$75k
Gifting Program
4
Premium Brands
$1,500
On-Site Setup
The Challenge
For its 2024-2025 basketball championship tournament, the American Athletic Conference set out to recognize the 432 student-athletes competing in its Men’s and Women’s Championship at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Trophies and token gestures weren’t going to cut it. The conference wanted something personal enough to reflect a full season of dedication.
That meant building a gifting experience that worked for athletes across 24 teams without creating a logistical headache for conference staff. Standard bulk awards were unlikely to resonate with a generation of student-athletes who notice the difference between thoughtful and generic.
The solution was a curated gifting suite built around premium brands and individual choice – an approach that ultimately delivered a 95% redemption rate and earned the partner an invitation back for the following year.
This athlete gifting program case study shows how audience insight, individual choice and a curated sports merch experience can turn championship recognition into measurable participation.
The Solution
The American Athletic Conference’s branded merchandise partner built a hybrid gifting program that ran from December 2024 through March 2025, centered on an on-site suite at Dickies Arena during championship week.
Product curation started with a simple question: what would collegiate athletes actually want? The answer was a lineup of premium brands – Bose Bluetooth speakers, The North Face hoodies and beanies, Carhartt jackets and caps, Atari gaming consoles, weighted blankets and body massagers.
Athletes previewed their options online before the tournament or visited the suite in person to browse samples and confirm their pick. From there, all gifts shipped directly to recipients after the event. The program came in at $73,500, with roughly $72,000 in gifts and $1,500 for on-site setup.
Individual Choice
Rather than assigning a standard gift, athletes selected their own from a curated menu of premium brands. That sense of personal choice turned the experience into genuine recognition, not a standard award.
Hybrid Access
Online browsing before the tournament and an in-person suite during championship week allowed athletes to engage on their own schedule, making participation easy regardless of timing.
Effortless Operations
Preloaded athlete data kept checkout under 30 seconds, and post-event shipping meant conference staff did not have to manage on-site distribution. The process stayed simple on both sides.
Results
The American Athletic Conference’s gifting suite turned a recognition program into a model the conference plans to repeat. The campaign achieved a 95% redemption rate, with 402 athletes selecting their personalized gift at a cost of roughly $170 per athlete.
The results came from giving athletes real choice. Each athlete browsed a curated lineup of premium brands – Bose, The North Face, Carhartt, Atari – picked what they actually wanted, and had it shipped directly after the tournament. The hybrid model and 30-second checkout kept participation high across all 24 teams without adding work for conference staff.
The response confirmed the approach. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and the American Athletic Conference invited INM Marketing Group back for the following year.
Redemption
95%
Redemption rate among student-athletes in the championship tournament
Visits
402
Athletes across 24 basketball teams selected their personalized gift
cost/lead
~$170
Cost per athlete for the curated gifting suite experience
“Not only did the on-site gift suite exceed our expectations, but it also enhanced the student-athlete experience by bringing a unique aspect they have not had before. We look forward to working with you on future championships.”
Brianna Gladney, Director of Basketball Operations, American Athletic Conference