In April 2023, we embarked on an ambitious research project to ascertain what the Indiana University (IU) brand means to people within our community, across Indiana, and around the country. While we are well known and respected within Indiana, we are relatively unknown outside of the state. This discovery provided the inspiration for our new brand strategy––creating an opportunity to tell the world about the amazing work that our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are doing to create a better tomorrow. Our extensive market research led to a comprehensive, integrated brand strategy and national campaign, seizing this opportunity to boldly tell our story on the national stage. Built on a foundation of storytelling, the campaign features a combination of earned and paid media across channels and platforms. The campaign leverages our recognizable brand asset—the trident—and showcases our faculty, staff, and students. The campaign has gained momentum since launching in October 2023, showing significant progress in raising national awareness and stakeholder engagement: 80 million impressions and counting, 40,800 earned media reach, 78% increase in year-over-year web traffic, a 20% increase in organic social media engagement, and a record-setting number of applications to IU Bloomington.
From the Judges
A great campaign with an interesting tag line that is pulled throughout. Additionally, a great model for other institutions with similar access to budget and people. Excellent creativity and great progress toward goals on a super-short deadline.
