Caitlin Clark XFinity Commercial Goes Viral
On Saturday, Caitlin Clark helped Iowa reach the round of thirty-two with a dominant 27 point, 10 assist, and 8 rebound performance over sixteen seed Holy Cross. Yesterday, Clark once again carried her team with a 32 point game in a victory over West Virginia, claiming a spot for the Hawkeyes in the sweet sixteen. As anyone who tuned into March Madness would know, these two games were not Clark’s only time on the big screen during week one of the men’s and women’s basketball NCAA championships. During a viewing of any March Madness game you are likely to see the reigning AP Player of the Year appear in multiple advertisements. This weekend, it was her new commercial with XFinity that took over social media.
The commercial first aired on Saturday during the NCAA men’s championship round of 32 game between Arizona and Dayton. The thirty second advertisement starred not one, but two, Caitlin Clarks; the first being a city planner from Scottsdale, AZ and the later being the projected first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. In the commercial both take to the court to showcase their basketball skills, to illustrate that like Cailtin Clarks, not all internet service providers are the same.
The commercial was well received and has blown up on social media in part to a post from the husband of Caitlin Clark, the city planner. After the commercial was first aired, he took to X to show his excitement for both his wife and the Xfinity campaign.
My wife, Caitlin Clark, was just on tv in a commercial with the basketball star Caitlin Clark during the UofA game. This all came out of the blue two weeks ago and filmed in LA. Such an amazing moment!!!! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/yfDMoIGEOY
— Kyle Clark (@kyclark) March 23, 2024
As of Tuesday morning, the post on X has been viewed over 2.4 million times and received over eighteen thousand likes. It is moments like this that Clark, the basketball player, further cements herself as the most influential college athlete to have existed in the NIL era. While other athletes like LSU’s Olivia Dunne have captured mega-brand deals with national campaigns, no player has transcended their sport quite like Clark.
This Saturday at 3:30 PM (EST) Clark and the Hawkeyes attempt to punch their ticket to a second consecutive elite eight in a matchup against fifth seeded Colorado. It is likely that throughout the tournament we will see even more new advertisements featuring the Iowa standout. When it comes to engagement from advertising, the Caitlin Clark effect is a trusted method brands continue to rely on.
NOAH HENDERSON
Professor Noah Henderson teaches in the sport management department at Loyola University Chicago. Outside the classroom, he advises companies, schools, and collectives on Name, Image, and Likeness best practices. His academic research focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and social consequences regarding college athletics, NIL, and sports gambling. Before teaching, Prof. Henderson was part of a team that amended Illinois NIL legislation and managed NIL collectives at the nation’s most prominent athletic institutions while working for industry leader Student Athlete NIL. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Economics from Saint Joseph’s University, where he was a four-year letter winner on the golf team. Prof. Henderson is a native of San Diego, California, and a former golf CIF state champion with Torrey Pines High School. Outside of athletics, he enjoys playing guitar, hanging out with dogs, and eating California burritos. You can follow him on Twitter: @NoahImgLikeness.