Case Study:
Clothing and Retail
Hollister Co. - the lifestyle brand owned by Abercrombie & Fitch - known for its casual California-inspired apparel sought to expand its influence among Gen Z consumers with the launch of its Collegiate Collection ahead of Back to School 2024. The brand collaborated with Postgame to partner with influential college athletes to help promote the collection through elevated lifestyle content, making NIL social media history in the process.
The Challenge: Connect deeper and more authentically with Gen Z consumers
Hollister recognized an opportunity to connect deeper with Gen Z consumers while building overall brand / product awareness and association with top universities for the new Collegiate Collection.The brand wanted to generate high-quality, athlete-led content to drive traffic to their e-commerce site for measurable sales conversions.
The Solution: A multi-faceted athlete campaign leveraging Back to School and the start of Fall sports seasons.
Hollister turned to Postgame and their diverse and vast student-athlete network across the country for a high-volume and breakthrough campaign that would authentically connect to the Gen Z audience. Postgame coordinated a multi-faceted roll-out to support the Collegiate Collection launch that included:
Student-Athlete Partnerships:
Nationally-recognized student-athletes across 30 schools created content showcasing their university’s Hollister apparel.
400+ regionally relevant athletes representing 21 sports added depth and diversity to the campaign, connecting with regional and national audiences alike.
National Signing Day (High School) history made as 10 of the Top 200 players wore Hollister as part of their big day. This included the #1 and #2 ranked players in the nation.
Expert Content Strategy:
Combination of Postgame-produced and athlete-shot Instagram reels / photo carousels / stories and TikTok videos linking back to Hollister’s website.
Paid media amplification of the most engaging top-tier athlete content
Retail Activation Pilot:
Six Ohio State football players participated in an in-store activation at a Columbus, OH Hollister location, drawing national headlines and local fans while increasing retail foot traffic and sales in the process.
Hollister To Host Fan Experience With Top Ranked Ohio State Football Players
Press Release: Partnership with Postgame NIL Agency brings Ohio State football players to Hollister (Easton Town Center - Columbus, OH) during the upcoming bye week for the top ranked Buckeyes. The fan experience will feature: Will Howard, Emeka Egbuka, CJ Hicks, Tyleik Williams and Caden Davis.
The Result: NIL HISTORY!
Over a four-week period, the campaign garnered breakthrough results and NIL social media history, including:
+1,500 social media posts
+4,000 total content units
+270 posts promoting Hollister on launch day - THE largest number of single day social media posts in NIL history!
+1,500 fans in attendance at Ohio State retail activation, all required to make a purchase
Fans were required to make a purchase
+16M impressions - 50% of which were Instagram Reels
The first-ever National Signing Day collection of high school athletes including #1 and #2 ranked players.
Additional highlights include a 10% engagement rate for athletes, 2-3x higher than an above average traditional “influencer.” Athletes shared affiliate links and a campaign specific promo code that resulted in an attributable six figure revenue increase, including a 5x jump in menswear sales during the promo window.
Conclusion:
Hollister’s Collegiate Collection campaign with Postgame exemplified how brands can effectively engage Gen Z by combining student-athlete partnerships, dynamic content and unique retail experiences. The strategy and execution not only drove immediate sales but also laid the foundation for sustained brand loyalty and innovation through influencer marketing with the next wave of product launches to come during the holiday season and in 2025.
Content Highlights :
