A quote that sums it up:

• “How much time this saves and cuts away, it’s honestly huge.” - Jake Peterson, Fluid Sports Nutrition

The problem solved:

• Fluid could not efficiently find student-athlete ambassadors.
• MarketPryce helps them quickly discover, share product and build authentic relationships with student-athletes on campuses across the country.

The cost:

• The Fluid team previously spent 6 hours over three weeks sending cold DMs, ultimately connecting with one quality ambassador. It was "super draining.”
• In less than two hours on MarketPryce, Fluid connected with more than 50 quality student-athlete ambassadors.

tl;dr:

• Fluid is discovering student-athlete ambassadors WAY faster on MarketPryce.

Fluid’s athlete ambassador journey

Jake Peterson is Fluid’s Head of Athlete Outreach and Relations.

He’s a recent graduate with big goals for Fluid. Led by founder Rich Smith, Fluid is nearly two decades into creating products that help athletes maximize their recovery window.

Working with athletes is an obvious way for Fluid to reach its goal of being the trusted, go-to recovery brand. But executing wasn't so easy.

Brands: Get your product in the hands of student-athletes at March Madness schools

To help with athlete discovery, Jake hired a summer intern. One of their focuses was finding athletes on Instagram and sending them DMs.

The intern researched each person before messaging because he wanted to make sure Fluid put its best foot forward.

But the DM’s often went unread and the hit-or-miss replies were uninspiring.

The end result? A single quality athlete relationship.

“For three weeks he was in the lab. Locked in, sending DM’s,” Peterson said. “I checked in on progress and he said: ‘Dude, I did all this and we got one.’

“That was one out of hundreds. It was super draining.”

How MarketPryce helps brands 10x student-athlete outreach

In just two hours over two months as a MarketPryce customer, Jake shared Fluid product with 53 (and counting) student-athletes. That's an average of about two minutes spent vetting and requesting each match.

The time savings are great. But the most critical win for Jake and Fluid is the quality of relationships.

One of his Matches, Bryn Underwood (American University field hockey), left him floored. She provided insightful feedback on Fluid product, comparing the flavor to citrus starbursts she favored as a child.

She was able to articulate how the product helped her recover, stay focused during class and prevent cramps — all insights that will help Fluid continue defining its place in the athlete recovery market.

“I felt like I was talking to someone I’ve known my whole life,” he said. “She was genuine, excited about everything and super positive.”

Building brand fandom on campus

Another student-athlete that Jake quickly built a meaningful relationship with is Taylor Cruse (Ohio State softball).

She sampled Fluid and provided quality feedback through MarketPryce’s automated process. Jake decided to follow up with an email.

Taylor agreed to share Fluid with a few teammates. Building authentic relationships through product seeding is — in less than two months — helping Fluid build a Buckeyes fanbase in Columbus, Ohio.

“It’s huge to have that kind of access,” Jake said. “How much time this saves and cuts away, it’s honestly huge.”

How to execute effective NIL partnerships

Jake and his coworkers at Fluid previously tried but found lackluster results through NIL partnerships.

“We know what doesn’t work,” he said. “Paying someone to post a static image.”

Now he’s focused on using MarketPryce to find quality, value-aligned student-athletes and build winning relationships from the ground up.

“We’ve gone an inch deep and a mile wide before,” he said. “This is dipping our toes into the water and trying this from a whole new angle. We’re really excited.”

Interested in finding quality athlete ambassadors in a fraction of the time? Schedule a call to learn more.