Rutgers logo
Communicating about Rutgers
Rutgers logo
Communicating about Rutgers

University Communications and Marketing

About Us

About Us and Our Work

UCM is the universitywide communications and marketing office of Rutgers, focusing on protecting the university brand, broadly advancing the university’s reputation, promoting Rutgers people and programs from all campuses, and managing initiatives and priorities of the university’s central administration. Through broad channels, strategic projects and programs, and accessible resources, UCM defines the universitywide voice of Rutgers and sets the tone and standards for communications and branding at the university. In all that UCM does, promoting Rutgers’ expertise and value as a top public research university and increasing Rutgers' prominence are paramount.

 

By the Numbers

Highlights of FY 2024

7.9M
pageviews
Rutgers.edu
1.6M
pageviews
Rutgers Today 
28.3M
social media impressions
@RutgersU
1.6M
Rutgers brand mentions on social media
3.4M
total video views
9.3K
images downloaded from
Rutgers Digital Asset Library 

Rutgers Excellence Campaign

To advance the awareness of Rutgers’ excellence and support a presidential initiative to improve Rutgers' reputation, UCM launched the Rutgers Excellence campaign. Spotlighting accomplishments and innovations of our scholars, our multichannel content distribution in FY 2024 reached more than 1 million readers and resulted in 54+ million impressions. Google Ad Words received 451,425 impressions.

UCM created 35 unique pieces of Rutgers Excellence content that were distributed across multiple channels and reached more than 1 million readers.

Using cultivated lists to reach academic leaders and other higher education influencers, UCM sent 34 direct emails featuring university accomplishments and initiatives, promotional content, and faculty and student achievements and achieved an 39.6% open rate.

To support and elevate our stories of excellence making it more likely that our audiences see and remember our messaging on multiple channels, UCM developed a series of seven videos that feature topics from across the campaign. They achieved 147,000 video views.

There were 79,600+ pageviews last year to the Rutgers.edu/excellence campaign landing page from digital advertising, enewsletters, social media, and direct email click-throughs to learn more about campaign topics and facts.

The campaign included more than 145 digital and print ad placements ran in focused media outlets, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, Science, and other outlets by target media markets.

To reach target-specific audiences of academic leaders and alumni working in higher education, 33 sponsored LinkedIn posts were placed.

Proactive outreach to news media has earned the attention of 12 target publications, selected for their influence on higher education leaders. Rutgers has appeared more than 1,000 times in these media outlets, with mentions about Rutgers' initiatives, research, faculty, and students.

Rutgers Today

Rutgers Today is the universitywide news center promoting news, features, and videos with daily content additions and updates on all things Rutgers. 

Highlights of FY 2024

  • 1.6 million pageviews
  • 215 regular and special issues published
  • 110 stories created and shared

Distribution channels

Rutgers Today email

The Rutgers R

To support the goals of greater institutional clarity and stronger brand recognition, in August 2023 UCM adopted the Rutgers R as the primary logo for the university. The updated visual identity system reduces the number of primary Rutgers logos from three marks to one and facilitates consistently applied visual representation of the Rutgers brand for all our stakeholders and audiences. 

Hundreds of university faculty and staff attended online training sessions conducted by UCM about using the new Rutgers R in their work. They also had the opportunity to ask questions about applications, timelines, and resources. Recordings of these meetings are available to view for those who could not attend the Zoom sessions.

UCM's revised signature generator is the system from which faculty and staff can download Rutgers R graphics packages and request new signatures. To date, UCM has created almost 400 new signatures for units universitywide.

UCM completed the installation of approximately 1,400 redesigned campus banners featuring the Rutgers R at Camden, Newark, New Brunswick, and Rutgers Health locations universitywide.

UCM produced and distributed five Brand Aid newsletters to all faculty and staff universitywide to support the transition to the Rutgers R.

UCM provides Rutgers-branded exhibit kit materials to faculty and staff to help them represent Rutgers at conferences, symposia, workshops, county fairs, and other events. The exhibit kits, which include table covers, vertical pull-up banners, podium drapes, signs, and media backdrops, were refreshed with the Rutgers R logo.

 

The main Rutgers R marks have been uploaded to the logo library on the Rutgers Swag Portal for use on giveaways and promotional items. 

Electronic business collateral, research poster templates, and virtual backgrounds featuring the Rutgers R are ready for download. 

Stationery items such as business cards, letterhead, and envelopes can be purchased electronically through the RU MarketPlace

Rutgers on the Rise

The brochure features standout accomplishments and progress at Rutgers, including unprecedented gains in rankings, research funding, state and federal support, capital construction, donations that support student access, applications for admission, and more. Rutgers on the Rise spotlights faculty, students, and staff who keep Rutgers strong and moving forward, committed to excellence and serving the common good. 

 

Cover of Rutgers on the Rise Brochure

University News and Media Relations

UCM tracks all news coverage of Rutgers and develops daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual news coverage reports for university leadership and governing boards that capture the breadth and sentiment of the coverage.

Highlights of FY 2024

641,800+
news stories citing Rutgers
9.5 out of 10
Rutgers news stories are favorably ranked as neutral to positive for the institution
750

news stories that resulted from UCM's pitching and promoting efforts

438

Rutgers experts were cited by the news media

Managing Universitywide Social Media Accounts

UCM tracks, manages, and monitors @RutgersU social media channels.

Highlights of FY 2024

819,863
social media followers
28.3 million
social media impressions
3,148
social media posts

Monitoring Rutgers across All Social Media Channels

UCM uses social media listening tools to monitor the conversations people are having about Rutgers across all social media to gain insights that inform our understanding of public sentiment regarding Rutgers, its reputation, and its overall brand.

1.6 million Rutgers brand mentions in FY 2024

Mentions are counted across over 100 million data sources, in 50+ languages, and across 25+ social networks and other platforms.

A collection of logos for social media apps.

Storytelling through Video

UCM produces content to tell the stories of Rutgers people and places through video for Rutgers.edu, Rutgers Today, social media platforms, and other university projects and channels.

Highlights of FY 2024

3.4 million total video views, including YouTube and Vimeo

64 videos produced for UCM channels

Issues, Emergency, and Crisis Management Communications

UCM coordinates with Institutional Planning and Operations and communication teams across the university to notify the Rutgers community of urgent issues, testing, and emergency notifications. 

  • Executed communications plans to alert the university community about six weather-related emergency messages
  • Responded to media inquiries and issued news releases about current events regarding the university
  • Delivered three emergency messages to inform the university community about operational issues impacting Rutgers' campuses
A student looking at the emergency response notification on the rutgers website

Rutgers.edu

UCM manages the universitywide channel to the Rutgers digital universe. In FY2024:

  • 7.9 million pageviews
  • 3.5 million visitors
A person viewing the Rutgers website on a laptop

Photography and Other Digital Assets

UCM provides the Rutgers Digital Asset Library to store, organize, and share photos and videos with the university community. Providing access to thousands of curated images and a growing number of videos, the self-serve asset management tool is accessible to faculty and staff who can create collections and share and download photos and videos.

Highlights of FY 2024

  • 28,000+ total assets in database
  • 9,300+ assets downloaded
  • 2,500+ assets added
Rutgers Digiatl Asset Library opening page showing Winants Hall

UCM's Work Receives International Recognition

The Hermes Creative Awards logo

UCM Videos Earn Prestigious Awards

TELLY AWARDS

The Telly Awards honor excellence in television and video production from some of the most respected players in the industry. UCM was recognized with:

Silver Award

Bronze Award

The 45th Telly Awards, We are Telly Winners