Dive Brief:
- Snickers Ice Cream partnered with NFL hopeful Bryce Young to introduce a limited-edition frozen treat ahead of this week’s NFL Draft, according to a press release.
- Fans located in Kansas City, Missouri, the home of this year’s draft, can taste the confection at select locations. In-person tastings will also take place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the location of the University of Alabama, where Young attended school. Visitors to a Snickers landing page can enter to win a six-pack of the ice cream bar.
- The favorite to be the first pick at this year’s NFL Draft, the star college athlete became a brand darling over the past couple of years as new name, image and likeness (NIL) regulations kicked in for college athletes.
Dive Insight:
Snickers Ice Cream, a Mars Wrigley brand, is looking to align itself with a potential NFL superstar early on by releasing a limited-edition product ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, which kicks off on April 27. The tie up sees Mars Wrigley expanding its relationship with football fans following the Snickers chocolate bar’s 20-year sponsorship of the NFL.
Young, the former University of Alabama quarterback, is predicted to be the number one pick at the 2023 NFL Draft. Brands have been eager to partner with Young since his Heisman Trophy win in 2021, which is also the year when the NCAA changed its rules and allowed college athletes to profit off marketing deals.
As Young looks to start his professional football career, he has already been associated with numerous brands and was the first college athlete to be featured on Nissan's long-running “Heisman House” program, even receiving his own spinoff series.
The marketplace for big brands partnering with college athletes has grown quickly since the NIL changes were made in 2021 as marketers look to connect with up-and coming-athletes and their fans. For example, Adidas last year opened up a paid affiliate network for over 50,000 student athletes.
