Welcome to Out2Win’s Weekly Report!

In This Week’s Edition:

• Top Social Media Partnerships This NBA Offseason: Highlighting the top five standout player-brand collaborations as the NBA season kicks off.

• Most Marketable NBA Rookies for the 2024-25 Season: A look at this year's most marketable rookies on social media and next year’s top draft picks to watch.

• Jared McCain’s Trending Partnerships: An overview of Jared’s marketability profile, key collaborations, and 3 college athletes who may emerge as this year’s top basketball creator, capable of delivering similar value for brands.

• Bose’s NFL Partnership Performance: A deep dive into Bose’s standout NFL collaboration with Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson this season.

🏀 Top Athlete-Influencer Partnerships: NBA Offseason

The NBA season has kicked off this week, and it’s already creating advertising buzz with LeBron and Bronny’s Nike Instagram Reel released Tuesday.

This momentum builds on a past offseason filled with innovative partnerships that highlighted creativity in advertising, leveraging the power of some of the league's greatest athletes to drive significant engagement and viewership on social media.

As traditional endorsements evolve into dynamic social media collaborations, they not only showcase athletes' influence but also illustrate how brands can connect with audiences in fresh and exciting ways.

Partnership Insights

Hennessy X LeBron James | 20.2M Reel Plays
Execution Breakdown: Hennessy teamed up with LeBron to launch a special edition bottle, featuring this captivating content piece where LeBron spins a bottle on his finger to announce their partnership to promote the product.

Chipotle X Anthony Edwards | 16.6M Reel Plays
Executional Breakdown: As part of their Unwrapped initiative, Chipotle captured genuine moments with Edwards, highlighting his love for both basketball and food, and even featuring him working behind the counter.

DraftKings X Lebron James | 16M Reel Plays
Executional Breakdown: DraftKings Sportsbook paired LeBron with Kevin Hart in a creative ad promoting a massive sweepstakes, perfectly timed for the NFL season.

Degree X Giannis Antetokounmpo | 13.3M Reel Plays
Executional Breakdown: Degree engaged fans with a creative social contest, offering the chance to meet Giannis, while encouraging participants to create their own content featuring the product.

Raising Cane’s X Jrue Holiday | 10.4M Reel Plays
Executional Breakdown: Raising Cane's celebrated their 28th birthday by uniting Boston champions Jrue Holiday and David Ortiz, bringing “more gold to Boston” and working in-store at their new Golden location.

📊 NBA Rookie Class: Athlete-Influencer Rankings

The Top Social Media Class of All-Time

This NBA season features an extraordinary roster of high-performing athlete-influencers emerging from this draft unlike any other.

Our five most marketable players on social media include Jared McCain, Robert Dillingham, Bronny James, Reed Sheppard, and Ke’lel Ware. These rising stars have gained significant traction both before and after being drafted, fueled by their impressive March Madness performances, the buzz of preseason excitement, and strong support from their teams. Their momentum is further amplified by their outstanding content creation skills.

Honorable Mentions:

87 O2W Score: Donovan Clingan: UConn → Portland Trail Blazers
85 O2W Score: Armando Bacot: UNC → Memphis Grizzlies
84 O2W Score: Stephon Castle: UConn → San Antonio Spurs

Pre-Season Rookie Social Media Superlatives:

Highest O2W Score
98 | Robert Dillingham 

Highest Engagement Rate
Instagram: Baylor Schierman - 41.7% | TikTok: Jared McCain - 11.3%

Most Followers
Instagram: Bronny James - 8.1M | TikTok: Bronny James - 5.8M

Most Annual Follower Growth
Instagram: Baylor Schierman - 245% | TikTok: Jared McCain - 95%

Who’s up next?

After identifying the top three players in next year's draft, we've leveraged Out2Win’s Intelligence Platform to showcase their social media statistics and assess the marketability of these future superstars.

Want a closer look at the top College Athlete-Influencers?
Try a free trial and explore the data for yourself!

🎯 Jared McCain: NIL Portfolio & Partnership Analysis

Jared McCain solidified his status last year as the premier content creator in college basketball. Since being drafted to Philadelphia, he continues to put up big numbers on social media and secure a variety of brand partnerships.

Jared ranks #1 in our rookie marketability rankings, thanks to his unparalleled creativity and impressive social media statistics. McCain is now entering the league as arguably one of the top 15 most marketable players, even before stepping onto the court.

NIL Portfolio

Trending Partnership Insights

Amazon | October 8th
Executional Breakdown: In one of his many videos with Amazon, Jared shares his top picks for Amazon Prime Day this fall as part of the brand's influencer program.

Edifier | September 23rd
Executional Breakdown: In his partnership with Edifier, Jared highlights how music fuels his passion for basketball and life, promoting their latest headphones.

Sally Hansen | September 25th
Executional Breakdown: Sally Hansen invited Jared to their studio, where he creatively danced in a doctor's coat, transforming a simple moment into virality, generating organic brand awareness for the company.

American Eagle | September 9th
Executional Breakdown: In this partnership, American Eagle provided Jared with a disposable camera as part of their "Life on Film" campaign, allowing him to capture candid moments from his life while showcasing outfits from the brand.

Wawa | September 16th
Executional Breakdown: Wawa took Jared to his very first NFL game, promoting their brand while he experienced the excitement of a Philadelphia Eagles matchup.

Who is This Season’s Jared McCain?

Jared McCain has set the standard as the premier content creator in college sports. With his departure, we’ve used Out2Win’s Intelligence Platform to predict potential successors who could take the throne as the top content creator this college basketball season.

To Explore the Top 100 Most Marketable College Basketball Players:

🎧 Bose X NFL: Inside The Partnership

Bose delivered one of the NFL season's most compelling athlete-influencer partnerships with Minnesota Vikings phenom Justin Jefferson and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

The collaboration not only achieved impressive performance metrics but also demonstrates to brands how to effectively activate athlete partnerships through precise timing, complementary athlete personalities, and flawless execution.

Social Media Profiles: 

Joe Burrow
4.1M Instagram Followers | 6.04% Engagement Rate | 2.5% Annual Follower Growth

Justin Jefferson
1.8M Instagram Followers | 1.34% Engagement Rate | 11% Annual Follower Growth

Analysis: As a quarterback and a cornerstone of the NFL since 2020, Burrow has built a larger follower base and boasts an impressive 6% engagement rate. Meanwhile, Justin Jefferson is on the rise with the Vikings, experiencing significant follower growth as he ascends to stardom.

Average Plays and Engagements:

Joe Burrow:
Across 2 Videos: 925K Avg. Reel Plays, 54K Avg. Engagements

Justin Jefferson:
Across 4 Videos: 242K Avg. Reel Plays, 8.5K Avg. Engagements

Analysis: Joe Burrow significantly outperformed Justin Jefferson in this partnership. However, considering that Joe has 2.5X the followers of Jefferson, the numbers may not be as drastic as they appear. Through this partnership, Burrow has demonstrated that he is one of the NFL’s most engaging athletes, as his sponsored posts consistently deliver impressive performances for brands.

Executional Breakdown:

Joe Burrow: In his first collaboration with Bose during the NFL preseason, Joe showcased his workout routine powered by Bose earbuds. In his second video, he emphasized the durability of the product by demonstrating how it withstands the rigorous demands of an NFL player's workout, encouraging other athletes to buy the product.

Justin Jefferson: Bose took a different approach with Jefferson, launching their first video during preseason featuring him using the earbuds while performing football drills. He added his own flair by dancing, and in later videos throughout the season, he’s expressed his passion for music, creating an authentic connection to the brand.

Analysis: Bose effectively captures the best of both worlds with these partnerships. While both are elite athletes, they each cater to different niches—Burrow emphasizes the athletic performance features of the product, while Jefferson brings a sense of fun and personality, making him a perfect fit for the brand.

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