Pest Control Brand Raid Signs NIL Deals with Duke's Roach and Baylor's Littlepage-Buggs

Jeremy Roach, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs tip off bug season home protection

Michael Ehrlich | Mar 21, 2024

Pest Control Brand Raid Signs NIL Deals with Duke's Roach and Baylor's Littlepage-Buggs /

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March is not only the most exciting month for college basketball, but it tips off pest season with insects like roaches, earwigs and spiders starting to appear in homes across the country. Raid is getting into the March Madness spirit but collaborating on NIL deals with two NCAA Tournament-bound players, with appropriate names.

The pest control brand has signed Duke guard Jeremy Roach and Baylor guard Darianna Littlepage-Buggs to help Raid raise awareness about protecting homes against actual roaches and bugs.

The duo will appear in digital and social content throughout the NCAA Tournament, playing into their ironic surnames. They both shared their first pieces of content on Wednesday to kick off the partnership.

"This partnership was a no-brainer because it's authentic to me," Roach shared with Sports Illustrated. "I never thought my last name would get me an NIL deal. As a Roach myself, I had a lot of fun shooting a video with Raid to help raise awareness about how to protect your home against those other roaches. You know I'll be stocked up on Raid in case of emergency. One of the coolest parts of this deal is that it includes Darianna Littlepage-Buggs from Baylor women's basketball. I'll be rooting her on in the tournament for sure."

This campaign mark Raid's first foray into the NIL space and showcase the brand's ambition to activate around both the men's and women's tournaments.

On Friday, Roach and No. 4 seed Duke face off against No. 13 Vermont while Littlepage-Buggs and No. 5 seed Baylor take on No. 12 seed Vanderbilt.

Published Mar 21, 2024

MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com