EvoShield guards are an essential part of the baseball uniform. But to football players, EvoShield’s Rib Shirt was extra protective equipment that was inessential and, potentially, a bulky liability to their game. To reverse three years of declining Rib Shirt sales, we helped Wilson Sporting Goods brand EvoShield launch its first NIL partnership with NCAA football stars Dillon Gabriel and Jalil Farooq. Together, the athletes and EvoShield brought more players to the category – driving up Rib Shirt sales 650% YOY. The Rib Shirt became a top-selling item for the first time in brand history, and an “extra” piece of equipment turned into a competitive advantage on the gridiron – all in just 2.5 months. How? Evoshield is known for being worn by great players with the best on-field style, so a campaign for protective gear worn under the uniform was tricky. But what separates great players is the work they put in before a game – the work you don’t see. Our insight: Drip is what’s on the outside, but real swagger comes from what you can’t see. We connected EvoShield’s Rib Shirt to real swagger – the swagger you earn by training with game-time speed and intensity – by showing Gabriel and Farooq in training to prove the Rib Shirt is protection, not pads. Creative showed up on social media to reach athletes and in display ads retargeting households to reach those with purchasing power. We pushed traffic to the website with matching messaging and more details about the product.