How Ivy Tech Built a Multi-Campus Brand Strategy That Works

Developing a strong, unified voice through a multi-campus brand strategy is no small task, especially for institutions with large, decentralized systems.

On paper, having multiple campuses offers reach, local engagement, and flexibility.

But for higher ed marketers, it often creates a branding nightmare.

Each campus has its own culture, leadership, enrollment priorities, and staff capacity.

Some campuses have a dedicated marketing person—others rely on generalists juggling multiple roles.

As a result, branding decisions get made in silos.

Logos get stretched or altered.

Messaging becomes inconsistent.

And suddenly, instead of one cohesive brand, you’re left with 19 different interpretations of the same identity.

This fragmentation can confuse prospective students, weaken the institution’s value proposition, and ultimately erode trust—both internally and externally.

Worse, attempts to “standardize” branding across campuses are often met with resistance.

Local teams fear losing autonomy or feel disconnected from decisions made at the central office.

That’s why strong leadership is essential—not just to enforce consistency, but to build relationships, offer support, and create a shared sense of ownership in the brand.

At Ivy Tech Community College, Dr. Kathie Fleck, Vice President of Marketing and Communication, is doing exactly that.

She’s not just managing a brand—she’s unifying one across 19 campuses and 200,000 students.

In this episode of The Higher Ed Marketer, she shares how her team is leading with empathy, research, and innovation to turn complexity into cohesion.

Whether you’re navigating multiple campuses or simply working across departments, Kathie’s insights offer a practical playbook for scalable, strategic brand building.

The Scale and the Stakes: One Brand, 19 Campuses

At Ivy Tech, developing a multi-campus brand strategy meant confronting the messy reality of decentralized marketing.

Branding efforts varied wildly from campus to campus.

Some campuses had experienced marketing professionals on staff. Others had no formal marketing team at all.

In many cases, the person responsible for communications also wore hats in admissions, student services, or event planning.

“Each campus had its own thing going. There was talent and energy but no shared direction.”

Without a cohesive strategy or consistent tools, branding became a patchwork.

Logos were resized or reinterpreted.

Messaging changed based on who was writing it.

Visual identity and tone varied so much across platforms that students could receive completely different impressions of Ivy Tech depending on where they looked.

The result?

Inconsistent branding, fragmented messaging, and internal frustration across the board.

When I came into the role, there was a real hunger for consistency.

But the solution wasn’t just rolling out a style guide or mandating compliance from the top down.

Kathie recognized that in a system this large—and this human—it wasn’t about control. It was about collaboration.

It’s not about taking autonomy away… it’s about equipping them with what they need.

That mindset became foundational to how Ivy Tech began shifting from branding chaos to branding clarity one campus at a time.

Trust First: Mentorship Over Mandates

What makes Ivy Tech’s story so powerful is Kathie’s people-first approach. Rather than telling teams what they’re doing wrong, she started by listening—and mentoring.

“If you want people to follow a brand strategy, they need to trust you. That starts with conversations, not commands.”

Kathie and her central team positioned themselves as resources, not rule-makers. 

They built strong relationships with campus-based marketers, many of whom were running solo or small-staffed operations, and asked what they needed.

Instead of rolling out mandates, they co-created assets—style guides, templates, research-based messaging frameworks—that empowered each campus to communicate more effectively within brand guidelines.

It’s not about taking autonomy away from campuses. It’s about giving them the tools to tell their stories in a way that aligns with the larger Ivy Tech brand.

This mindset of mentorship has created a ripple effect: as trust builds, so does buy-in.

Branding Backed by Research

One of the cornerstones of Ivy Tech’s multi-campus brand strategy is a commitment to research-first decision-making.

Kathie stresses that you can’t build higher ed brand consistency on assumptions.

Before her team ever touched messaging or visuals, they invested in data-driven higher ed marketing tools like market research, persona development, and audience segmentation.

Before we start messaging, we listen. We listen to students, to staff, to partners in the community.

This emphasis on listening and learning allowed the marketing team to develop a messaging strategy that’s not only aligned across campuses but also tailored to the specific goals, challenges, and motivations of each audience group.

The result is a voice that’s unified, yet flexible.

We’re not creating a one-size-fits-all message. We’re using a common strategy to speak to specific audiences.

This audience-first approach allowed the system to embrace segmentation by persona, not just by geography. 

That’s a huge shift for many multi-campus systems and a necessary one in today’s higher ed landscape.

Scaling Innovation on a Budget

Let’s talk about budgets. You might think a statewide institution like Ivy Tech has endless resources for multi-campus brand strategy. Not so. 

Like many community colleges, they’re operating with constraints.

That’s where Kathie’s leadership really shines: in her willingness to embrace innovation—even when the dollars are tight.

We have to be willing to test things. To try, to fail, and to learn. That’s how you find what works.

One of those experiments? Leveraging AI tools to scale creative output. 

Kathie is quick to clarify: AI isn’t replacing people; it’s equipping them.

We’re using AI to support our creatives, not supplant them. It helps us do more with less and free our team to focus on strategy and storytelling.

This includes using AI for writing first drafts of content, generating design mockups, and even helping segment and personalize messaging campaigns.

With this mindset, Ivy Tech has found ways to stretch its budget without stretching its people thin.

From Silos to Shared Success

So how do you take a decentralized system and move it toward brand unity?

For Kathie, it’s all about building internal infrastructure. Her team has focused on creating:

• Centralized branding assets accessible to all campuses
• Shared project management and communication tools
• Regular cross-campus check-ins and collaboration
• Internal mentorship programs for marketing staff

This internal cohesion has changed the game. 

Rather than competing for attention or duplicating efforts, campus marketers are now leaning on each other and growing together.

We’ve gone from siloed efforts to a shared strategy, and the brand is stronger for it.

Lessons for Other Institutions

Whether you’re leading communications at a flagship university or a small liberal arts college, there are big takeaways from Ivy Tech’s brand strategy journey:

1. Lead with Trust

Your people are your brand ambassadors.

Invest in them, listen to them, and treat them as partners—not problems.

When teams feel heard and supported, they’re more likely to adopt new processes and contribute to brand success.

Trust opens the door to collaboration, even in systems that span multiple campuses or departments.

2. Start with Research

Don’t assume you know your audience.

Take the time to ask, listen, and understand what really drives them.

Research anchors your messaging in reality, not assumptions or internal preferences.

It also builds credibility when you present strategy to stakeholders who want to know the “why” behind your decisions.

3. Segment Strategically

Ditch the “spray and pray” model.

Build messaging around personas, not just regions or demographics.

Strategic segmentation allows you to speak directly to the motivations, pain points, and aspirations of different audiences.

This leads to higher engagement and better conversion across marketing channels.

4. Test and Learn

Innovation isn’t a luxury—it’s a mindset.

Start small, test often, and don’t be afraid to fail forward.

Every campaign, channel, or tactic is an opportunity to learn what works (and what doesn’t).

Embracing experimentation allows your team to adapt quickly and stay ahead in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

5. Create Internal Consistency

Branding isn’t just external.

Build systems that help your internal teams succeed, and your external messaging will follow.

Shared templates, style guides, and collaborative workflows make it easier for everyone to stay on-brand—even when decentralized.

Internal consistency breeds confidence, and confident teams are more likely to deliver unified, high-impact messaging.

The Future of Multi-Campus Brand Strategy

What Kathie Fleck is doing at Ivy Tech isn’t just impressive; it’s also instructive.

She’s proving that multi-campus brand strategy doesn’t have to mean control or conformity. 

With the right tools, trust, and leadership, it can be collaborative, innovative, and effective.

As higher ed marketing continues to evolve, Kathie’s playbook is one to watch and one to borrow from.

🎧 For even more insights from Kathie Fleck, listen to the full episode on The Higher Ed Marketer podcast.

Caylor Solutions Can Help You Lead with Strategy

If your institution is facing the same challenges Ivy Tech once did—fragmented messaging, inconsistent student engagement, or a lack of alignment across departments—our Enrollment Assessment service is a powerful place to start.

At Caylor Solutions, we go beyond surface-level audits.

Our Enrollment Assessment provides a deep dive into your current enrollment processes from admissions workflows and communication touchpoints to how you engage and retain prospective students.

We’ll identify the gaps, streamline the inefficiencies, and uncover opportunities to improve not just your numbers, but your entire student experience.

You’ll receive a comprehensive, customized report with actionable recommendations designed to increase yield, boost retention, and align your enrollment strategy with your brand’s core values.

In a decentralized or multi-campus environment, clarity and cohesion are everything.

Let’s build a smarter, more strategic enrollment pipeline—together.

Learn more about our Enrollment Assessment service or reach out today to schedule your consultation.

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Featured image via ivytech.edu