The Short Version

• Franklin Park Mall launched a name, image and likeness — or NIL — partnership with five University of Toledo student-athletes to market the center and support key retailers.
• The mall invested just $3,900: $2,500 for the names, images and likenesses and $1,400 in gift cards for the athletes.
• The campaign generated a 1,500% ROI, including sales lifts, lease renewals and a surge in social media reach.
• Athlete appearances drove traffic at events like KixCon and helped JD Sports exceed Month 1 sales projections by $100,000.
• Foot Locker, J.Crew Factory and other retailers saw measurable gains tied directly to the NIL activations.

A Modest NIL Investment That Delivered Outsize Returns for a Toledo Mall

In Toledo, Ohio, a city without a professional sports team, The University of Toledo Rockets are the hometown heroes. “They’re the rock stars,” Franklin Park Mall marketing and business development manager Julie Sanderson said of local student-athletes. Many had passionate fan bases, sizable social media followings and deep connections to the 20,000 students and staff at the university and the broader Toledo community. The mall spied an opportunity to bring that energy directly into the shopping experience, to the benefit of key tenants.

A name, image and likeness policy that the NCAA implemented on July 1, 2021, enables student-athletes to profit from such fame. Through the Fanclub Sports agency, Franklin Park Mall secured the names, images and likenesses — or NIL — for five University of Toledo student-athletes from July to December 2024. The contracts totaled $2,500, a modest investment that delivered extraordinary returns, earning Gold in the 2025 ICSC MAXI Awards. Sanderson called it a “powerful opportunity to engage audiences, amplify brand visibility and drive retailer success through a 360-degree marketing program.”

Building Athlete Partnerships That Fit the Mall’s Retail Strategy

Though the mall, just two miles from the university, is the only enclosed shopping center in the Toledo area, “people [were] staying longer, but visiting less frequently,” Sanderson explained. Some of the property’s key retailers were in critical measuring periods, scrutinizing every transaction and interaction to gauge success, she said. “We needed to give them extra support.”

Selecting the right athletes was crucial. “We really sat down and talked about what made the most sense for Franklin Park Mall,” said Sanderson. “Which athletes aligned with our upcoming activations? Which had strong local followings?” Football player Cavon Butler, for example, had grown up in the area, carrying with him a hometown following from Whitmer High School to The University of Toledo. Basketball player Nan Garcia brought her own loyal fans, as the Toledo women’s basketball team sells out their games, Sanderson said. “They’ve made it to the Sweet 16. They have incredible community support.”

The mall focused the campaign on retailers that had pivotal moments, such as lease expirations, coming up, or whose sales were underperforming. Then each athlete was paired with retailers that matched their personalities and styles and the mall provided the athletes with a total of $1,400 in gift cards to those stores. “We actually spent an afternoon together talking through their interests,” Sanderson said. “We had a targeted list of stores we wanted to feature, but we also wanted the partnerships to feel genuine.” Football player Cooper Rusk told her he’s a preppy guy, so the mall matched him with stores like J.Crew Factory. “Then there was Junior [Vandeross III, a fellow football player], who said: ‘Do not give me anything where I have to wear something other than sweats,’ so we paired him with Foot Locker and Pacsun,” she said. “It worked perfectly once we saw their personalities.”

How the NIL Campaign Powered KixCon and Boosted Traffic

At the mall’s KixCon sneaker and streetwear trade show, student-athletes participated in basketball challenges, signed balls and engaged with attendees. The athletes hyped the event on social media beforehand, contributing to 3,000 pre-event registrations and 33,500 daily visitors, a 23% year-over-year increase. The athletes’ involvement also helped secure $7,500 in additional sponsorships, plus 37,500 earned media impressions valued at $10,000.

The Retail Impact: Sales Growth, Renewals and a 1,500% ROI

Franklin Park Mall’s own social media posts featuring the athletes earned 46,600 impressions and 10,000 Instagram Reels plays, contributing to a 54% increase in the number of people following the mall on Instagram. Across social media platforms, the mall’s reach more than doubled during the partnership.

The retailers were thrilled with the campaign’s impact. JD Sports, for example, celebrated its grand opening in September 2024 with student-athletes posing for photos and signing autographs. Athletes also shopped in the store using gift cards provided by the retailer and shared their experiences on social media. The excitement helped the store exceed its Month 1 sales projection by $100,000.

Other retailers saw similar success. J.Crew Factory had been expected to close but instead extended its lease. Abercrombie & Fitch renewed, as well. Foot Locker had been struggling, according to Sanderson, but its August sales increased 17% year over year.

Ultimately, according to Franklin Park Mall, its $3,900 investment — $2,500 for the NIL and $1,400 in gift cards — generated an estimated 1,500% return. That includes $26,000 in direct retailer sales resulting from NIL marketing for KixCon, for the JD Sports grand opening, for Santa promotions and for social media contests. Collectively, content created by the student-athletes and their agency exceeded 50,000 organic social media impressions, and additional influencer posts brought in 41,000 more.

Future Plans for Franklin Park Mall’s NIL Strategy

Working with student-athletes required some flexibility. “These students balance classes, practices and games,” Sanderson said. “Scheduling took a lot of advance planning and sometimes we had to pivot, but it was absolutely worth it.” She hopes to expand the representation in future NIL efforts. “Basketball and football were fan favorites, but next time we want to bring in athletes from other sports — soccer, swimming, track — to broaden the appeal.”

Sanderson also emphasized the value of localized initiatives like this one. Pacific Retail Capital Partners, the mall’s property management company, gives local marketing teams “the autonomy to do what we need to do for our shopping centers,” she said. “They know we know our markets best, and they give us the opportunity to lean into what our community offers.”