Aspercreme, a tiny pain relief brand with a limited budget and only 1,000 followers, was facing a huge challenge: break through a crowded market dominated by bigger, more famous brands like Tylenol and Icy Hot who are spending up to 6x more on media. And our audience of 55+ year-olds was facing a similar challenge: they were overlooked and stereotyped, but a lot more interesting than people were giving them credit for. So how could we break through on social? The first thing brands do when considering a partnership with a social creator is look at the data. Followers. Engagement rate. Previous partnerships. 58-year-old college football freshman Tom Cillo had none of these. In fact, he was still learning how to use an iPhone and create a post. But what Aspercreme discovered was an incredible, authentic story waiting to be told that represented everything our brand stood for. We immediately made him the face of Aspercreme (and the oldest-ever college player to receive an NIL deal), and co-created a social campaign around a simple, powerful message: 58 years, 0 quit. Not only did we show how our product could relieve Tom’s pain on the field, we helped amplify his story, boost social engagement for both Tom and the brand, and inspire fans in our 55+ audience all over the world that it is never too late to follow your dreams. And in the age of algorithm-chasing and over-engineered best practices, Tom proved that you don’t need to have a million followers or deep social expertise to drive massive fan engagement. Despite Tom and Aspercreme being underdogs in the college football world, they ended the season on top – beating out sports heavyweights like Nike, Gatorade, and Adidas to become the season’s most talked-about endorsement. The campaign spurred a 279% increase in social conversation around Aspercreme, sales increased 11.41% the week following the announcement, and we achieved ~$12M in earned media value – more than Aspercreme’s entire budget. Critics raved, with the AP hailing it as “a perfect partnership” and The New York Times calling it the most clever deal of the season (the brand’s first NYT mention in 41 years).