From State Street to San Francisco, from LinkedIn to The Wall Street Journal, the country is looking to the University of Michigan and its significant ability to serve the public good.
In September, U-M launched a historic national media campaign — the first of its kind in university history — to position the university as the flagship institution that delivers life-changing education and research, benefits millions through innovative healthcare, and prepares the next generation of leaders in industries that touch every corner of the country.
The campaign is aligned with Look to Michigan, the university’s ambitious vision initiative. Through video, print and online advertisements, the campaign shares compelling stories illustrating the vision’s core impact areas:
- Life-Changing Education.
- Human Health and Well-being.
- Democratic, Civic, and Global Engagement.
- Energy, Climate Action, Sustainability and Environmental Equity.
- Advanced Technology.
The advertisements blanketing major markets across the U.S. have performed strongly and are succeeding in reinforcing the university’s reputation. But the presence across numerous news and social media platforms is driving a larger narrative.
“Higher education has always been the most influential driver of societal growth, but at this moment in history, it’s also a target of unprecedented scrutiny,” said President Domenico Grasso. “This campaign is a powerful statement to America and the world that quality education and research are paramount to improving quality of life, and that the University of Michigan has been among the leaders and best for more than 200 years.”
The reach
The campaign launched in early September and will continue into 2026. Its primary audiences are business executives and leaders, U-M’s national community of donors, alumni, employees and current and prospective students, as well as the general public.
The estimated reach is 270 million people.
Advertisements have appeared in digital and print versions of The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Economist and The Atlantic.
The messaging relies on impactful stories from U-M labs and classrooms, showcasing what the university achieves every day: serving the public good and earning the public trust. Advertisements point readers to the Look to Michigan website.
“Public understanding of what we do and why it matters is not a given. This includes elected officials, funding agencies, parents, students and communities,” said Richie Hunter, vice president for communications. “We’ve launched this national campaign to meet a crucial leadership moment and remind the public that our vision is clear, our purpose to serve is long-standing and our commitment is unwavering.”
Social media platforms include LinkedIn, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and Google. U-M Social has engaged students, faculty and staff with creative Look to Michigan messaging.
Visibility is also directed locally and in-state. Ads have appeared in the Detroit Free Press.
On campus, Michigan Creative has combined its Look to Michigan outreach with its United by Purpose messaging effort. United by Purpose harnesses the energy of the campus community to reinforce pride, purpose and positivity among students, faculty and staff.
The effort has wrapped 68 campus buses with Look to Michigan and United by Purpose branding, raised 10 exterior building banners and 50 light pole banners. Campus communications partners have reinforced the messages through their own storytelling.
The results
The campaign is generating significant traction: Active users to umich.edu have increased 928% and pageviews have increased 772%.
U-M Social’s reach has generated more than 2 million impressions and nearly half a million video views.
Nationally, U-M alumni and donors are noticing the placements, as are business and educational leaders.
But the groundswell of attention does more than drive traffic to U-M’s website.
“All of Michigan’s academic programs are benefitting from this campaign,” said Provost Laurie McCauley. “Researchers, students and partners across the country are taking a new look at U-M’s significant ability to deliver innovative solutions. The brightest minds in America want to be part of what we’re doing. This campaign highlights those opportunities.”
Throughout fall the campaign will continue to saturate targeted markets and engage the campus community with events.
Kristie Persinger-McKague
This ad campaign is tone-deaf. You’re running a campaign encouraging everyone to “Look to Michigan” while U-M has been willingly bending its knee to authoritarians. Over at Michigan Medicine, you’re claiming to provide world-class health care while simultaneously denying life-saving medical care to transgender youth. The University claims it values Democratic and civic engagement after it wiped out all support of diversity, equity, and inclusion programming. In fact, your exalted ad campaign is more than tone deaf — it’s a flat-out lie.