Located outside the Michigan Stadium/Crisler Center complex on Stadium Boulevard, the Stadium Marquee offers free advertising space for U-M schools, colleges and units. Stadium Boulevard averages a daily traffic count of over 25,000 cars (not counting football game day traffic), so the Marquee is an easy, inexpensive way to get your message out.
There are five slots set aside for ads from U-M schools, colleges and departments. PLEASE NOTE: The marquee is limited to ads from official University of Michigan units only.
Rotation Schedule:
Marquee ads run daily from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Content will appear in rotation for a maximum of 3 weeks. Additional run time may be requested and will be approved as long as there is space.
Production Specs:
- Ad size: 1920 x 1080
- Buffer: Place all text and images at least 50 pixels from the edges
- Format: JPG (preferred) or PNG
- Minimum resolution: 300 dpi
- All ads are static: no animation available
Messaging Guidelines:
- Alignment with U-M’s brand pillars and positioning
- Drive awareness of U-M’s academic excellence
- Drive awareness of U-M’s local/national/global influence
- Promotion of community events open to the public
- Celebratory
- Commemorative
Creative Guidelines:
- Try to communicate concept in 7 words or less. This is a typical best practice for messaging on an active motorway
- Messaging should be clear and provide context
- Avoid bright background colors. Having bright backgrounds—especially in the fall when dusk comes earlier—makes the marquee especially distracting. We try to balance the imagery so it is engaging enough to be noticed, but not so much that it distracts drivers or causes any issues for nearby residents
- Ads must be branded with the university logo or official unit signature
Examples of content not acceptable for the Marquee include:
- Promotion of events for campus community only
- Selling or providing of products or services, including performances, concerts or other events for which payment for admission is required
- Third party/external partnership promotions or logos
- Content for which the Ann Arbor community (including campus) is not a primary audience (e.g., an event taking place in Dearborn or Flint)
Marquee Submission:
Send submissions to: idstandards@umich.edu
Ads should be sent 2 weeks in advance during football season, 1 week in advance at other times of the year. Approved submissions will appear in the Marquee rotation about 48 hours after final approval.