Cavale Says INFLCR Will Build Athlete's Brands Whether They Go Pro or Not

Building a brand and a social media footprint will help in any post graduation activity even if you're not trying to land a six-figure endorsement contract.

STILLWATER -- As old fashioned as I am, I called it a desk organizer that keeps all your notes, plans, and materials together. Jim Cavale, the founder and CEO of INFLCR had a better analogy. He should it is his company. He calls the group that Oklahoma State has entered into a five-year agreement with to help the school and it's athletes better organize and benefit in building a social media identity a satellite. You know, like the older days of television where the signals of all games and events were sent into space and bounced off satellites.

"Like the old satellites, news stations, and athletes now are like their own news station on social media, would send the game or any event up to the satellite that sends it to the station so it can be broadcast," explained Cavale. "INFLCR is a satellite that collects pictures and information on the athletes on their phone so they can share that to Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Then we can track that like Nielsen used to do and still does in television. We can show the athletes the reach they are getting and Oklahoma State can see the reach and the share they are getting from all their athletes by reaching out on their social media."

Think of it as a pyramid of information that starts at the point and then spreads expodentially. 

It turns out the Oklahoma State deputy athletic director Chad Weiberg was the instigator in this deal. Cavale said Weiberg heard him speak at the Sports Busis Journal's Innovator's Conference last December in New York City. Weiberg approached Cavale after his speech and began quizzing him on the name, image, and likeness issues coming up now in college sports. The two realized they had an interest there and it progressed into the five-year deal that was announced earlier this week. 

It's a deal that not only will benefit the athletes, but also the school in recruiting. Whether an athlete has professional aspirations and talents or not, being aggressive in a smart fashion in social media and building a profile and platform will help all those athletes going pro "in something other than sports." 

"I'm excited to announce an exclusive partnership with INFLCR, an industry leader in Name, Image and Likeness," head football coach Mike Gundy said. "This allows our student-athletes to tell their stories, grow their audiences and build their brands."

"INFLCR is an elite brand-management tool, and we truly believe it's going to take our program and our players to a whole new level," said head basketball coach Mike Boynton. "It's going to allow them to put themselves in a position to be empowered to tell their stories. At OSU, we want to continue to push the envelope and put our players in a position to control their own messaging."

"The school will be able to sell all their prospects that they are recruiting on the benefits that this will have on their future," added Cavale.

"I think it'll help a lot of players really well," said Cowboys senior cornerback Rodarius Williams. "There's a lot of players on this team that have a lot of fashion ideas and want to brand themselves in certain ways. I feel like it's a great opportunity not only for me, but for the entire team."

Williams definitely sounds like a player that would take advantage and his teammate in the secondary in safety Tre Sterling is just as enthusiastic.

"Just how so many people on our team have so many good ideas and stuff like that. It may help me pay rent. I don't know," Sterling said. "Just so many good ideas and stuff like that. How our image is around campus, how people see us, marketing other companies and stuff like that could just help not only them but us in a way. I'm trying to get Eskimo Joe's on board. They haven't replied yet. They haven't DM'd me, but it'll happen soon. It'll happen soon."

Here's where it helps all athletes because not every college athlete can get an endorsement. Some will never sign an autograph, for money or for free. However, all of them are likely to interview for a job. Cavale said a social media post by an athlete might get them a free haircut or a meal or two. 

"I think this opens up, and I think it's been called Pandora's Box and that really is what it is because it opens up a box that will expand over time," Cavale explained. "That's why instead of focusing on what will happen in year one and two, I'm trying to implore our partners to think about this in the next five-to-ten years.The way to do that is to go all in right now and help their athletes to build responsible brands on social media that they can leverage in college and then after whether they play pro sports or they want to come work for my company."

Cavale, who is a fitness and health enthusiasts and used to own a gym where he and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey both still work out, believes a tweet or post or more a day may not keep the doctor away, but it will build a social footprint for expansion and profit. Okay, I need to work on my analogies, but this company is going to do some major work on the Cowboys and Cowgirls social media profile.