Getting Creative with NIL Deals and Drake’s New NHL Collection

Each week, we sift through a ton of content and then debate it ad nauseam at FEVO HQ. And since good content, like the mind, is a terrible thing to waste, we are also sharing it here with you, our fans, in the form of this weekly blog post on e-commerce, media and life on the internet.

Digiday: Why brands like NASCAR and Death Wish Coffee are taking alternative approaches when working with college athletes

As with any new form of advertising, different brands are approaching the medium in distinctive and sometimes surprising ways. NASCAR chose a wait-and-see approach before diving in; they’re now utilizing local collegiate athletes in a direct response capacity, hiring them to promote races near the colleges where they play. The plan also includes meet-and-greets and other activations that bring student-athletes off of social media and into the world of NASCAR and its fans. Death Wish Coffee, meanwhile, is asking athletes to poke fun at the NCAA and its rules while keeping the athletes anonymous via a TV spot that blurs out the name, image and likeness of the athletes. As this new form of advertising continues to grow, we’ll see brands tackle NIL in useful and interesting ways — the important part for you is thinking about how best to use it for your own needs. 

Boardroom: OVO x NHL – Inside Drake’s Original Six Hockey Apparel Collection

The Canadian superstar’s OVO brand is no stranger to collaborating with major sporting institutions. But this NHL collaboration is a bit off the beaten path given the general lack of overlap between hockey and hip-hop. It’s a strategic move by both parties, with the NHL in particular hoping that a hip-hop mogul can help bring new fans into the fold. And while it may feel random, it actually makes a lot of sense given Drake’s roots. Chalk it up as another entry in the growing collection of sport and luxury/streetwear brand crossovers.

And a few more nuggets of assorted internet wisdom:

The Ringer’s guide to the NBA In-Season Tournament (The Ringer)

This website will point you in the direction of AI resources for just about every task (There’s an AI for that)

At Formula 1 Las Vegas, celebrity chefs will feed you for $11,000 (Bloomberg)

How the bold new NBA in-season tournament courts came to fruition (ESPN)

Media companies eye cricket-loving diaspora in the U.S. (NY Times)

Skims named official underwear partner of the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball (NBA)

“Granfluencers” are gaining celebrity on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube (WSJ)