Agency Triumph NIL partners with Virginia Tech football in truck ad

The Virginia Tech-focused marketing agency Triumph NIL recently partnered with the Hokies’ football program to give the team’s equipment truck an NIL-focused facelift. “TRIUMPH,” reads the co-branded paneling on the truck, followed by, “NAME, IMAGE & LIKENESS FOR GOOD.”

It’s one of the latest examples of a direct tie between a school and one of the NIL collectives or marketing agencies that supports its athletes.

The back of the equipment truck features a QR code that redirects to Triumph NIL’s website. “Scan above to support our student-athletes,” reads an all-caps message below the QR code.

Virginia Tech opens the 2022 college football season at Old Dominion at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 2.

Otw to the 7 ✋7

Say hi if you see us on the road!#ThisIsHome | #GroundUp pic.twitter.com/MEYHVdmMBg

— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) August 31, 2022

Triumph NIL was named one of On3’s 20 most ambitious NIL collectives. In August, Triumph NIL announced it signed 28 Virginia Tech football players to NIL contracts valued at $300,000.

To be clear, “We view ourselves as an agency versus a collective,” former Virginia Tech football player and Triumph NIL founding partner Brenden Hill previously told On3.

NIL collectives, a catch-all phrase, are various organizations that are established independent of a university, often by fans or boosters who pool money for, or help facilitate, NIL opportunities for athletes at a given school.

Triumph NIL’s post-merger activations

In July, Hot Route Marketing, a Virginia Tech-focused marketing agency founded by Kelly Woolwine, acquired the shares of Triumph NIL in what was believed to be the third merger of NIL-focused organizations that previously coexisted within a single fan base.

The press release that announced the merger said that Triumph NIL would soon announce more than $500,000 in NIL contracts. Woolwine now serves as Triumph NIL’s CEO. He was the one who thought of putting the agency’s name and branding on the equipment truck.

“It’s not lost on us that proactive marketing efforts, creative branding ideas and engaging content development is needed for Triumph to generate increased awareness and excitement for our NIL partnerships,” Triumph NIL founding partner Doug Hicks said in a statement provided to On3. “The concept of co-branding the equipment truck was Kelly Woolwine’s idea and, given the immediate and overwhelmingly positive feedback, was a clear winner.”

Hicks teased that Triumph NIL has additional plans in store for later in the college football season. Virginia Tech fans will have the opportunity to support the school’s athletes through NIL opportunities including merchandise, attending in-person appearances featuring athletes and various partnerships.

Prior to Triumph NIL announcing contracts with nearly 28 Virginia Tech football players, the agency announced contracts with football players Dax Hollifield, Da’Wain Lofton, Kaleb Smith and Malachi Thomas.

Schools get involved with NIL agencies, collectives

At the start of the second academic year in the NCAA’s NIL era, watch how various institutions choose to partner with, or help establish, NIL marketing agencies or collectives.

Co-branding the football program’s equipment truck is just one creative example.

Other collectives, such as Gator Collective (Florida), 901Fund (Memphis), Cohesion Foundation (Ohio State), 1Oklahoma (Oklahoma) and Pokes with a Purpose (Oklahoma State) have purchased official school sponsorships, according to Sports Business Journal.

In June, USC signed an agreement with the media agency Stay Doubted, which created BLVD, a subsidiary that exclusively serves USC athletes. This week, South Carolina took a similar approach in the announcement of a two-year, $2.2-million agreement with Everett Sports Marketing (ESM). ESM will help broker deals for South Carolina athletes.