Companies and brands spent "spent roughly five minutes with 20 of the most marketable future NFL stars at The Marketing Arm's Chosen event" ahead of the NFL Draft, and an "evening of old-fashioned speed dating ignited potentially fruitful relationships," according to Jameson Fleming of ADWEEK. Many of the dozen brands involved are TMA and Omnicom clients, including Hyundai, Nike, Skittles, DirecTV, Mars Petcare, Pizza Hut and P&G. TMA CEO of Entertainment Jeff Chown said that the agency "created the event, which is now in its second year, because it connects over 300 athletes with brands each year." During the event, brands "revealed to the players what they're looking for in endorsers and also shared tips on how companies should choose and use athletes to market their products to the next generation of consumers." Athletes and marketers at the event "agreed that players need to be educated about representing a brand." Chown said that players "don't understand how rigorous the process is partly because the NFL provides training for finances and other life skills, but not for brand relationships" (ADWEEK, 5/6 issue).
