Dairy MAX continues to break new ground by partnering with college athletes through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) campaigns. These collaborations leverage collegiate influencers to engage youth audiences—from teenagers to young adults—by promoting awareness of dairy’s role in daily life and building trust with Gen Z.
The 2023-24 campaign achieving impressive returns and enlisted over 50 collegiate athletes from various states and universities across the Dairy MAX region. Together, they created more than 190 dairy-themed posts on TikTok and Instagram, showcasing their enthusiasm for dairy in authentic and relatable ways.
In an effort to maximize impact and create a more cohesive campaign, Dairy MAX shifted its 2024-25 NIL strategy from one that engaged a broad network of collegiate influencers to a campaign highlighting a few standout athletes at a single university.
This refined approach began with a dynamic partnership with Texas Tech football to kick off the ’24-25 school year. Featuring offensive linemen and star running back Tahj Brooks, the multi-video campaign - produced by Lubbock-based creative agency Primitive - promoted chocolate milk as the ultimate recovery drink for athletes. These humorous, personality-driven videos highlighted the players’ authentic love for dairy while spotlighting the BUILT w/Chocolate Milk brand as a trusted refueling choice for training and recovery.
The results spoke for themselves: the campaign’s entertaining content resonated deeply with Gen Z, generating over 1,188,104 views and 20,446 engagements, cementing chocolate milk as the real MVP.
Looking ahead to the second half of the 2024-25 school year, Dairy MAX plans to expand its strategy with more edgy, creative content. Partnering again with Primitive, the new campaigns will spotlight diverse sports and athletes—both male and female—at universities throughout Colorado, Texas, and Louisiana.
No matter the sport or the star, dairy will continue to take center stage as the true hero in these impactful campaigns. From fueling athletes’ recovery to connecting with Gen Z through authentic and creative storytelling, dairy shines as a trusted, delicious source of nutrition.
