— NILi Edition —
Earlier this fall, Chipotle made a highly-strategic NIL play by giving all student-athletes at The Ohio State University, University of Florida, and University of Georgia a free meal during every week of their 25-26 playing seasons. (Yes, that’s a whole lot of burritos). The partnership is a brilliant marketing move for a few reasons:
-It positions Chipotle as a premium performance food, directly linking its authentic ingredients to success and wellbeing.
-It reinforces the company’s commitment to sustainable farming practices through providing institutional funding for students in agriculture and food related majors.
-And, it created an army of young, influential brand ambassadors for way less than the cost of a traditional advertising campaign.
From what we’ve read, it doesn’t seem like there are any obligations for endorsements or content creation from student-athletes as part of this weekly free meal deal. Yet at the same time, we’ve also seen that many collegiate players, especially those who grew-up in remote or under-resourced areas, have a deep personal interest in local and national efforts to address food insecurity.
Given the overlap with Chipotle’s sustainability pillars of People, Food & Animals, and Environment, we think there's an incredible opportunity for the brand to Level-Up its meal-based NIL program by creating a purpose-driven NILi (NIL for Impact) movement alongside it — giving passionate student-athletes a platform for raising awareness of food-based nonprofits, and boosting their own brand reputation as an advocate for food accessibility along the way.
What might a Chipotle-powered NILi collective look like?
We’re so glad you asked.
🎤 1. Chipotle and Fair Food Network: The Local Scouting Report
Through its existing relationships with The Ohio State University, UF, and UGA, Chipotle would recruit a small group of women’s soccer or basketball players (whose training often focuses heavily on nutrition) to become sponsored NILi ambassadors for the Fair Food Network, a nonprofit which works to increase access to fresh food for low-income communities.
The athletes would create fun, informative, and authentic "Local Scouting Report" videos at their local farmers’ markets, showing their followers how to find fresh produce using the Fair Food Network's incentive programs, and how to use SNAP/EBT dollars at local farmers' markets. To take it one bite further, the athletes could also create “in the kitchen” content, preparing Chipotle-inspired pre-game meals with the produce they bought — adding another layer of personality, education, and brand-athlete-mission alignment to the mix.
🥎 Chipotle and Feeding America: Community Catch
What if Chipotle partnered with Feeding America, and collegiate softball / baseball / football athletes, to create the "Community Catch" program benefitting local food banks around their campuses? Each week, a different group of ambassadors would create content highlighting specific needs (e.g., "This week, we’re focusing on canned proteins,”) then host collection drives – aka catches – at games or student centers, using their personal platforms to turn fans into volunteers and donors.
It’s a low-lift effort that not only empowers student-athletes to make immediate impact in their communities, but also integrates local giving into the fabric of each university’s sports culture, and positions Chipotle as the catalyst that’s making it all happen.
🥕 3. Chipotle and Food For Thought Foundation: “Grow, Fans!” Youth Gardening Projects
No matter what sport they play, many kids look up to their favorite college athletes as their first “I want to be them someday” role models. That’s exactly what we’re building-on for this NILi idea, where Chipotle would sponsor student-athletes to contribute content to a Grow Your Own Food Garden youth program that’s custom-branded for each university’s fans and followers.
The “Grow, Gators,” “Grow Dawgs,” and “Grow Buckeyes” Make Your Own Food Garden projects, brought to you by Chipotle and Food for Thought Foundation, would be hands-on curriculum distributed free through the Foundation's network to local schools and youth centers. The athletes would have the opportunity to choose how they want to engage — creating short videos of planting their own gardens, writing kid-friendly recipes for cooking with fresh fruits and veggies, or helping to facilitate workshops and events in person. This initiative gives the athletes even more credibility as mentors, while making gardening and healthy heating — two topics that kids might typically roll their eyes at — a fan-based experience they’ll keep coming back to.
Each of these Chipotle-powered partnerships has the ingredients for a majorly impactful NILi initiative, delivering a triple-bottom-line benefit for everyone involved.
The key is having the right chefs in the kitchen to bring all the components together.
