ROSEMONT, Ill. – It is game on for marketing dairy to Gen Z, according to Barbara O’Brien, president of Dairy Management Inc (DMI). DMI is the domestic dairy checkoff program responsible for driving trust and sales of dairy products for U.S. dairy farmers. O’Brien was one of four presenters during a recent webinar detailing DMI’s National Dairy Month activities.

O’Brien said DMI is working to ensure that youngsters have a positive experience with dairy. “This generation is our future consumers,” she said.

O’Brien said when the pandemic hit and schools were shut down, programs such as Fuel Up to Play 60 went virtual. “But there was a silver lining to all of that, as the online option gave more families access to their programs,” she said.

DMI is focusing a lot of their programs on Gen z, young people aged 10-23, she said. Young people in this group have an estimated $100 billion in spending power and they are willing to spend the money, O’Brien added.

Anne Warden, executive vice president of communications for DMI said the goal of the dairy checkoff program is to tap into new ways to connect with consumers and promote ways to give children access to healthy foods.

Warden said Gen Z members are bombarded with a lot of different opinions, and there are so many choices about food, but they aren’t completely connected to where their food comes from. “Gen Z is transforming how products are marketed,” Warden said.

Warden said one way they are reaching out to Gen Z is by tapping into their love of video gaming and stressing how dairy will benefit gamers as a pick-me-up during their gaming sessions.

One example is the transition of the signature Fuel Up To Play 60 program designed to encourage youngsters to get 60 minutes of physical exercise daily into an interactive video game on the GoNoodle platform. Warden said GoNoodle has a database of almost one million parents and over 16 million family users on the home platform. The new video was launched on June 1, World Milk Day.

To further enhance the gaming experience, DMI’s Undeniably Dairy teamed up with Jordan Maron, who has more than 11 million followers on YouTube, where he goes by the name of Captain Sparklez.

During his videos, Maron demonstrates to other gamers what they can do in gaming.

Maron said he enjoys working with the dairy industry as a whole because he eats a lot of dairy in his diet. He added that one of the great things has been working with a focus group to develop new products. Maron said he had the opportunity to participate in a virtual dairy farm tour of the farm owned by Nevin Lemos and learn about the day-to-day operation of the farm and how the cows were cared for.

“I saw the layout of the farm, how the cows were housed, and the amount of work that goes into preparing the feed for the cows,” Maron said. “The scale and amount of space required for the farm are amazing.”

Maron said he has been using his platform to inform Gen Z gamers about protein packing and fueling up for the day’s activities. He said the number of new products being introduced is phenomenal.

“My personal favorite is freeze-dried ice cream,” Maron said. “It is delicious and you don’t have to worry about it melting.”

Nevin Lemos, owner and operator of Lemos Jerseys, is a Gen Z California-based dairy farmer. Lemos said he started his dairy operation four years ago, fulfilling a lifelong dream of having his dairy operation. His family also owns a larger dairy operation. Lemos said he had enjoyed gaming, but managing his dairy doesn’t give him much time for other activities. But Lemos said his family does have a presence on social media, featuring many photos provided by his mother, a professional photographer.

Lemos added that it is important to work with influencers such as Maron to focus on what is real. “Gen Z looks through the façade and gaming resonates with Gen Z as a place to put their focus,” Lemos said.

For Maron and Lemos, the digital farm tour was beneficial, as Maron saw the systematic organization required to make a dairy farm work and Lemos saw Maron’s appreciation for the work he does in a business he loves.

“Gaming, as a platform, is a relevant way to connect with Gen Z,” O’Brien said. “We need to think about gaming as a channel to understand where Gen Z will place their dollars. It gives a more contemporary look at how check-off dollars are being used. Gaming is a new, authentic way for advertisers to reach out to an important target.”

O’Brien said one of the challenges is to combat the chatter about the benefits of plant-based beverages. Through programs such as Fuel Up to Play 60 live and video format, O’Brien said they can share the benefits of dairy to a Gen Z audience and introduce new products to consumers.

“Dairy has so many ways to meet the needs of Gen Z to keep them healthy,” Warden said. “Dairy offers so many things and when we put it into language Gen Z understands, it is a great opportunity. But we have to be factual and we have to be authentic. They want to engage with the story.”

Warden added another component of the program is the availability of recipes to give Gen Z energy and prevent lag time during their gaming sessions. She said the U.S. Dairy website offers a variety of recipes and will also feature recipes submitted by participants in the Beat the Lag snack challenge (www.usdairy.com/beat-the-lag).