How Invisalign Tapped Into Athlete Influence to Drive Gen Z Action on Hudl
Invisalign partnered with Hudl and Opendorse to move beyond awareness, achieving double-digit growth in both brand favorability and brand recommendation among key target demographics.
Invisalign, the #1 doctor-recommended clear aligner brand, faced a crucial strategic question: How do you move Gen Z—an audience that values peer validation and confidence over traditional advertising—from passive awareness to active consideration?
While parents hold the ultimate purchasing power, today’s teen athletes are the ones driving the conversation around self-expression and performance. The challenge was clear: Teens trust relatable peers far more than they trust a brand spokesperson.
Invisalign needed a credible path to close that emotional gap, translating inspiration into local action through stories that felt genuine. The answer started with connecting the brand to the athletic moments that define this confidence.
The Search for Authentic Influence
Invisalign had already established national recognition with ambassadors like Patrick Mahomes, a former Hudl athlete. To truly convert this awareness among Gen Z, the brand needed a way to translate that high-level impact directly into local communities.
Hudl was the solution for localized influence. We helped Invisalign extend their message by sourcing collegiate athletes who had strong, local followings. Since these creators' audiences were concentrated in key geographic areas, the brand message landed directly with local teens and parents, effectively driving them toward local orthodontist offices for consultation.
To successfully move teens from awareness to action, Invisalign partnered with us to execute a versatile strategy. This plan was built on reaching both teens and parents in trusted environments, leveraging peer influence to build authenticity, and driving measurable engagement through the Smile Quiz and consultations.
Real Athletes, Stories, and Smiles That Create Impact
Hudl delivered the genuine connection Invisalign needed by utilizing trusted peer and athlete influencers. Hudl for Brands and Opendorse partnered to design a campaign rooted in authentic athlete storytelling and precise distribution. The program featured collegiate athletes sharing their real Invisalign treatment journeys, covering everything from their first impressions to the confidence boost they experienced on the field.
This powerful connection was delivered by leveraging:
Athlete Influence: With 5 million high school athletes on Hudl, we partnered with Opendorse and identified genuine collegiate Invisalign users who could share relatable stories directly with local audiences.
Native Distribution: We drove engagement by placing content precisely where teens and parents are already focused: natively within highlight reels, livestreams, and athlete home feeds.
Authentic Content: We secured trust by having athletes share before-and-after results and explain how Invisalign seamlessly fit into their student-athlete lifestyle.
Call-to-Action Media: We ensured conversion by utilizing pre-roll and mid-roll placements to push traffic directly to Invisalign’s Smile Quiz and local orthodontist finder.
Brands that choose Hudl aren’t just placing a logo; they are custom-integrated into the athlete and fan experience.
Invisalign athlete influencer Ella's appearance on the ads reached far and wide: “Several coaches forwarded me my clips on the Hudl app—it’s truly an honor to represent Invisalign.” When partnerships create this level of synergy, the message resonates deeply with both the creators and consumers.
Confidence That Converts
The campaign successfully reached both teens and parents in highly relevant and trusted environments, driving measurable impact across awareness and action. By connecting the audience to Invisalign tools and local orthodontists, we generated engagement through athlete storytelling and successfully bridged the gap between inspiration and consultation.
The data confirms that this activation drives results across the purchase funnel, validating the campaign's success in key demographics:
- The strategic placement paid off for Gen Z, with the 18-24 age group showing the strongest brand recommendation lift at 10.9%.
- Social channels delivered the highest media performance with a 12.9% statistically significant lift in brand favorability.
- The campaign showed broad demographic reach: while males showed stronger performance in upper-funnel metrics, Purchase Intent performed slightly better among females.
- The parent demographic—55-64 age group—demonstrated a remarkable 9.6% lift in purchase intent.
- The $50k-$75k household income demographic showed exceptional performance with a 13.6% lift in brand recommendation and 12.7% lift in brand favorability.