• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, March 4, 2024

When Caitlin Clark smashed the NCAA basketball scoring record, Nike didn’t waste time celebrating the young University of Iowa point guard.

Clark’s performance helped defeat Ohio State, passing the Division 1 scoring record set by “Pistol” Pete Maravich at 3,677 points.

Nike was ready, congratulating Clark on X with a film highlighting the 22-year-old’s astonishing collection of records, including the NCAA’s women’s scoring record, which she shattered just two weeks ago. (Nike celebrated that one with an ad captioned, “You break it, you own it.”)

“It takes a one-in-a-generation player to break a record that’s stood for generations,” Nike said.

The company also celebrated Clark with an out-of-home campaign. In one, a 7-story tall image of Clark is shown shooting, and the ball appears to be arcing across the street. There, another billboard is waiting, showing just the basket, reports HawkCentral. “It was never a long shot,” the ad says.

The company also ran billboards around town using quotes about Clark from past seasons.

Nike splashed a digital version across New York’s Times Square, as well as one celebrating LeBron James’ epic achievement of 40,000 points.

James was one of the first celebs to congratulate Clark, along with President Joe Biden. And Jake from State Farm, one of Clark’s sponsors, was at the game in person to help celebrate, sporting a Clark puffer vest, custom made by celebrity designer Kristin Juszczyk.

Clark recently announced her intention to go pro and enter the WNBA draft.

Clark and Jake from State Farm show off custom vests from designer Kristin Juszczyk.

Putting Clark’s impact into words isn’t easy, says Basia Wojcik, vice president of sports for the Marketing Arm, one of the agencies that worked on State Farm's signing Clark a few months back.

“What she's done for women's basketball and sports is amazing. Women’s athletics already have plenty of momentum, but she’s skyrocketed all that times ten,” Wojcik tells Marketing Daily. “That’s going to continue as she heads to the WNBA.”

There, rookies typically earn $76,535 a year, compared to the NBA, where rookies start at $1.12 million. But Clark is already well on her way to a successful endorsement career, and the new record will likely add some zeros to deals.

“Her achievements have landed her NIL deals that include Nike, Gatorade, State Farm, H&R Block, Topps, Buick, Bose, Hy-Vee and Goldman Sachs,” says Barry Janoff, executive editor of NYSportsJournalism.com. “She already earns much more from NIL deals than she will from the Indiana Fever with the projected overall No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft.”

He tells Marketing Daily there is certainly room for more endorsements once Clark plays in the WNBA and begins appearing on national telecasts. 

One of the places she might have the most impact is at Nike, where she is reportedly close to negotiating a new contract.

“We’re starting to see brands give credit where credit is due, and while Nike has always done its part in pushing women's empowerment, we’ve seen them grow a little bit further,” says Wojcik.

She points to Nike’s recent introduction of the Sabrina, a unisex basketball shoe in partnership with Sabrina Ionescu, who plays for the New York Liberty.

“Nike will capitalize on this momentum too, as Clark makes her next step.”