United Bank | Clemson Football NIL Campaign
Turning NIL Partnerships into Authentic Brand Stories
Sports Marketing + Brand Storytelling
The Story
A name, image, and likeness (NIL) partnership is only as valuable as the story behind it.
Beginning in 2024, United Bank partnered with Clemson Football student-athletes to strengthen its brand presence throughout the college football season. To maximize that investment, United Bank needed more than traditional endorsement photos—they needed authentic, engaging content that connected student-athletes with customers and communities.
Rettew Creative partnered with United Bank to develop and produce seasonal content campaigns featuring Clemson Football players, creating a library of social media videos and photography designed for release throughout each football season.
Rather than producing a handful of advertisements, the goal was to create an entire season of content that felt authentic, entertaining, and true to both the athletes and the United Bank brand.
The Challenge
Making Brand Partnerships Feel Authentic
College football fans can quickly recognize traditional advertising.
The challenge was developing content that celebrated the personalities of Clemson student-athletes while naturally reinforcing United Bank's commitment to relationships, community, and trust.
The project also required coordinating production around busy summer training schedules, multiple athletes, Clemson Athletics, and United Bank's marketing team, while producing enough content to support an entire football season.
For the 2024 campaign alone, the goal included two days of production resulting in 22 social media videos featuring 11 Clemson Football student-athletes, along with a library of digital photography for seasonal marketing.
The Approach
Building a Season Before Kickoff
Rather than creating content week by week, Rettew Creative developed a comprehensive production strategy during the offseason.
Creative concepts blended scripted moments, documentary-style interactions, interviews, games, behind-the-scenes footage, and lifestyle content that showcased athletes as people first—not simply football players. The 2024 creative playbook included one-on-one interviews, interactive games, "This Is SportsCenter"-inspired office skits, financial education tie-ins, and dozens of short-form concepts designed for staggered release throughout the season.
In 2025, the partnership evolved again, centering around Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik. Production expanded beyond the football facility to Kiawah Island, where content combined lifestyle storytelling, community messaging, leadership conversations, golf, and branded social content designed for multiple digital platforms.
By capturing a large library of content during summer production, United Bank entered each football season with a strategic content calendar already in place.
The Final Story
Over two football seasons, Rettew Creative helped transform United Bank's NIL partnerships into a consistent stream of authentic digital storytelling.
The resulting content allowed the bank to engage fans throughout the season while highlighting student-athletes in ways that felt approachable, genuine, and aligned with the organization's community-focused brand.
Rather than producing isolated campaigns, the work created a repeatable model for seasonal sports marketing built around relationships, preparation, and authentic storytelling.
Services Provided
NIL Content Strategy
Sports Marketing
Brand Storytelling
Social Media Video Production
Photography
Creative Direction
Production Planning
Multi-Camera Production
Post-Production
Seasonal Content Strategy
Content Created
Instagram Content Examples
The Impact
Maximizing the Value of NIL Partnerships
Great NIL partnerships extend far beyond a single announcement.
By developing an organized production strategy before the football season began, United Bank gained a library of professional content that could be released throughout the year, keeping its partnership with Clemson Football visible, relevant, and engaging.
For Rettew Creative, the project demonstrates how thoughtful storytelling can help brands transform sponsorships into authentic relationships with their audiences.
Project Details
Client: United Bank
Project: Clemson Football NIL Content Campaign
Category: Sports Marketing + Brand Storytelling
Services: NIL Strategy • Social Media Content • Video Production • Photography • Creative Direction • Seasonal Campaign Development
