True Religion Fragrance set out to position its scent as a signature expression of identity, confidence, and culture for Gen Z consumers.
The campaign centered on authentic, lifestyle-driven storytelling that connected fragrance with real athlete moments rather than traditional polished advertising.
How True religion Beat its effective cpm target by 230% with nil athlete content
230%
more effective cpms
5.14M
impressions
12.55%
engagement rate
The Brand
The challenge
Reaching Gen Z with fragrance messaging requires more than polished creative. True Religion needed a way to create culturally relevant awareness at scale without paying the premium CPMs typical of traditional influencer and paid social campaigns.
• Low authenticity tolerance: younger audiences respond better to people and moments that feel real, not overly scripted.
• Crowded lifestyle and fashion feeds: the brand needed athlete-led content that could stop scroll while still feeling native to Gen Z culture.
• Efficiency pressure: True Religion needed to drive meaningful reach while keeping effective CPMs below the campaign’s original benchmark.
• Discovery + traffic challenge: the campaign also needed to move interested consumers from awareness to fragrance product pages on truereligion.com and Amazon.
• Low authenticity tolerance: younger audiences respond better to people and moments that feel real, not overly scripted.
• Crowded lifestyle and fashion feeds: the brand needed athlete-led content that could stop scroll while still feeling native to Gen Z culture.
• Efficiency pressure: True Religion needed to drive meaningful reach while keeping effective CPMs below the campaign’s original benchmark.
• Discovery + traffic challenge: the campaign also needed to move interested consumers from awareness to fragrance product pages on truereligion.com and Amazon.
The ask
True Religion partnered with MOGL to activate collegiate athletes who could deliver culturally relevant reach, efficient paid amplification, and measurable traffic.The campaign needed to:
1) Position True Religion Fragrance as the scent that defines a college athlete’s signature identity.
2) Reach Gen Z consumers through authentic athlete-led content that felt native to Instagram.
3) Scale awareness efficiently, with a focus on outperforming the campaign’s effective CPM target.
4) Drive traffic to fragrance product pages on truereligion.com and Amazon.
Primary audience:
Age 18–30 urban Gen Z consumers with an African-American cultural lean, with interest targeting across basketball, streetwear, sneaker culture, hip-hop, and urban fashion.
1) Position True Religion Fragrance as the scent that defines a college athlete’s signature identity.
2) Reach Gen Z consumers through authentic athlete-led content that felt native to Instagram.
3) Scale awareness efficiently, with a focus on outperforming the campaign’s effective CPM target.
4) Drive traffic to fragrance product pages on truereligion.com and Amazon.
Primary audience:
Age 18–30 urban Gen Z consumers with an African-American cultural lean, with interest targeting across basketball, streetwear, sneaker culture, hip-hop, and urban fashion.
The Solution
MOGL built an athlete-led Instagram program designed to blend authenticity, cultural relevance, and paid media amplification.
Program structure
• 2 NCAA Division I basketball athletes: Janiah Barker (Tennessee) and Houston Mallette (Alabama)
• Platform: Instagram Reels + Stories with paid media amplification
• Creative Concepts: “Always True” and “Signature Scent Check”
• Content Style: Authentic lifestyle Reels focused on real athlete moments instead of traditional “get ready with me” content
• Targeting: Instagram followers/engagers, lookalike audiences, and interest-based audiences across key markets including Los Angeles and Southeastern basketball hubs
Program structure
• 2 NCAA Division I basketball athletes: Janiah Barker (Tennessee) and Houston Mallette (Alabama)
• Platform: Instagram Reels + Stories with paid media amplification
• Creative Concepts: “Always True” and “Signature Scent Check”
• Content Style: Authentic lifestyle Reels focused on real athlete moments instead of traditional “get ready with me” content
• Targeting: Instagram followers/engagers, lookalike audiences, and interest-based audiences across key markets including Los Angeles and Southeastern basketball hubs
The Results
The campaign’s clearest win was efficient reach at scale. True Religion’s NIL campaign delivered 5.14M impressions with a $9.74 effective CPM, outperforming the original $22.50 target by 230%.
That efficiency was paired with strong audience response. Athlete-led Reels and Stories drove a 12.55% engagement rate — roughly 6x the industry average — and generated 645K total engagements across likes, comments, and shares.
The campaign also translated awareness into action, driving 8.1K URL visits at a $0.73 CPC, well below typical influencer traffic benchmarks.
That efficiency was paired with strong audience response. Athlete-led Reels and Stories drove a 12.55% engagement rate — roughly 6x the industry average — and generated 645K total engagements across likes, comments, and shares.
The campaign also translated awareness into action, driving 8.1K URL visits at a $0.73 CPC, well below typical influencer traffic benchmarks.
Campaign Results - Overall Campaign
