NIL MarketingTHE EVIDENCE
Verified performance data from real campaigns. 650,000+ athlete network. Zero wasted spend.
Context
Subway sought to drive brand awareness and in-store traffic among Gen Z consumers through authentic athlete-generated content.
The Challenge
Traditional advertising feels inauthentic to Gen Z. Subway needed peer-driven content that would actually resonate on social media.
The Solution
Partnered with 174 Gen Z athletes who created 183 unique pieces of content in Subway restaurants, showcasing their genuine experiences and favorite orders.
Platform breakdown
Engagement rate and share of views by channel
🏆 3.7× industry (ind. 2.5%)
🏆 15.6× industry (ind. 0.5%)
🏆 10.2× industry (ind. 0.6%)
Industry benchmarks: Socialinsider 2025 Social Media Benchmarks
Content performance
Output and engagement
Athlete Content Library
Click any video to explore the full collection
Why This Matters
Athlete-created content outperformed paid ads by generating organic virality and authentic peer-to-peer recommendations that drove measurable in-store traffic. 100% Ad-Blocker Immune.
View Full Case StudyAthletes referred peers to a leading crypto exchange, driving 4,814 referred sign-ups into 2,614 funded accounts, a 54.3% sign-up to funded rate, with 1,680 going on to place a first trade.
Cold traffic from paid social converts at just 12% for crypto. Trust barriers make first deposits rare.
Peer-to-peer referrals broke through skepticism. When a teammate recommends a platform, hesitation drops and conversions soar.
Peer-to-peer performance achieved a 63.8% funding rate: 36,617 new accounts, 23,362 of them funded. Peer-to-peer referrals ensure brand trust.
Standard paid social delivers 12.4% funding rates with significant waste. Most sign-ups never complete onboarding.
Leverage peer-driven trust to achieve 63.8% funding rate, 5.1x better than paid social baseline.
A fully managed athlete content program for Hardee's generated 2.3M views and 93.5K engagements from 129 cross-posted pieces, with IG Reels engagement at 7.83%.
Expensive influencer campaigns have gone stale, and micro-influencer campaigns are hard to manage and keep brand safe once you run them at scale.
Our white glove service vets brand fit for every participating athlete and runs content approvals end to end. What comes back is unique content with real viral potential, made by novel influencers who are genuinely excited to work with a new brand.
12,668 athletes referred 5,323 friends and family, driving 1,884 sign-ups at a 35.4% referral conversion rate.
Referral programs stall when the referrer has no real audience. Most people can reach a handful of friends at best.
Athletes carry genuine local reach. A peer-to-peer offer converts because the recommendation arrives from someone the audience already trusts.
650,000+ Verified Athlete Users
Nationwide coverage across all 50 states.
50
States Covered
~5%
Of All College Students
1,900+
Colleges
Ready to improve conversion quality?
Leverage peer-to-peer influence for 5x higher quality conversions.