While the NCAA rules regarding the NCAA name, image, and likeness (NIL) policies have caused a lot of controversies, this monumental shift presents a huge step in student athletes’ rights and an incredible opportunity for brands to target a wide demographic of consumers.
Dairy Max, a nonprofit dairy council representing more than 900 dairy farm families across eight southern states, is excited to capitalize on the opportunity to further their consumer reach to advocate dairy’s wholesome messages.
“We’re excited to partner with college athletes to showcase the benefits of dairy in their everyday diet,” Jennie McDowell, vice president of business development at Dairy MAX says. “We know that more than half of Gen Z is active on TikTok, and we’re working hard to build trust with them. They tend to trust the influencers they follow on that platform, and with the help of our NIL athletes, we want the Gen Z consumer to see dairy as a trusted source of nutrition.”
The NIL policies include three elements that are known as the “right of publicity” which include:
- Name: used to identify and address someone
- Image: photographs, images or videos of someone
- Likeness: the students’ identity as an athlete that makes them marketable
Dairy MAX felt it was a natural fit to team up with NCAA collegiate athletes, after already utilizing and seeing success with similar sports partnerships, such as Olympic athletes, Fuel Up to Play 50 NFL ambassadors and the official nutrition partner of the Dallas Cowboys.
According to Dairy MAX, collegiate athletes are a perfect fit to reach diverse channels due to their gender, sport, background and the social channels in which they share information. They are also at the perfect age to capture the attention of the Gen Z audience—ages 11 to 26.
Dairy MAX has partnered with three female student-athletes from different sports, universities and backgrounds. However, these three individuals are already involved with post-workout recovery with chocolate milk, heart health, cooking and farming. Combined, these three women have more than 26,000 followers on Instagram and more than 127,000 followers on TikTok.
Todd Green, vice president of industry image and relations for Dairy MAX is excited to see Dairy MAX seeking out like-minded individuals with a broader and more diverse reach to share that message.
“Partnering with student-athletes allows us to utilize another channel with a heavy Gen Z audience who quickly become independent decision-makers regarding their health and consumption behaviors,” he says. “I think that presents an incredible opportunity for our dairy farmers.”
