How Intuit Executed NIL Deals In Real-Time During March Madness

Forbes

10-04-2025

UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) was one of the athletes Intuit worked with during March Madness ... More (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Intuit TurboTax knew it wanted to activate with college athletes during March Madness, but this year the brand challenged itself to execute new name, image and likeness partnerships in real-time as up-and-coming stars emerged.
'Throughout the March Madness Tournament, our team is watching every game, looking for record breakers and identifying athletes that have a standout performance – whether on or off the court – and those are the students we look to engage and partner with," said Caitlin Campbell, Intuit TurboTax Gen Z and NIL strategic communications lead. 'Because the tournament happens so quickly, ultimately it comes down to who we can quickly connect with and get onboard. Immediately following games, we are sliding into DMs, connecting with agents, garnering interest, and finalizing offers.'
The challenge? Get content live four times faster than the brand's typical influencer campaigns with the goal of contracting, reviewing and approving posts within 24-48 hours.
'Our expectations for our NIL partnerships are different from what they are for traditional influencers,' said Campbell. 'We know these students are not necessarily creators - they are students and athletes – so having that lens is important. Beyond that, they often have a very short window of time to shoot content with their practice and travel schedules, so we make it super easy for them by pre-drafting concepts that relate to their standout moment. We want these athletes to feel natural and authentic when creating content for us, so we encourage them to lean into their personality or big game moment.'
Intuit says the strategy worked. Content produced as part of the campaign received 30% higher positive sentiment than the brand's standard influencer campaigns.
Intuit shared its success experienced with some of its athlete partners:
'What's incredible is how far and wide the reach of these athletes' spans. From college students and alumni to all basketball fans, March Madness is an event that everyone watches, and we strategically partner with athletes that we believe people will be talking about the next day,' said Campbell.
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'We want our content to go live while sports fans are still talking about the incredible buzzer beater and seeing how TurboTax can also help you get your taxes done just in the nick of time. While we think our partnerships really do help us resonate with Gen Z audiences – the content actually goes far beyond that and speaks to sports fans of all ages.'
Mark Notarainni, general manager of Intuit's Consumer Group, says partnering with college athletes achieves a few different goals.
'Our strategy with NIL athletes and March Madness is a natural fit. We've always recognized the power of live sporting events to connect with highly engaged audiences. Now, with NIL, we can extend that connection beyond the game. By partnering with these student athletes, many experiencing significant earnings for the first time, we're not just advertising, we're providing them genuine tax support and education; all while reaching a broader audience of sports fans with valuable tax and financial literacy resources on their favorite athletes' social feed. The timing of March Madness and the Final Four is critical, coinciding with tax season and the approaching tax deadline.'
Intuit also looked for others around the game going viral, including McNeese State equipment manager Amir Khan.
While managers like Khan were never prohibited from engaging in NIL activities like the athletes were previously, he says he appreciates being recognized for his role.
'I believe managers are getting noticed more just because people are seeing how much we care and help out behind the scenes. I happened to get lucky being in the right place at the right time. TurboTax reached out and gave me an opportunity I'm really thankful for. They also helped me feel more confident about managing money, which I didn't really know much about before.'
His advice for other managers who might want to attract NIL deals? Focus on being yourself and working hard every day.
'The staff will notice you if you care about your team, take pride in what you do, and are always ready to work. I never planned for any of this, it just happened from doing what I love. Also, when opportunities come, work with companies that actually help you grow. TurboTax files your taxes for you and makes filing taxes stress free, so that was a no brainer partnership for me.'
In addition to the content partnerships, Intuit also provides their NIL athletes – and managers – with tax assistance and financial education programs to focus on long-term success.