University of Minnesota outlines 3-year marketing plan, unveils brand promise and 'Leave a Future' tagline
April 10, 2026 | University of Minnesota, Public Universities Board of Trustees Meeting, School Boards, Minnesota
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Chris Gade, Vice President for Communication, told the Board the University is undertaking a two-to-three year build to modernize marketing and communications, centralize content pipelines, and strengthen internal and external storytelling.
Gade said the unit has four primary goals: strengthen the University's reputation, empower growth (including enrollment and revenue), advance a one-University approach across campuses, and elevate communications excellence. He named senior team members and said a coordinated content-management system and a content-collaborative process are central to surfacing and amplifying University stories.
Gade introduced a research-driven brand promise — "We are the energy for change" — and said the tagline "Leave a Future" will be introduced in fall 2026 after additional creative and testing. He said the brand research included random-sample surveys and focus groups of alumni, internal audiences and national opinion leaders across two phases in April and November 2025.
On spend and scale, Gade told Regents the marketing plan envisions paid-media expenditures at about $3 million annually over five years for state and national paid media, a level he said places the University in the middle of its Big Ten peers. Regents asked how success will be measured; Gade said the team will repeat comprehensive research and track performance metrics tied to reputation and enrollment.
Gade also described operational tactics: a central internal portal called Brief, a coordinated State Fair presence expanded into the education building, a county-fair strategy reaching seven or eight fairs including Farm Fest, a unified digital presence so University messaging creates a clear through line to campuses and colleges, and an emphasis on issues management and executive visibility.
Regents expressed support and asked for clarity on implementation, campus identity within a unified brand architecture, and how the program will be phased; President Cunningham and Gade said campus identities will remain prominent within the brand architecture and that the effort will be phased with local input.
Gade closed by thanking Board members for their support and noting collaboration with CIO Tarek Tomes on digital integration.
Gade said the unit has four primary goals: strengthen the University's reputation, empower growth (including enrollment and revenue), advance a one-University approach across campuses, and elevate communications excellence. He named senior team members and said a coordinated content-management system and a content-collaborative process are central to surfacing and amplifying University stories.
Gade introduced a research-driven brand promise — "We are the energy for change" — and said the tagline "Leave a Future" will be introduced in fall 2026 after additional creative and testing. He said the brand research included random-sample surveys and focus groups of alumni, internal audiences and national opinion leaders across two phases in April and November 2025.
On spend and scale, Gade told Regents the marketing plan envisions paid-media expenditures at about $3 million annually over five years for state and national paid media, a level he said places the University in the middle of its Big Ten peers. Regents asked how success will be measured; Gade said the team will repeat comprehensive research and track performance metrics tied to reputation and enrollment.
Gade also described operational tactics: a central internal portal called Brief, a coordinated State Fair presence expanded into the education building, a county-fair strategy reaching seven or eight fairs including Farm Fest, a unified digital presence so University messaging creates a clear through line to campuses and colleges, and an emphasis on issues management and executive visibility.
Regents expressed support and asked for clarity on implementation, campus identity within a unified brand architecture, and how the program will be phased; President Cunningham and Gade said campus identities will remain prominent within the brand architecture and that the effort will be phased with local input.
Gade closed by thanking Board members for their support and noting collaboration with CIO Tarek Tomes on digital integration.
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