Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is looking to make an impression on basketball players and coaches at Canadian high schools with a new training and endurance program.

The marketing organization, with provincial sports associations, has created ‘Up Your Game’ for schools in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Ontario.

Part of the program is a microsite where coaches can set up team profiles and players can track their progress as they try to improve their times in ‘The Beast,’ a gauntlet-style course that challenges player skill. Teams can also compete to win prizes.

DFC worked with Attitude Marketing in Montreal to set up the sports program, and Twist Image, also in Montreal, was the digital agency.

The target market for ‘Up Your Game’ is active teenagers, male and female, who have been turning away from milk, Solange Heiss, assistant director, communications, DFC, tells MiC.

‘There’s a lot of competition out there, with so many different beverages,’ she says. ‘We also know that as young children go into being teens, they forget about drinking milk at times, and it’s not a cool factor anymore for them, so we have to reach out to that generation.’

The program provides a coaches’ booklet, posters for students, a tutorial video, obstacles for ‘The Beast’ and ‘Recharge with Milk’ basketballs.

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