Marketing and Communication

Scope

All university units.

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Policy Statement

Marketing & Communication (M&C) is a fundamental and complex part of the university’s marketing efforts. M&C can be described as all the messages and media deployed to communicate with university constituents. The following provisions apply to M&C activities at Indiana University.

1. University-Level
   
   1. University-level M&C activities are solely the responsibility of IU Studios and its staff. Such activities include the broad marketing of the university and university communications.
   2. M&C activities should take place in the context of the university M&C strategy, the development of which is also a responsibility of IU Studios in conjunction with relevant stakeholders.
   3. IU Studios also provides fee-for-service, tactical marketing services throughout the university, through the Creative and Web Studio. The university prefers, but does not require, that units utilize these services to drive effectiveness and efficiencies and to ensure a consistent and coherent brand identity across the university.
   4. All marketing expenses that exceed $10,000 paid to an outside vendor that are submitted through the Buy.IU system automatically route to the Office of the Vice President for Marketing and Communications for approval.
   5. Strategic media placement should leverage consultation of Indiana University's media agencies of record (AOR). For questions about working with one of the university’s AORs, units should consult with their Brand Leader. https://studios.iu.edu/about/leadership.html
2. Campus-Level
   1. Campus-level M&C activities must take place in the context of the overall university M&C strategy and must adhere to the themes and principles of this strategy.
   2. M&C strategies for individual campuses that are developed should complement the overall university M&C strategy while also expressing the campus’ differentiated value points.
   3. IU Studios and its staff are solely responsible for campus-level M&C activities and strategy development at IUB and IUI, in consultation with the Provost or Chancellor (or designee).
   4. Regional campuses may have their own staff for M&C activities and strategy development to achieve their campus goals, but should consult with IU Studios when recruiting and hiring such staff. They should also utilize IU Studios services wherever possible and rigorously avoid the duplication of these services. Regional campus chancellors are responsible for compliance.
3. School-Level
   1. School-level M&C activities must take place in the context of the overall university M&C strategy and any campus-level M&C strategy adopted by their campus and must adhere to the themes and principles of these strategies.
   2. Individual schools should have M&C strategies that complement the overall university M&C strategy and any campus-specific M&C strategy adopted by their campus.
   3. Schools may have their own staff for M&C activities and strategy development, but should consult with IU Studios when recruiting and hiring such staff. They should also utilize IU Studios services wherever possible and rigorously avoid the duplication of these services. Deans are responsible for compliance.
4. Other Academic Units
   1. M&C activities undertaken by academic units below the School level must take place in the context of the overall university strategy and any campus- or school-specific M&C strategies adopted by their campus or school and must adhere to the themes and principles of those strategies.
   2. M&C strategies for individual academic units may be developed, but they must complement the overall university M&C strategy and any campus- or school-specific M&C strategies adopted by their campus or school.
   3. Academic units may have their own staff for M&C activities and strategy development (for example where this is funded through an external grant), but should consult with IU Studios when recruiting and hiring such staff. They should also utilize IU Studios services wherever possible and rigorously avoid the duplication of these services. Deans and unit heads are responsible for compliance.
5. Non-Academic, Non-Revenue Generating Units
   
   1. M&C activities undertaken by non-academic, non-revenue generating units that report to a provost or chancellor, or to a vice president should take place only where there is a clear need for these activities. They must also take place in the context of the overall university strategy, and any campus-, school-, or academic unit-specific M&C strategies adopted by their campus, school, or academic unit and must adhere to the themes and principles of those strategies.
   2. M&C strategies for non-academic, non-revenue generating units may be developed, but they must complement the main university M&C strategy, and any campus-, school-, or academic unit-specific M&C strategies.
   3. Non-academic units must evaluate the option of utilizing the fee-for-service, tactical marketing services available through IU Studios for all their marketing and communications needs. Where they have justifiable needs for their own staff for M&C activities and strategy development, they should consult with IU Studios when recruiting and hiring such staff. They should nevertheless still utilize IU Studios services wherever possible and rigorously avoid the duplication of these services. The provost, chancellor, or vice president to which the unit reports is responsible for compliance.
6. Brand Guidelines and the Indiana University Logo
   1. All marketing and communications – print and digital – must follow Indiana University brand guidelines to enable the university community to tell the IU story in a consistent, compelling, and authentic way.  
   2. Per university brand guidelines, there is only one Indiana University logo: the IU trident.  As the foundational element of the university’s visual identity, the iconic trident is the unifying symbol that represents all campuses, schools, and units and should appear on all materials.  
   3. Individual unit logos for any unit of the university – including centers and institutes – are generally not permitted. Separate and unfamiliar logos do not serve the interests of the unit or the university, add to the complexity of communications, and can confuse audiences. Individual units must use the IU logo to represent their unit – through Marketing Lockups and Official Signatures – to leverage the collective strength of a unified brand.
      1. A limited number of exceptions exist for units that are funded outside of the university, are part of a multi-institution partnership, or whose primary target audience consists of other colleges and universities.
      2. Any exceptions must be approved by VPCM leadership.
7. Consultants
   Units should consult IU Studios regarding proposals to engage marketing and communications consultants to consider partnering with other units in need of the same or similar services or work with internal IU resources.

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Reason for Policy

IU’s marketing and communications (M&C) activities are essential for managing the IU brand, recruiting excellent and qualified students, faculty and staff, attracting external funding, informing alumni of the university’s successes and achievements to help build and expand philanthropic support, and informing the citizens and legislators of the state of the outstanding progress IU continues to make as the state’s flagship public university serving Indiana. These activities should be derived from a robust and dynamic university M&C strategy.

Indiana University is one of the state’s largest enterprises with enormous diversity in the units that comprise it and the heterogeneous nature of the various missions it pursues. This necessitates a hybrid structure for M&C activities at IU, comprised of a centralized core and closely coordinated activities that are associated with units at the different administrative levels of the university. To minimize the the risks of conflicting or inappropriate messages, wasteful duplication, and unnecessary expenditures that are inherent in a hybrid structure, this policy governs this structure and provides mechanisms for carefully controlling and monitoring costs and brand consistency.

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History

This policy was established in 2012 and has been updated periodically to reflect the evolving nature of the marketing and communication landscape, as well as the shift of responsibility from the Office of Public Affairs and Government Relations to the Office of the Vice President for Communications and Marketing, IU Studios.

This policy was revised in 2017 and 2021.

The policy contact was updated on June 7, 2024.

In July 2024, references to the renamed IU Indianapolis campus were updated in this policy.

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