Chicago-based World's Finest Chocolate has signed Indiana University women's basketball guard Malia Samuels as its first female Name, Image, and Likeness partner, extending the brand's 'Let Them Reign' campaign into women's college basketball. The move adds a gender equity dimension to a campaign that has until now featured male collegiate athletes.
Samuels brings an unusually personal connection to the partnership: from third through fifth grade, she sold World's Finest Chocolate bars to fund travel basketball—the very youth sports experiences that helped launch her career. After three seasons at USC and a transfer to Indiana ahead of the 2026-27 season, the Seattle native is now one of the brand's 'Reign Makers,' serving as a spokesperson aimed at inspiring younger fundraisers, particularly girls in youth sports.
The Campaign's Broader Mission
The 'Let Them Reign' campaign frames chocolate fundraising as a development tool rather than a simple revenue mechanism. World's Finest Chocolate positions the act of selling as a way for young participants to build confidence, communication skills, and entrepreneurial thinking alongside access to programs and travel they might not otherwise afford. For foodservice and confectionery professionals tracking consumer engagement in the chocolate category, the NIL strategy reflects how legacy brands are modernizing their outreach by leaning into authentic athlete narratives rather than traditional advertising.
"'Let Them Reign' was created to celebrate the ambition behind fundraising and the experiences it can help make possible," said Eddie Opler, CEO of World's Finest Chocolate. "Having Malia join us as our first female NIL partner marks an important chapter for the campaign."
Samuels echoed the sentiment: "Selling World's Finest Chocolate helped make some of my earliest basketball experiences possible, long before I knew how far the sport would take me. I hope young girls see that the things they're working toward today can become part of a much bigger story."
Digital Tools Enter the Mix
The campaign is running in parallel with the rollout of WFCentral, a new digital fundraising platform the company says gives organizers and families a simpler way to track progress, manage campaigns, and communicate throughout the process. The digital push signals a meaningful shift for a brand whose model has historically relied on paper order forms and in-person selling—an evolution that aligns with broader hospitality and foodservice industry moves toward digital engagement platforms.
Founded in 1949, World's Finest Chocolate says it has helped schools and youth organizations raise nearly $5 billion since entering the fundraising market. The NIL strategy—now encompassing both male and female collegiate athletes—represents an effort to keep that legacy relevant with the next generation of sellers and their families, a cohort that increasingly responds to peer and athlete influence over traditional brand messaging.
For operators and foodservice buyers, the brand's dual push into NIL and digital infrastructure underscores how confectionery suppliers are rethinking the entire fundraising channel, not just the product inside the box.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
