🏅 Interview with Doug Terfehr

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Hey there,

We are thrilled to feature an exclusive interview with Doug Terfehr, an award-winning communications expert and marketing visionary with over 20 years of experience. With a rich background that includes brands like Nike, Gatorade, and Caesars Entertainment, Doug brings unparalleled expertise in creating integrated campaigns that merge media channels for maximum brand engagement. 

Doug shares his insights on the evolving brand landscape for college athletes in the NIL era, his approach to NIL opportunities at Team IFA, and the key elements for a successful NIL campaign. We also explore his commitment to diversity and inclusivity in marketing and hear his predictions for where the NIL landscape is headed over the next five years. 

We are super excited to bring you this insightful interview. Don’t forget to share it with your colleagues!

Want to connect with Doug? Find his contact here.

— Cole, Justin and Collin

Given your extensive background in strategic communications and marketing with major brands like Pizza Hut and Nike, how do you see the role of branding evolving for college athletes in the NIL era? 

Every athlete is a brand. They are just at different phases in their development. Most college athletes are startups -- it's a cool brand, that has an engaged audience, that's adopting early to watch and grow. Athletes need all parts of their "brand" to be successful, including communications/PR, content, social media, community relations, and brand partnerships. 

You've been named to PRWeek's Power 50 and the 40 Under 40 list. How have your past experiences and successes informed your approach to NIL opportunities at Team IFA?

Marketing has always been about storytelling. Brands that are best at telling their story (what they stand for, why they exist, who they are intending to help, etc.) are the ones that grab hold of their audience. That applies to athletes, as well. Fans and brands want to see what's under the helmet. What are the experiences that have shaped a player off the field, and likely helped them perform so well on it. Developing all of the ways to do that is what the players want and what the brands need. 

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You have experience with large-scale, fully-integrated campaigns. How do you approach creating a comprehensive NIL campaign for a college athlete, and what key elements are essential for success? 

Integrating a campaign across as many channels as possible is the most effective way for it to stick with the intended audience. Press coverage, SMS, emails, website, POS, social, video ... they all should be used as part of that story. I encourage any athlete to build an email database, the same way a company does. I encourage being on every social media channel with a plan of how to engage with that community, just like a brand does. They all work together.  

With your work spanning across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and other major sports organizations, what lessons from professional sports marketing can be applied to help college athletes maximize their NIL potential?

College athletes are in control of their own story, and they should take advantage of their "owned" media. That's their social pages. In addition, and a lot of colleges aren't prepared for this yet, but doing a podcast of their own during the week is underleveraged right now. You see a lot more active pro-athletes doing pods during the week. Draymond Green. Patrick Beverly. Kelces, etc. If branding is important to you, tap into those resources and get engaged. 

Diversity and inclusivity are important to you. How can the NIL landscape ensure that opportunities are equitable and inclusive for athletes across all sports and backgrounds?

Outside of college football, the biggest beneficiaries of NIL are women's athletic departments. The popularity is there. The personalities are there. The proper light is finally shining in that direction. Like I said, I believe every player can be a brand. It just depends what type of brand you want to be. Some might be more of a B2B brand that helps behind the scenes. Some might be a not-for-profit that wants to give back to the community and support without a ton of the credit. Others might be a Fortune 100 brand that's constantly getting attention and finding new channels to grow even more. 

Looking ahead, how do you envision the NIL landscape evolving over the next five years, and what innovations or trends should stakeholders be prepared for? 

I see a wave of young entrepreneurs already with the resources and knowledge to completely reshape the player-team relationship. In a positive way. As schools adapt to a content-driven culture, the players will be at the controls. That's exciting for fans, sponsors, the athletic departments and the university overall.