HOMETOWN PLAYERS.
HOMETOWN PIZZA.
Making a sizzling hot splash in the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) landscape of the NCAA. Featuring Ohio State Buckeye football.
Uniting the Buckeyes with Donatos Pizza was a dream project. Donatos leveraged the new NIL landscape to build a "hometown" strategy the corporate giants couldn't replicate. We partnered with national stars like Chris Olave and local heroes like Jack Sawyer to blend broad appeal with authentic Columbus pride. It made the campaign personal. It grew the social footprint. And it moved a hell of a lot of pizza.
Creative needed to feel carved out of the Horseshoe.
Pulling inspiration from Ohio Stadium turning 100, we mixed the gritty, historical textures with the swagger of the current roster.
For local heroes Jack and Zach, we traded polish for reality. We built content that felt native to their feeds, avoiding the corporate-ness feel of a sponsored post. But for a national star like Chris Olave, we went loud. We plastered the city with billboards and posters to make the partnership undeniable.
Donatos saw immediate traction on the timeline and the bottom line. Authentic content drove a 15% jump in followers and over 120,000 impressions from the players alone. This converted to a serious lift in gameday sales and rewards signups. It proves that a smart, local strategy beats a bottomless corporate budget. Go Bucks.
