As NIL era arrives, marketers find an influencer playbook

There’s a new crop of influencers on the horizon for marketers after the NCAA’s recent adoption of a policy allowing college athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness (NIL). In the week since the rule changed, Unilever, PetSmart and Boost Mobile and many more stumped up the cash for some of the hottest college athletes across the U.S. Read more below.

• NCAA'S name, image and likeness (NIL) ruling presents a new crop of influencers and content creators.
• Not only has the MRC audit of Facebook not begun but there is also still no signed formal contract between the group overseeing the audit and Facebook.
• The digital studio claims to be the first Black-owned media company to have secured the ability to sell its YouTube channels’ inventory directly to advertisers.
• Much has been written about the very real struggles of employees during COVID-19. Getting far less attention has been the equally serious strain company leaders have found themselves under.
• For the fifth straight week esports organization Faze Clan has announced a new partnership — this time — proving that even the biggest teams still need to extend their brands into new fandoms.
• As Mediapalooza part 3 unfolds, some media agencies choose not to participate in pitches. A look at why in this week’s Digiday+ Media Buying Briefing.