LetsGoDU got an exclusive look at the DU men’s basketball student-athletes recent NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) photoshoot for Shinesty.
Shinesty is a Colorado-based retailer of party clothing as well as men’s and women’s underwear. The company is a national marketer and was recently named to Inc. Magazine’s 5000 fastest-growing companies list and this NIL agreement is the first national clothing deal for the University of Denver student-athletes.
Shinesty’s first NIL social media campaign was conducted by CU football lineman Tommy Brown. DU men’s basketball is next on the list for Shinesty, renowned for its self-proclaimed “irreverent brand voice”. Denver student-athletes Tommy Bruner, Tyree Corbett, and Ben Bowen represented the team on the shoot, which was held at Roka Studios in Denver.
“When we were approached by Shinesty to model their party clothing and underwear in a social media campaign, we wanted to learn more because we represent more than just ourselves,” said redshirt freshman Ben Bowen. “We are representing ourselves as well as our fellow student-athletes. We wanted to have fun, generate some social media interest in Shinesty products and maybe even go viral – so people know more about us.”
The student-athletes jumped into the photo shoot with the same energy and confidence they have shown on the court. “Our team is tight,” said Bruner. “We want to do things that have never been done before at DU – this is just one more thing. NIL is a part of growing the student-athlete experience beyond the court.”
The Shinesty brand campaign had to be agreed upon by all participants before going out on social media. “While the CU ads were funny, we wanted to focus on Shinesty’s product-brand attributes and get people to visit Shinesty,” said the extroverted and versatile Tyree Corbett. “At the same time, we wanted people to see that we are a fun team and, maybe, people will want to come out to see our games, too. Who knows, maybe we build a long-term deal with Shinesty if the campaign is effective.”
When asked about the financial arrangement, the DU players would not disclose the details of their compensation – only to confirm it was ‘a very fair deal’ for both parties. The student-athletes had a free hand in developing the artistic direction and wanted their photoshoot to look like a magazine layout. Point guard Tommy Bruner said, “They [Shinesty] are very chill. They let us do our thing. We hope they like it.” KO Design created the graphic design for the campaign. The full social media campaign will roll out over the next several weeks with a total of 6 Shinesty visual messages posted on social media by the team.
“We hope we can make it onto a few local online news sites or even local television news because this is the first national NIL deal for DU basketball student-athletes. Hopefully, this is just the beginning for student-athletes at DU,” added Tyree Corbett.
For a press kit and images of the Shinesty Student-Athlete campaign with DU student-athletes, contact LetsGoDU via email.
Dunker loves the underwear. I think they will make me look sharp. Smart NIL deal for our student athletes
Shinesty today, Nike tomorrow. Bravo!
This is AWESOME! Congrats to the fellas for making this happen. And I really appreciate their comments. Coach W’s players continue to impress.
So exciting to be part (graphic design) of this fun campaign @shinesty Thank you DU student-athletes for the opportunity. I certainly hope this becomes a long-term relationship for the team and Shinesty. Kelly O’Connor http://www.kodesign25.myportfolio.com/