To Win Local Customers, Outback Signs Student-Athlete Deals

As name, image and likeness partnership and endorsement deals continue to proliferate throughout the college sports season, brands are learning on the fly about what NIL deals make sense. Outback Steakhouse recently expanded its TeamMates program, signing 12 college basketball players in an effort to strengthen the brand’s presence in university athletics and boost its efforts to celebrate teamwork within sports as well as the broader community. "We have been doing a digital transformation throughout the pandemic," Danielle Vona, svp and chief marketing officer for Bloomin’ Brands, told Adweek. "And the more we look at our audiences and test new and different audience types, the more clear it is that Outback content in general really resonates with a sports audience. The engagement, excitement and all that jazz really comes to life with sports fans in general and college sports in particular." The new signees will have their favorite Outback Steakhouse bundle meals available exclusively on Outback’s online ordering platforms. Together with its TeamMates and its partnership with Coaches vs. Cancer, Outback will be raising awareness and money for the American Cancer Society and other charitable partners. The TeamMates campaign features six men's and women's college basketball players: Duke: Trevor Keels and Lexi Gordon UNC: Caleb Love and Deja KellyMichigan: Hunter Dickinson and Naz HillmonMaryland: Julian Reese and Angel Reese Villanova: Collin Gillespie and Maddy SiegristArizona State: Marcus Bagley and Jade Loville The TeamMates program began with a successful run in college football with seven student-athletes. "The social audiences and those genuine connections with fans in their spaces and our fans in our spaces really worked," Vona. For Outback, the program is meant to be hyperlocal and reaches a young Gen Z consumer at college campuses in smaller towns. In giving back through philanthropic efforts and also rewarding the student-athletes financially, the brand is forming a symbiotic relationship with these athletes. "The fact that we're in it is giving us more presence, which is exciting," Vona noted. "It's about the value we're bringing to the community and the value we can bring to the athletes and in return, they are actually helping bring value to us just by having these moments in our restaurants across the country." Using analytics to find the right partners When picking schools, Outback looks at potential partners from a business perspective and rankings on the basketball court. For student-athletes, the brand works with management and marketing agency Excel Sports and looks at public sentiment for the athletes, as well as how big their audiences are on social and digital spaces. "We've actually created a criteria scorecard; we actually do it in a more analytic way than you might think," Vona said. "As we're selecting, we roll all those numbers together and the recommendations tumble out. This time, we've actually expanded to one of our franchise markets as well, which is exciting." Outback declined to share details about its sports marketing spend. The TeamMates campaign will primarily reside on social, and the chain hasn't used much paid media for the campaign, according to Vona, who cited creating an authentic and genuine experience as a key focus for the brand. "We've just come through a pandemic," she added. "Budgets have been really crazy. But that says this program is even that much more meaningful. This is a program worth investing in and can help build not just the equity we're looking for in the brand, but build community relationships and build equity with a new, younger audience for us that is very meaningful." Student-Athlete and Brand Partnerships Increase Following New NIL Policy

Sports Marketing News

Looking to Reach a Hyperlocal Audience, Outback Signs 12 Student-Athletes to NIL Deal

The restaurant chain uses analytics to choose TeamMates partners

Rafael Canton

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Rafael Canton