The 2025 NFL Draft is an introduction to the big leagues for not only the players chosen but also the brands along for the ride.
As the football world descends on Green Bay, Wisconsin, from April 24-26, and fans watching on ESPN, ABC, the NFL Network, and other outlets await teams’ selections, brands associated with collegiate superstars await their first taste of NFL sports marketing exposure. Platinum Rye Entertainment, a division of The Marketing Arm, noted that the 12 million viewers who tuned in to last year’s draft in Detroit should set a similar precedent for the 2025 installment in “Titletown.”
Though Green Bay has become the gold standard for small-market major sports franchises in the United States, Platinum Rye noted that the city is still expecting more than 240,000 visitors in town for the draft with upwards of $94 million to spend during their time in Wisconsin.
That includes player entourages that extend far beyond proud friends and family. Cam Ward, the University of Miami quarterback who’s the projected No. 1 pick, came into the draft with name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights deals with Under Armour and New Era. Heisman Trophy-winning offensive and defensive phenomenon Travis Hunter from the University of Colorado has the support of Snickers, Olipop, and United Airlines.
In a stacked draft class featuring Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter (NextGen Camps); Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders (Beats by Dre, Gatorade); Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (Opendoor, Sharpie); Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart (Fortnite, Stanley 1913, Uber Eats); and national champion Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka (Alo, Celsius) and running backs TreVeyon Henderson (Chipotle, Hollister, Arby’s) and Quinshon Judkins (Raising Cane’s, JLab Headphones, and Kane Footwear), brands create a formidable starting lineup of their own. And that’s before you get to the brands with activations in Green Bay itself or in teams’ home markets.
“When you activate in the city like this, or particularly around the NFL Draft, making sure you’re showcasing the uniqueness of the host city—the fans, the city itself, the tradition, the superstitions, the food, all that goes into the sports occasion. It is a good opportunity for brands to show up in an authentic and organic way,” said Justin Zambuto, co-lead and evp for Endeavor’s cultural agency 160/90. “There’s an opportunity to develop content and connections with athletes, talents, creators, and even the stories around the families themselves.”
All-field advantage
Zambuto and 160/90 are helping Marriott Bonvoy, Visa, USAA, and NFL Australia all maintain a presence in Green Bay throughout the draft. To kick things off, it hosted a tour of a U.S. Air National Guard base with Jeanty and University of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
