About this episode

Heather Leiferman discusses Great Clips' approach to NIL partnerships and the evolution of brand strategies in college athletics.

What does it take for a national consumer brand to build successful NIL partnerships? On this episode of The NIL Edge , Sterling Randle sits down with Heather Leiferman, Director of Communications at Great Clips, to discuss how one of the country's largest retail brands has approached NIL since entering the space in 2021. Heather shares how Great Clips evolved from treating student-athletes like traditional influencers to building fully integrated, story-driven campaigns centered on authenticity and long-term brand value. She also explains what brands often misunderstand about NIL, why authentic partnerships consistently outperform transactional deals, and what separates the student-athletes who earn opportunities from those who don't. The conversation also explores how Great Clips evaluates athletes, balances NIL alongside influencers and content creators, measures campaign success, and where Heather believes brand partnerships in college athletics are headed next.

People in this episode

Host: Sterling Randle

Guest: Heather Leiferman

Topics covered

• NIL partnerships
• brand strategy
• student-athletes
• influencer marketing
• campaign success

Keywords

• NIL
• Great Clips
• student-athletes
• influencer marketing
• brand partnerships
• campaign evaluation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Great Clips

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