TreVeyon Henderson of Ohio State University is one of the best football players in the country, yet he is simply one of the “interns” at Ricart Automotive Group.
Henderson, some of his teammates, and other Ohio State athletes appear in a series of adverts with group President Rick Ricart fetching coffee, pushing automobiles, and being silly.
The “Rick’s Interns” videos are a result of the NCAA’s decision in June 2021 to enable student athletes to earn money from the use of their name and picture. Since then, Ricart Automotive and a number of other dealerships have been using the star power of collegiate athletes through promotional arrangements and rewarding them in a variety of ways that would have violated NCAA guidelines prior.
Athletes around the country are receiving complimentary access to autos and are being compensated in certain cases for appearing in commercials or wearing dealership-branded clothes.
The legal change regarding “name, image, and likeness” has created enormous marketing opportunities for dealerships in areas such as Alabama, Iowa, and Kansas, which have ardent college sports fan bases but no significant professional teams.
Central Ohio is densely packed with Buckeye zealots, but their idols have been barred from advertising until now.
“It’s difficult today, with television advertising, the social media world, and all of the streaming services. We must be more innovative than before, and wherever our advertisements are displayed, they must truly have an effective aspect in order to capture people’s attention “According to Ricart, Automotive News. “Today, the biggest celebrities in Columbus, Ohio, are the athletes from Ohio State’s athletic programmes.”
Ricart Automotive, which has three large dealerships in Columbus, has negotiated roughly 20 arrangements with Ohio State players, compensating them in a variety of ways. Certain individuals get compensated for their promotional efforts. Others obtain vehicle leases, albeit they are responsible for insurance and fuel.
Henderson initially chose a Chevrolet Camaro, but after a few months realised the rear-wheel-drive pony car was unsuitable for Ohio winters, he traded it in for a Genesis GV70 crossover.