Purdue Brand Studio earns global honors

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Brand Studio, Purdue University’s full-service, in-house marketing agency, was named April 29 as the No. 6 top agency globally, and No. 2 in the United States, in the 2025 MUSE Creative Awards — a prestigious international advertising awards platform celebrating excellence and innovation in the realms of creative design, advertising and digital media.

Purdue is the only university agency to earn a spot on the marketing list.

This recognition places Purdue Brand Studio ahead of many global commercial creative firms that serve brands like Porsche, Nike and PepsiCo.

The MUSE awards offer three levels of recognition: platinum, gold and silver. Purdue received nine individual awards for projects and campaigns that blend brand excellence with audience resonance.

Winning entries

Total Solar Eclipse Viewing Event — In April 2024, Purdue Brand Studio collaborated with two globally recognized brands — the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and NASA — for the Total Solar Eclipse Viewing Event. The interactive outdoor event held at the famed raceway received four MUSE awards (two platinum, two gold) and garnered visits from national media, including “Good Morning America.” The event became the largest single day of earned media exposure in Purdue history.

“In Our STEM Era” — Purdue Brand Studio earned awards (one platinum, one gold and one silver) in three categories for a pop-up makerspace that corresponded with one of the most anticipated concerts last November in Indianapolis, the final Taylor Swift Eras Tour. In partnership with e.l.f. Cosmetics (itself a MUSE award winner), the makerspace intended to foster excitement in science, technology, engineering and math among young women.

“Boilers to Mars” — The marketing team received two gold awards for its first feature film. Purdue Brand Studio produced and premiered the 10-minute short film last September. The film follows the academic and professional careers of four fictional Purdue students who meet as first-year undergraduates and are ultimately part of a historic first mission to Mars.

“This recognition reflects Purdue Brand Studio as not only a leader in higher education, but a competitor on the global stage,” said Kelly Hiller, Purdue chief marketing officer. “The results of our work are a testament to the culture of persistent, meaningful and authentic storytelling excellence our team pursues every day to continually elevate Purdue’s visibility.”

In addition to MUSE Creative Awards, the university’s marketing efforts have earned national and global recognition from industry-leading publications, including Fast Company’s “Brands That Matter.” For the fourth year in a row, Purdue was the only higher education institution to be named to the magazine’s prestigious list recognizing and honoring organizations for their ability to convey their brand, perform their mission, and advance their ideals with intention and authenticity.

Purdue Brand Studio was a finalist for seven Digiday awards alongside consumer brands Coca-Cola, General Mills and Marriott. Based on the results of the content marketing division, Purdue led all other individual institutions or creative agencies, with five finalists.

The in-house marketing team is on the short list in multiple categories for the 2025 DRUM Awards, which celebrates the best marketers and campaigns internationally. Purdue Brand Studio is a finalist in five categories and is competing against such brands as Dunkin’, lululemon and Sony.

Winners will be announced June 12.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.