Investing in Focused Research Communications

The Challenge

Over a 10-year period, research faculty and students at Auburn University increased overall research expenditures by more than 100%. With a charge from university leadership to once again double expenditures over the next 10 years, highlighting the research enterprise through intentional, focused communications became a top priority for campus communicators.

Our Approach

Market&Message senior collaborators Matt Shipman, Rachel Damiani, and Richard Campbell, working with senior research leadership, the central communications team and other key communicators across campus, developed a multi-faceted research communications plan to elevate the research and creative scholarship of our students and faculty, and speak to the real-world problems they helped address.

What We Did

Shifted focus of research communications from grant announcements to human-centered, audience-specific stories that spoke to the problems we solved and the benefits it provided society.



Engaged science and research communicator Rachel Damiani to join the central content creation team, and in collaboration with the senior research leadership, identified and assigned high-priority research stories for her to help tell.



Included research stories in the university's content planning process, pulling in photography, video and design team members in early ideation sessions and story format decision-making process.



Engaged associate deans of research for each of the colleges, as well as science and research communicator Matt Shipman, to help architect and launch a cohort-based, faculty communications training program with six interactive sessions that culminated in a faculty-driven media pitch.

Launched the design and development of a new story-driven website for the university's office of research.

The Impact

Improved campus partnerships with the university's office of research and senior leadership team, and the associate deans of research for all colleges.

Provided a successful, focused approach to research and creative scholarship storytelling that was scalable across campus.

Grew earned media value by $2 billion, a more than 100% increase over an eighteen-month period.

Helped increase faculty researchers' confidence in conducting media interviews, speaking science to non-scientists, and providing new tools for improved broader impacts work in grant proposals.

Why It Worked

Auburn faculty and students are conducting groundbreaking research, with no shortage of incredible stories of impact to tell. There was a desire across all parties to tell those stories, and with smart strategy, hard work and collaboration, those stories are now a key part of the brand elevation infrastructure.