SETTING THE STAGE
Oklahoma Joe's BBQ is a family-owned Oklahoma institution with 300+ BBQ competition wins and a legendary reputation for "Best Ribs in America." As the NIL landscape evolved, they partnered with Learfield, the nation's leading college athletics marketing company, for something special: OSU quarterback Alan Bowman wanted to surprise his offensive line with custom smokers.
Alan recognized that his offensive line—the guys who "put their bodies on the line every Saturday"—never get the attention that skill position players receive. The collaboration involved Oklahoma State Brand Squad, a student-led NIL organization, and presented a perfect fit for Rooted's production facilitation expertise in complex, multi-stakeholder campaigns.
SURPRISING the OSU O-Line | Tailgate Tour | Oklahoma Joe's®️
THE STRATEGY
Rooted stepped in as the production facilitation partner, helping Brand Squad transform their pitched concept into an executable vision. We developed comprehensive logistics coordination for Alan and the offensive linemen while managing professional communication between Oklahoma Joe's, Learfield, and Brand Squad stakeholders.
This campaign presented a perfect opportunity to capitalize on Oklahoma State football's passionate audience and tap into the influential Stillwater community—a major player in Oklahoma's cultural landscape. The surprise logistics and authentic appreciation narrative elevated the NIL space beyond typical endorsements, creating genuine brand awareness through Oklahoma's deeply rooted football culture.
TURNING VISION INTO REALITY
Rooted facilitated comprehensive production logistics, managing professional communication between Oklahoma Joe's, Learfield, and Brand Squad throughout the planning process. Our 2-day on-site production handled all aspects from equipment to directing, with Brand Squad providing additional production support.
Post-production services included organizing all production files and delivering assets to Oklahoma Joe's internal team for their campaign development. While Rooted provided director's cuts, the final published content was created by Oklahoma Joe's team and Oklahoma State Brand Squad.
*final published content was created by Oklahoma Joe's team and Oklahoma State Brand Squad. Video Shoutout to the real MVPs—the O-line! The hardest-working guys on the team, fighting through every down and never backing down. Watch as @osuathletics Quarterback, Alan Bowman, surprises the O-Line with offset smokers.
the details
THE IMPACT
The collaboration demonstrated Rooted's value as a production facilitation partner for complex NIL projects requiring professional execution and multi-stakeholder coordination. Our role in transforming Brand Squad's concept into executable production logistics enabled the authentic appreciation moment that Alan Bowman described as "This is what NIL should be."
The campaign SURPRISING the OSU O-Line | Tailgate Tour | Oklahoma Joe's®️ created a comprehensive video series featuring detailed product showcases and promotional content. The campaign was executed across Oklahoma Joe's website, all social media platforms, including Google Search, programmatic digital advertising, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, print, and radio.
Rooted continuously seeks new opportunities to help businesses grow in the Stillwater community and Oklahoma as a whole, while elevating the NIL space. We work with our clients to identify the most effective platforms and strategies, managing production resources to deliver maximum impact for authentic Oklahoma storytelling and genuine relationship building.
