Hally launches NIL campaign with over 100 Baylor athletes

Hally has made its first statement in the NIL world.

The hair and beauty company has signed deals with more than 100 Baylor student-athletes, coinciding with the launch of its yellow and green temporary hair color Shade Stix. Women’s basketball players Aijha Blackwell, Caitlin Bickle and Jana Van Gytenbeek are serving as the faces of the campaign and will be featured on the brand’s social media channels.

Launched in 2021, Hally has a range of hair products focused on color and treatment. It has also landed in Target and Ulta, along with Amazon.

The first partnership with Baylor athletes is only the starting point in the name, image and likeness space. The Shade Stix released Tuesday has Baylor’s marks on it, thanks to a licensing deal through Learfield. Hally plans to launch similar marketing strategies in college markets, with more IP marks pending. Plans are in place to have collegiate-branded products at more than 26 institutions.

“There are so many natural synergies with sports, how can we do this in the most authentic way to Hally,” Hally CEO Kathryn Winokur told On3 in a recent phone interview. “And so really, this is focusing on the NIL of not only athletes but of the school. And that’s really what we’re bringing to life.”

While terms of the deals were not disclosed with On3, Winokur said each athlete involved in the deal was compensated. Each agreement was crafted using Opendorse. The brand has tapped athletes from 14 programs to assist in the announcement.

The decision to go into the Baylor market was strategic. Winokur said that the company’s had early success in the southwest footprint of the country.

Hally went through The Brandr Group to facilitate the deals with Blackwell, Bickle and Gytenbeek. The group licensing deal also played a key role in securing Baylor’s mark in the initiative. The company flew down to Waco, Texas, for a photo shoot with the trio. Working with women to lead the campaign is also thought out, as Hally is a female-run operation.

“We had so much fun at the photo shoot,” Van Gytenbeek said in a statement to On3. “Hally told us they really wanted our personal styles and personalities to shine through, so it was amazing to work with them.

“Hally is all about self-expression, and I love that. Their Shade Stix are so easy to use and are a really fun way to play with my game day hair look and then wash it out.”

Hally views Baylor launch as starting point

While Baylor serves as the launching point for future campaigns, it is also a test run.

Putting together the marketing strategy and working through the Opendorse platform gave Hally experience. While the company gathers more trademarks to use, it can start to roll out its product in more college markets.

Winokur said Hally plans to continue to expand over the next 12 to 18 months. She said a return on investment would for sales to jump but also brand exposure. Using more than 100 Baylor athletes’ social media channels is a strong start.

Every athlete posting will include a link to Hally’s Amazon storefront. The brand does not plan to make sales solely online, with plans to place its product in stores around Waco.

“We kind of have this playbook now of what we would like to do with all college campuses,” Winokur said. “We have all the shades. So you know, whether or not you like beauty but you go to Texas and you want orange, we have it. We have Georgia red. We have all of these different marks that we’re getting.

“And so, my thesis is around activating the students and placing products in these mini institutions within the school. So bookstores, stadiums, the mom-and-pop gear stores that everyone goes to get their college gear.”