV ad agency Tatari's media buying team.
“The number of leads and visits we got for the price we paid for these units was astronomical,” he said.
Dave Solomon, director of sports partnerships at TV ad sales firm Ampersand, said his team started advertising before Clark approached the NCAA scoring record because “it's hard to sell against a cultural moment.” He said he mainly tried to make people understand Clark's importance.
Larry Mann, former vice president of sales at ESPN and founding partner of sports marketing agency rEvolution, said Clark's success has led some brands to increase their investment in women's college athletics as a whole. Ta. That's a change from past years, when some marketers expressed interest in sponsoring women's sports but said they weren't willing to “spend that much money” after seeing the asking price.
“I think Caitlin's success has changed this narrative.” [and] along with the success of our women’s soccer program,” Mann said. “It's not like, 'I'm just doing it to check a box.'”
We signed a contract
For some of the brands that signed deals with Clark, the deal took a long time. Kristin Cook, State Farm's chief agent and sales and marketing officer, first came to Clark's attention as a potential brand partner during last year's March Madness title game. She said it was especially after an interview in which Clark talked about hope. Her legacy will be.
“She said a few things: I want to make Iowa proud, I want to bring joy to people, but I want every young girl and every young boy to look up and say, 'I can do that.' I want you to say, 'I can accomplish that. I can dream big,” Cook said. “I think we realized right then and there that she would be a great partner for State Farm.”
Cook said she and her team reached out to Clark and his family, then traveled to Iowa to dine together and discuss shared values and goals. Her State Farm multi-year deal, her first NIL contract and her first with a female athlete, was announced in October.
Gainbridge, meanwhile, first acknowledged Clark's suitability for sponsorship late last year, before the Fever won the draft lottery and secured the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft for the second year in a row, Lowe said. Told.
sweet personality
Clark's overall demeanor and rabid fans, many of whom are young, make her an ideal brand partner for many companies, executives told Marketing Brew.
“Not only is Kaitlyn one of the best college basketball players today, but her personality and high standards of excellence on and off the court make her the perfect addition to our young athlete team,” Ray said. “And for today's young consumers, she's very effective for us.” ”
Clark's star power among younger audiences is clearly reflected in several branded arrangements. As part of its partnership with Gainbridge, Mr. Lowe said Mr. Clark is promoting annuity products designed specifically for younger customers. For State Farm, Clark “represents what it means to be a good neighbor,” Cook said, and she has State Farm's endorsed brand mascot, Jake.
“It's definitely going to get a lot of engagement for the brand, and it's going to bring us closer to someone that a lot of young athletes look up to,” said Joe Caporoso, president of sports and entertainment media company Team Whistle. , he collaborated with Xfinity on a recent ad starring Clark. “They're trying to emulate her game. That's exactly what we want as a brand.”
bright future
Now that Clark's college career is over, some of her sponsors hope to follow her into the big leagues, which is not unheard of in the NIL world. Some sports marketers predict that NIL deals could help promote women's sports and more niche leagues as college athletes graduate and move on to professional sports.
Gatorade, Gainbridge, and State Farm executives have all been fairly tight-lipped about the future of Clark's contract when he joins the WNBA, but all have signed Clark to multi-year deals. And State Farm has already signed her up for a WNBA campaign. draft. The insurance brand, which sponsors the WNBA Draft, plans to spotlight Clark's college career through a digital installation in Times Square just before the draft begins, and will congratulate Jake in person from State Farm by attending the draft. We are planning to send someone for this purpose.
Even without Clark, all three brands' efforts extend to the professional leagues. Gatorade and State Farm are both his WNBA partners, and Gainbridge has a relationship with the Fever through Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
As Clark steps into the world of professional basketball, brand marketers predict there will be more room for her, and women's sports in general, to grow.
“She has proven to be a change-maker,” Ray says. “She is ushering in a new era of basketball and advancing women's sports…There is no doubt that her influence will continue as we move into the WNBA.”
This report was originally published by Marketing Brew.
