Duke Cannon’s “UN-NIL” Spot Celebrates Hardworking College Mascot CY the Cardinal

Men’s grooming brand, Duke Cannon Supply Co., is proud to announce its first-ever name, image, and likeness sponsorship deal with the man wearing the Cy the Cardinal suit, Iowa State University’s mascot. There is one caveat: they can’t actually share his name, image and likeness.

While mascots get plenty of attention, the people behind them are completely anonymous. Unlike the players on the court, they’ll never be able to cash in on an NIL deal. That’s why Duke Cannon Supply Co., a brand that’s encouraging men to “earn their clean”, is becoming the official sponsor of the man wearing the Iowa State University mascot, Cy the Cardinal, who will definitely be earning his clean this March with the Un-NIL Earn Your Clean campaign.

“Duke Cannon helps people who get properly dirty get properly clean, and nobody works harder and gets the least amount of recognition during March than college basketball mascots,” says Oliver Pérez, CMO of Duke Cannon Supply Co. “From trampoline dunks, to free-throw distractions, and halftime shows, all while wearing a heavy, sweat-soaked mascot costume, these guys work hard and deserve to be recognised for being the ultimate hype men.”

The man behind the beloved Cy the Cardinal mascot will now stay Duke Cannon fresh while performing with the cheer squad, interacting with and hyping up the crowd and just keeping the good times rolling. While his identity is top secret, Duke Cannon is giving him a soap that works just as hard as he does under that suit every game.

“The Earn Your Clean campaign celebrates all the Duke Cannon men out there who put in the hard work everyday, but not for any glory or recognition,” said Brian Siedband, co-founder and CO-OOO of Quality Meats. “We’re proud to launch it during the biggest moment in college sports by recognising one of the first-ever Un-NIL deals, even though he literally can’t be recognised since college mascots are required to remain anonymous.”

The Un-NIL Earn Your Clean campaign consists of a real “Un”-NIL deal with the guy wearing Iowa State University’s mascot suit along with new creative and thematic social media content celebrating mascots. The campaign is part of Duke Cannon’s overall brand relaunch with new packaging hitting shelves wherever Duke Cannon is available. Duke Cannon’s Earn Your Clean platform encourages, rewards, and champions the Good Dudes who get dirty to get stuff done. The program came to life in partnership with creative agency Quality Meats, AdWeek’s 2024 Small Agency of the Year. To learn more and Earn Your Clean, visit DukeCannon.com and follow Duke Cannon on Instagram.