State Farm signs Caitlin Clark, joining Nike, others to partner with college basketball star

Caitlin Clark, the sharp-shooting University of Iowa basketball star and a budding brand endorser, has signed a multiyear name, image and likeness deal with State Farm, execs of the insurance company told Ad Age. The deal puts the 21-year-old Clark alongside NFL star Patrick Mahomes and NBA star Chris Paul on State Farm’s athlete roster. Clark may appear in commercials, on social media and at events representing State Farm, said Kristyn Cook, State Farm’s chief agency, sales and marketing officer. Details of Clark’s first appearance for the brand will be announced shortly, Cook said. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Clark, the 6-foot point guard known for her long-range shots and playmaking ability, was the recipient of the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy, honoring the most outstanding player in women’s college basketball. The trophy is among many honors—the awards section of Clark’s page in Iowa’s online media guide has 25 bullet points. Clark was the only player in college basketball last season to average more than 20 points (27.3), five assists (8.6) and five rebounds (7.3) per game, and became the first Division I NCAA basketball player—men’s or women’s—to record more than 1,000 points and 300 assists in a single season. Her game has drawn fawning attention from pros such as LeBron James and brand sponsors from Goldman Sachs to Nike. Clark is studying business and has an interest in marketing, running her own company, CC22 Ventures, that operates a merchandise website and helps manage her NIL deals, according to her LinkedIn page. Clark would likely be the first pick in the WNBA draft if she elects to turn professional next spring, according to The Athletic. “Why Caitlin Clark in particular? She’s as special a player as she is a person. She embodies what it means to be a good neighbor,” Cook said. State Farm welcomed Clark by gifting her a pair of khakis alongside spokescharacter Jake from State Farm. “I am certain that she will be partnering with Jake from State Farm in a variety of different ways, whether or not it’s in our commercials, or how we may leverage their budding relationship on social as well,” Cook said. “He’s a big part of what we do with all of our athletes.” Sports has become an increasingly important area of focus for State Farm, which has invested in athletes, arena naming rights, and this summer, partnered with The Athletic to amplify Women’s World Cup coverage. “When you’re watching sports, it brings together families and communities and good neighbors together,” Cook said, referencing the insurer’s longtime tagline. “That is the essence of what it is. And we want to continue to create a strong emotional connection, not just with fans, but with our customers, and sports enables us to do that.” Clark’s various NIL deals are worth $752,000 annually (not including the State Farm deal), according to On3, which tracks NIL deals. That ranks third in women’s college basketball, behind only Angel Reese ($1.7 million) and Flau’jae Johnson ($1.1 million) both of Louisiana State University, according to data from On3. LSU defeated Iowa in the finals of the NCAA women’s tournament in March. Clark has just over 1 million followers across X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and Instagram. Below, some details of some of her other NIL deals. Nike Clark partnered with Nike in 2022, along with a roster of high-profile NIL basketball talent such as Bronny James, the son of LeBron James. Clark is currently starring in an ad for Nike’s high-end Nike Tech apparel brand. Before you build something new, you have to break some ground. This is #NikeTech 👷♀️ pic.twitter.com/zTrVGtS6yY— Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball) September 27, 2023 Topps Topps in 2022 commissioned an autographed Clark card to accompany a set of college trading cards. Topps 🤝Caitlin ClarkWe are proud to announce that we've signed a deal with Iowa Hawkeyes guard @CaitlinClark22! Her autographs will be some of the first officially licensed University of Iowa cards ever made by Topps. pic.twitter.com/2wtjQzNwP1— Topps (@Topps) July 26, 2022 Bose In March, Clark showed off the high-end audio company’s earbuds in an Instagram video of her warming up to “Run This Town” by Jay-Z, Rhianna and Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Caitlin Clark (@caitlinclark22) Buick Clark was part of Buick’s “See Her Greatness” campaign in March which focused on increasing the visibility and viewership of women’s sports. While more than 40% The campaign pointed out that while more than 40% of athletes are women, they get less than 10% of the media coverage as males. Buick has the highest percentage of female buyers in the auto industry of any auto brand, according to S&P Global. Hy-Vee Clark was featured in a Facebook video for the Midwest supermarket chain in March—both Clark and Hy-Vee call West Des Moines, Iowa home. Goldman Sachs In March, Clark along with then-North Carolina men’s basketball player Caleb Love, appeared in an ad calling for the modernization of the federal Small Business Administration. The ad, from Goldman Sachs and its 10,000 Small Business Voices group, is believed to be the first using NIL deals to advocate for federal policy change. It plays on the notion that Clark and Love weren’t even born the last time the Small Business Administration was updated. H&R Block H&R Block’s “A Fair Shot” program addressed inequity in athlete sponsorship earnings, noting that 77% of NIL compensation went to men and just 23% to women. Clark and University of South Carolina basketball player Zia Cooke were the first athletes signed on to the program in 2022.

State Farm signs Caitlin Clark, joining Nike, others to partner with college basketball star

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