College NIL athletes as social media influencers: examining sports vs lifestyle posts on consumer perceptions

Purpose

Influencer marketing is a significant element in modern marketing. Both influencer marketing and college athletics are billion-dollar industries. As the two collide in the wake of college name, image or likeness (NIL) regulations, allowing for NIL athletes to monetize themselves and their personal brands, it is important to evaluate the implications of NIL influencers. This paper specifically examines whether sports-themed posts differ from lifestyle posts in terms of consumer perceptions.

Design/methodology/approach

Experimental design was used to explore the impact that NIL influencer source attributes have on audiences’ consumer attitudes. Participants (N = 222) viewed Instagram posts of four of the top NIL-earning athletes (two men and two women athletes) from 2023. Perceptions of the posts were examined under two collapsed conditions: sports-themed posts focusing on athletic pursuits and lifestyle posts that focused on lifestyle. Participants answered questions concerning credibility, wishful identification, homophily and behavioral intention.

Findings

Sports-themed content was regarded as more credible and linked to greater behavioral intentions, including intent to engage on social media and intent to purchase an endorsed product when compared with more traditional lifestyle posts. Both homophily and wishful identification play an important mediating role in the processing of influencer content.

Originality/value

Given the recency of NIL regulations, this research focuses on the underexplored topic of college athletes as endorsers. Understanding the type of posts that elicit greater behavioral intentions has marketing implications for a wide variety of organizations interested in partnership opportunities with NIL athletes.