How Postgame orchestrated CeraVe Skincare's NIL investment

When a notable brand partners with Postgame, there typically is more to it than social media posts from a wide range of athletes.

The sports marketing agency plays a role in getting the company to the table in the first place. In the past few months, Reebok and Urban Outfitters have launched campaigns. But instead of a few endorsement deals with some big-name athletes in target markets, Postgame is creating the opportunity for further reach – specifically, the type of advertisement that brands could not create on their own. The latest example is CeraVe, which has tactfully used name, image and likeness to break down the stereotype of men not caring about their skincare.

Using Postgame’s portal, which includes more than 60,000 athletes from more than 350 colleges, the brand has signed agreements with 100 male athletes. When the campaign is finished, roughly 250 to 300 unique pieces of content will be posted across social media channels.

“CeraVe was really looking to drive male Gen Z audience awareness, and I think it’s a perfect fit because it’s definitely authentic,” Postgame director of athlete relations Aaron Hackett told On3 via phone last week. “For a lot of guys, this is their go-to skincare brand.”

Hackett said the company’s priority was “athletes participating in seasonal winter sports, so snowboarding, skiing, ice hockey, long-distance runners.” But anyone who attends college in cold- weather regions, including those who play basketball and football, was a possibility. “They definitely wanted to speak on authenticity and using their products and how athletes use it in their daily life,” Hackett said.

Hackett said each athlete involved in the campaign will be compensated based on a variety of factors, including their social following. The school and sport also are taken into consideration.

Athletes can secure cash bonuses if, for instance, a post generates a larger-than-expected reach. Postgame has an in-house algorithm to help with this. All the content posted throughout the CeraVe campaign is reviewed, too, and strong posts could result in a bonus.

The goal at Postgame is to create original NIL opportunities for all athletes.

“We at CeraVe know how seasonal weather changes, especially when the temperature drops in the winter, can have a huge impact on your skin – and that’s no different for athletes, who experience these seasonal changes firsthand during outdoor practices or games,” CeraVe vice president of marketing Jasteena Gill said in a statement. “As a brand rooted in dermatology, we’re always aiming to bring skincare education to the forefront and have enlisted these collegiate athletes to help authentically share how they use CeraVe and expand reach among Gen Z consumers.”

How Postgame picks athletes for brand campaigns

Postgame does not classify itself as an NIL marketplace, such as Opendorse or Icon Source. It also does not view itself like INFLCR, which brands itself as a software company. Hackett said Postgame views its operation as a sports marketing agency based off how it works with brands and the size of campaigns executed.

Its recent work with Crocs featured 550 athletes.

“I can pretty confidently say we’ve done more NIL deals than anyone else than any other type of company like us,” Hackett said. “We’ll go approach brands, and we’re a free platform for athletes. We work on the brand side; we’ll approach brands. And you know, we’ve had a lot of success of running these influencer campaigns at scale, kind of democratizing NIL.”

Athletes can join the Postgame portal, but it does not immediately add them to the upcoming ad blitz with a notable brand. While it has brought major names to the NIL world, there are some parameters in place.

Typically, before an athlete is monetizing their NIL next to a recognizable logo, they will promote Postgame. And while some may see it as a test, Hackett said it’s an opportunity.

“For any athlete who reaches out to us, we’ll send them a free product,” he said. “Whether it’s a Postgame shirt, hoodie, hat, shorts – whatever it is, it gives them an opportunity to promote content. And what we’ll do is use the content created to determine who’s a good content creator, who makes good quality content.

“We’ll share some of those videos with our brand partners to show them, ‘Hey, we know these athletes; he’s reliable. Look at this great video he’s done in the past.’ “

Quality content does not have a concrete definition, though. Each athlete is given the avenue to create how they see fit, whether that looks like a TikTok with a voiceover or a compelling set of photos on Instagram.

That thought process is leading more brands into NIL, Hackett said, especially when a company can partner with athletes from multiple markets across the country who have built-in followings on social media and in communities.

“These athletes’ communities follow them and actively engage with them,” he said. “I think that’s the difference, right? Not only are they being seen on TV all the time, but they’re stars in their local community. You’re traditional influencers. … Having people who can authentically speak to Gen Z about your product – that’s the biggest thing for these brands, having someone who can authentically speak and represent your brand in a manner that you want to be posted out there. Instead of just, you know what I mean, forcing some kid to do something that he’s not passionate about.”

List of athletes in CeraVe Skincare’s campaign

The complete list of athletes who are participating in the CeraVe Skincare campaign:

• Michigan State’s Cayden Henschel
• Illinois’ Evan Manivong
• South Dakota’s Jayden Green
• Holy Cross’ Thomas Gale
• Rutgers’ Micah Wood
• Louisville’s Abdelrahman Elaraby
• Michigan’s Johnny Druskinis
• Miami (Ohio)’s Derek Daschke
• Boston University’s Leon Christian
• Illinois’ Dylan Kolak
• Louisville’s Hercy Miller
• Michigan’s Roman Wilson
• Penn State’s Chase Clingman
• Ohio State’s Kameron Nelson
• Ohio State’s Justin Ah Chow
• Eastern Michigan’s Jack Goodman
• Louisville’s Ryan Claunch
• Rutgers’ Jabari Higgs-Smith
• Syracuse’s Lonnie Rice
• Illinois’ Connor McCool
• Towson’s Daniel Raymond
• UMass’ Gregory Desrosiers
• Niagara’s Shane Lancaster
• Eastern Michigan’s Tariq Speights
• Indiana’s Christopher Grant
• Michigan’s Joseph Walker
• Marshall’s Bryan Robinson
• Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden Jr.
• Northeastern’s Alexander Korczynski
• Ohio’s Bryce Houston
• La Salle’s Justice Quainoo
• Weber State’s Okiki Olorunfunmi
• Marquette’s Jared Humphrey
• Central Michigan’s Decorion Temple
• RIT’s Santea Hollis
• Southern Utah’s Noah Cronquist
• Old Dominion’s Jalen McCain
• Oregon’s Isaah Crocker
• Oregon State’s Deshaun Fenwick
• Washington’s Lance Holtzclaw
• ULM’s Tyrone Howell
• Georgetown’s Christian Ficca
• Southern Utah’s Elijah Burns
• UIC’s Toby Okani
• Wyoming’s Caleb Cooley
• Maryland’s Luke Shliger
• Rutgers’ Jason Shockley
• Duke’s Ja’Mion Franklin
• Yale’s Noah Millard
• Georgetown’s Tim McInerney
• UNC Wilmington’s Kamayua Black
• Eastern Illinois’ Phoenix Porter
• Virginia’s Jay Pendarvis
• NC State’s Chris Johnston
• Dayton’s Jay Johnston
• Bucknell’s Ryan Delaney
• Penn’s Aaron Jones
• Dayton’s Matthew Maloney
• Delaware State’s Malcolm Garbutt
• Penn State’s Ka’mere Day
• Southern Utah’s Brendan Hale
• South Utah’s Brendan Hale
• South Dakota’s Cameron Grays
• Boston University’s Matt Hilburn
• Idaho’s Isaac Jones
• Indiana State’s Javaughn Moore
• Marquette’s Trey Baskin
• Southwest Minnesota’s TJ Edminson
• Central Michigan’s Chris Parker
• Southern Utah’s George Ramirez
• Southern Maryland’s Jaden Hendricks
• Montana State’s Matthew Victor Jr.
• UT Tyler’s Myja White
• Georgia Tech’s Abdul Janneh Jr.
• Southern Utah’s Kaden Kelly
• Northern Colorado’s Will Bergmann
• Ohio’s Clay Cutter
• Southern Utah’s Cody Coleman
• Bucknell’s Jack Roberto
• George Mason’s Michael Rapuano
• Colorado’s Ian Gilmore
• Wichita State’s Nate Vann
• Washington’s Brandon Durland
• Western Oregon’s Antonio Salinas
• Kentucky’s Andru Phillips
• Louisville’s Cole Hussung
• IUPUI’s Daylan Hamilton
• Eastern Michigan’s Drew Lowder
• NYU’s Riyaan Jiwani
• Weber State’s Marvin Session
• Duke’s Jacob Monk
• Western Carolina’s Marlow Gilmore
• UConn’s Daniel Antolovich
• Weber State’s Trevor Hellman
• Old Dominion’s Tyrik McDaniel
• Syracuse’s D’Marcus Adams
• Penn State’s Xander Lamppa
• Ohio State’s Cam Kittle
• Virginia Tech’s Pheldarius Payne
• Arkansas’ Taylor Lewis
• Lindenwood’s AJ Lewis
• Coastal Carolina’s Joshua Madison
• South Carolina’s Adam Luckhurst
• IUPUI’s Kaleb Edwards