Nissan shifts into career advice for college athletes in new series

Dive Brief:

Nissan is launching a new video series, “New Frontiers” starring several Heisman Trophy winners, according to a press release.
Across three parts, the series provided tips for a personal brand and follows new guidelines allowing college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL). Featured are most recent trophy winner, Bryce Young, his father Craig Young and other players.
The series is a spin-off of Nissan’s long-running “Heisman House,'' which features a college-level athlete for the first time this season. While it follows a more game show-like format, “New Frontiers” is built around professional development and advice.

Dive Insight:

Nissan is continuing to strengthen the tie between its brand and college football with its latest series, which pulls veterans from its long-run “Heisman House” series and shows how brands are increasingly building strong relationships with players following last year’s NIL shifts.

“In this moment of NIL, college athletes can define ‘who’ they are, which can matter as much as their athletic performance, when it comes to partnership opportunities,” said Allyson Witherspoon, vice president and U.S. chief marketing officer, Nissan U.S. in a press statement.

“New Frontiers” features Heisman winners sitting on the bed of a Nissan Frontier truck having conversations with each other about what it means to be your own brand. “Aim to Inspire” is the first of three parts, each about three-minutes long, and features Tim Tebow, Devonta Smith and Bryce Young, with the three talking about social media use, priorities and carrying oneself professionally. The second, “Find Your Cause,” features Baker Mayfield, Carson Palmer and Derrick Henry as they discuss what they hope to communicate to their audiences, like being a role model to children. The third, “Put Team First,” features most recent Heisman winner Bryce Young and his father, Craig Young, and focuses on the family’s take on NIL, success and the end goal.

While the series currently includes only three parts, Nissan plans to unveil longer content in the winter. Such a series dedicated to helping younger athletes discover what comes with NIL deals could help the brand recruit up-and-coming players for future efforts that could be both more affordable and have more flexibility. A sign of change, this year marked the first that a college athlete, Bryce Young, joined Nissan’s “Heisman House” content in its 12-year history. Nissan has also explored additional activations for the popular series, having announced a virtual form of the fraternity house that lets users interact with the athletes and find Easter eggs.