American Greek yoghurt brand Chobani has signed a multi-year deal with the IMG College agency to promote its brand through a number of US universities.
The partnership will launch across 17 universities initially – including Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and UCLA – and expand to 27 by its third year. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
A recent National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) rule change allowing universities to serve unlimited meals to student athletes stands to benefit Chobani through its association with IMG College. Previously, university teams could only offer one training-table meal per day in season.
Chobani will leverage IMG’s access to school decision makers and its partner schools’ intellectual property on campus, in local retail locations, food service, at athletic facilities and more. Additionally, Chobani will benefit from on-campus exposure through health clinics, community events and athletic training events. The collaboration also includes a digital content series on college sports digital network Campus Insiders.
“College campuses are an effective and increasingly popular place for major brands to build their next generation of customers,” Andrew Judelson, senior vice-president of US business development for IMG, said. “Chobani is using college to reach consumers forming lifelong preference decisions.”