If the shoe fits

The GIST: Last week, Oofos teamed up with Her Campus Media (HCM) to offer over 1.5K college women athletes a chance to partner with the recovery footwear brand. The open-ended opportunity could mean the first NIL deal for many of these athletes, who still offer significant value as microinfluencers.

• While recent legal rulings aim to ensure athletes are fairly compensated, there are still major gaps in sponsorship, especially for women. That’s why several sponsors are making noise to address these gaps, which may be something college women — who overindex in women’s sports fandom and brand awareness — find especially compelling. Fresh on campus.

The details: Oofos is now the official recovery footwear sponsor of the Her Campus Athletic Club (HCAC), which connects college athletes with each other and potential NIL sponsors. Eligible HCAC members (2.1K across over 200 universities) can opt into an Oofos partnership, which equips athletes with shoes, premium gear, and content creation tools.

• It’s a bold move for Oofos, but one that can have a massive payout because of its potential impact on college women. HCM surveyed more than 700 college students and found almost 90% of Gen Z women consider themselves sports fans, 73% follow at least one women’s college sport, and 45% are more likely to buy from brands that invest in college sports.

The context: Oofos has deep sports connections, especially with South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley. She partnered with the brand in 2022, became a leading investor in 2023, and prompted Oofos to sponsor her team’s practice squad this March.

• Oofos isn’t the first brand to initiate widespread sports partnerships: Nutrition brand HoneyStinger created The Hive in 2021, which allows eligible athletes to sign up and represent the brand. Sprouts has also supported over 160 women athletes since 2021, and this March, C4 Energy became the first brand to sign 128 college basketball players at once.

The takeaway: While college women athletes have outsized impact on social media, many are still microinfluencers with under 10K followers — yet their fans are often fiercely loyal. Local brands can harness the power of these hometown heroes, but if a company partners with hundreds of athletes, it can play like a beloved local favorite at campuses across the country.

• Microinfluencers are especially effective when promoting new or emerging brands, making them smart (and affordable) alternatives that still pack a punch. It also makes sense for companies headlining national campaigns with local needs, or for Oofos, a trendy Gen Z brand that’s finally making the move from DTC to brick-and-mortar. If the shoe fits.

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