Great Clips Signs High Profile College Football Stars Ahead of CFP Games

As a part of Great Clips new multi-year partnership with the College Football Playoff the company has signed Dillon Gabriel, Riley Leonard, and Andres Borregales.

Jul 25, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Great Clips has secured a multi-year partnership to become the Official Hair Salon of the College Football Playoff. This is not the first time Great Clips has associated itself with the highest level of college sports; since 2020, the company has been leveraging the influence of talented athletes as the official Hair Salon of the NCAA. Uniquely, the College Football Playoff is not sanctioned by the NCAA, and now, Great Clips has bolstered its presence to encompass virtually every corner of commercialized collegiate athletics. 

Disney Advertising facilitates the partnership, granting Great Clips exclusive marketing rights surrounding the CFP, New Year's Six (NY6), and Championship Weekend. Great Clips will also present sponsorship of the CFP Media Day, enhance brand exposure across CFP and ESPN promotional campaigns, and bring memorable fan experiences to events, including Playoff Fan Central. 

The Great Clips campaign for the 2024 CFP has been dubbed “We’re All In” and will feature traditional media and leverage stars of the sport’s social media presence to create an all-encompassing campaign to fully capture the bowl season hype. Three players, including number-one seeded Oregon’s signal caller, Dillon Gabriel, will promote the campaign through their social media platforms.

Joining Gabriel in the campaign are Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard and Miami Kicker Andres Borregales. Beyond active college football athletes, other sports influencers will contribute to the campaign. Most notably, the company tapped college football personality and The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer in a commercial alongside sports influencer Natalie Rose in a commercial to be aired throughout bowl season. 

Equipment managers, fan influencers, and band members will contribute social media content alongside those on the field. While it is great to land the high-profile athletes who drive engagement, Great Clips CEO Steve Hockett is also excited to spotlight all who make the sport a spectacle. “There are so many people that make college football what it is today - from the players to the coaches, fans, mascots, cheerleaders, band members and broadcasters – and Great Clips is proud to help each and every one of them look their best with great haircuts as they get ready for the biggest stage and special moments.” 

This all-out campaign is guaranteed to help Great Clips remind the country of its offerings: Andrew Messina, SVP of Sales, Disney Advertising, knows the giant reach of the CFP, “College football isn't just a sport—it's a cultural phenomenon that unites fans like nothing else.” The value the Disney Advertising Platform can provide is immense, "Brands and advertisers thrive when their bold, unforgettable campaigns connect them to millions of passionate fans. Great Clips is all in on celebrating the season's biggest moments, and there's no better place to achieve unmatched reach and scale than on our platforms." 

The expanded CFP is anticipated to draw record viewership and, consequently, tremendous interest from sponsors. In the new world of college sports, some of the wealth generated from this heightened spectacle will spill over to those traditionally cut out of revenues. While Great Clips expands its reach within the college sports landscape, NIL deals for on-field stars provide new avenues of wealth, and even those on the fringes of the sport will feel the monetary effects of hyper-commercialized college sports.