Celsius' NIL strategy is a masterclass on effectively engaging with Gen-Z and college students.

Here is a quick look at how the booming energy drink company works at the macro and micro levels to tap into college campus culture.

Celsius' Headline NIL Partnerships

Celsius regularly makes waves by announcing partnerships at the perfect time.

When NCAA football season kicked off, they launched partnerships with stars like Oregon's Bo Nix, Washington's Michael Pennix and Michigan's Blake Corum.

Related : How brands connected with 222 student-athletes on Valentine's Day

As March Madness approached, they announced partnerships with student-athletes like JuJu Watkins (USC), Jared McCain (Duke), Cody Williams (Colorado) and Kwame Evans (Oregon).

These partnerships create buzz on social and lead to incredible amounts of free PR. Teaming up with Heisman candidates and 5-star recruits leads to headlines in publications like Forbes, Sports Illustrated, and On3.

That can mean hundreds of thousands of extra impressions to build brand awareness.

Celsius' Product Seeding & Micro Ambassadors

While working with the biggest names in college sports drives brand awareness, Celsius also works with micro-level ambassadors to hyper-target their Gen-Z fanbase.

They know that taking a macro-influencer only approach by itself doesn’t always work. Just look at BioSteel's bankruptcy after partnering with star athletes like Pat Mahomes, Luka Doncic and Connor McDavid.

Celsius has 170 college ambassadors nationwide and "seeds the sh*t" out of their product, placing an average of 67,000 cans on campuses every month.

Brands: Your first 3 matches are on us. Try MarketPryce today.

Launching their branded Celsius University ambassador program helps leverage word-of-mouth marketing and activate fans regionally.

Their college ambassadors bring authenticity and trust to the forefront, which is incredibly important. Gen-Z consumers demand straight-forward, no-gimmick relatability.

Combining headline partnerships with authentic ambassadorships fosters deep, emotionally-driven connections for Celsius.