Key Takeaways
- Dairy MAX renewed its Hudl partnership through 2026, expanding the Built w/Chocolate Milk campaign after a successful 2024 engagement.
- The campaign targets Gen Z athletes in the western U.S. through display ads, rich media, livestream video, and athlete highlight placements.
- Hudl’s platform reaches over 5 million athletes and 100 million fans, providing brands direct access to student athletes, parents, and coaches.
- Dairy MAX will host an educational webinar in early January 2026 focused on dairy nutrition and athletic performance for coaches, athletes, and parents.
- The regional dairy nonprofit represents farm families across eight states, responsible for producing 15% of all U.S. milk.
Regional Dairy Organization Doubles Down on Youth Sports
Dairy MAX, a nonprofit representing dairy farm families across eight states, has extended its partnership with sports technology company Hudl through 2026. The renewed deal builds on what both organizations described as a successful 2024 campaign and expands Dairy MAX’s Built w/Chocolate Milk initiative across Hudl’s high school sports streaming and highlight platform.
The partnership positions Dairy MAX’s messaging within the digital environments where young athletes and their families already spend time. Campaign placements include display advertising and rich media natively integrated into the Hudl platform, along with video content during livestreams and alongside athlete highlights.
“Hudl has given us an avenue to reach young athletes and their families within our local communities through a platform where they spend their time,” said Becky Richardson, Vice President of Partner and Program Growth at Dairy MAX. “It’s a natural way for us to show how dairy supports peak performance, strength and recovery.”
Why Hudl Appeals to Regional and National Brands
Hudl has built a substantial audience through its suite of tools for coaches, athletes, and sports programs. The company works with more than 325,000 teams globally and reports a platform reach of over 5 million athletes and 100 million fans. For brands seeking access to youth sports audiences, those numbers represent a concentrated pool of engaged users.
The company’s Hudl for Brands division serves as the commercial arm connecting advertisers with the platform’s user base. Adam Gouttierre, Hudl’s VP of Media, emphasized the depth of engagement within that audience.
“Hudl provides a direct connection point to one of the most uniquely engaged audiences in sports,” Gouttierre said. “From student athletes to parents and coaches, they’re all deeply invested in the products, tools and resources that will help improve their performance both on and off the court.”
For regional organizations like Dairy MAX, the platform offers geographic targeting capabilities that allow campaigns to focus on specific markets. The Built w/Chocolate Milk campaign will target Hudl users in the western U.S., aligning with Dairy MAX’s regional footprint.
Built w/Chocolate Milk: Nutrition Messaging Meets Youth Sports
The Built w/Chocolate Milk campaign centers on educating young athletes and their communities about the nutritional benefits of chocolate milk, particularly for recovery and performance. The messaging aligns with broader dairy industry efforts to position milk as a sports nutrition product.
Dairy MAX has shown a willingness to experiment with unconventional marketing channels to reach younger audiences. Earlier this year, the organization made industry headlines with a Fortnite activation, an approach that signaled its interest in meeting Gen Z consumers in digital spaces they already occupy.
The Hudl partnership extends that strategy into a more traditional sports context while maintaining the focus on digital delivery. Rather than relying solely on event sponsorships or physical signage, Dairy MAX can place its messaging alongside the content young athletes consume when reviewing game film, watching highlights, or streaming live games.
Educational Component Adds Value Beyond Advertising
Beyond paid media placements, the partnership includes an educational element. Dairy MAX will promote and host a webinar in early January 2026 targeting coaches, athletes, and parents. The session will cover the impact of dairy nutrition on athletic performance.
This type of content programming reflects a broader trend in youth sports marketing. Brands increasingly look to provide value through educational resources rather than relying exclusively on traditional advertising. For a nonprofit like Dairy MAX, the webinar format offers a way to deliver its core message in a context that feels less commercial and more informational.
The timing of the webinar, early in the new year, positions it to reach audiences during a period when many athletes and families are setting goals and making decisions about training and nutrition heading into spring sports seasons.
Platform-Based Partnerships Gain Traction in Youth Sports
The Dairy MAX-Hudl deal illustrates a growing pattern in youth sports marketing: brands partnering directly with technology platforms rather than, or in addition to, traditional event sponsorships or league deals.
Hudl’s position as both a performance tool and a content platform gives it dual appeal. Athletes and coaches use it as a functional resource for film review and recruiting, while fans engage with it for livestreams and highlights. That combination creates multiple touchpoints for brand messaging throughout the user journey.
For advertisers, platform partnerships offer measurable reach and targeting capabilities that can be difficult to achieve through event-based sponsorships. They also provide access to audiences during moments of active engagement, whether a coach is breaking down game film or a parent is watching a livestream of their child’s game.
Looking Ahead
The Dairy MAX partnership renewal demonstrates continued brand interest in reaching youth sports audiences through digital platforms. As technology companies like Hudl expand their user bases and content offerings, they create advertising inventory that appeals to both regional organizations seeking targeted reach and national brands looking for scale.
For Dairy MAX, the two-year extension provides sustained access to western U.S. markets during a period when the organization is actively exploring new channels to connect with Gen Z consumers. The combination of in-platform advertising and educational programming offers a template that other regional brands may look to replicate.
The youth sports technology sector continues to attract brand partnerships as more activity, from game film to recruiting to fan engagement, moves onto digital platforms. Organizations that control these platforms are positioned to serve as intermediaries between brands and the highly engaged audiences that youth sports attract.
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