MIT Sloan School of Management
Brand Strategy • Development Communications • Higher Education
The Need
For MIT Sloan, the question wasn't about academic and research reputation. That was already well established. It was about giving prospective donors a compelling answer to why the school's work - and the ideas coming out of it - deserved their support.
The Assignment
Working alongside MIT Sloan leadership, our team at Captains of Industry developed Ideas Made to Matter, a positioning platform built around one of Sloan's defining beliefs: that great ideas should improve organizations, society, and ultimately the world around us.
Once the platform was established, the challenge became bringing Ideas Made to Matter to life across the many ways the school engaged its audiences. That meant signage, speeches, campaign materials, publications, email communications, and stories that showed how faculty, students, and alumni were turning ideas into real-world impact.
Then came translating that strategy into film. We created a series of short documentaries and profile pieces that served as proof points - showing the people behind the ideas and the organizations and communities they were changing. Rather than simply explaining Ideas Made to Matter, the films allowed audiences to experience it. They became one part of a much broader communications effort led by the Captains team.
The Result
The work gave MIT Sloan a narrative that development, admissions, communications, and leadership could all use with confidence. It began by answering "Why Sloan?" for prospective donors, but proved to be just as valuable everywhere the school needed to explain not simply what it did, but why it mattered.