March 23, 2026 Marketing and Communications Update

Howdy, University MarComm Community,

We hope you all had a great Spring Break and enjoyed some much-needed R&R. Over the break, our central team attended two Texas-sized events that helped us shine a spotlight on how we are a force for good in Texas and how we are working to build a brighter, safer world. Together, we are working to highlight the incredible research our faculty and partners are conducting and telling the amazing stories of our former students.

For the second year in a row, Texas A&M University partnered with Fast Company Grill to be in their house during South by Southwest (SXSW). At the four-day event, we led an immersive experience where attendees could learn firsthand how our research is translating into real-world solutions for food, energy and medicine, and our former students spoke to their experiences as Aggies (and how their time as students helped shape their futures) as panelists alongside fellow industry leaders. More details, including a virtual tour of the event, are outlined below so that the impact of this research and physical activation in our state’s capital can carry forward as relatable content throughout the spring semester.

Also, Texas A&M took center stage at the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, bringing the Aggie brand to one of the most anticipated new events on the IndyCar Series calendar. With participation by former students, including Medal of Honor recipient Matt Williams ’25 and senior leaders from across our university, this event was anchored between two of our teaching sites, Dallas — home to the College of Dentistry — and Forth Worth — home to the School of Law and the expanding Texas A&M-Fort Worth campus — welcoming a natural proximity to elevating our presence as a force for good.

Texas A&M SXSW Virtual Tour

We have launched a new virtual tour showcasing our recent experiential event at the Fast Company Grill during SXSW. This interactive 360° experience is designed as both a storytelling tool and a reusable asset for marketing and communications teams across the university.

The virtual tour:

• Captures the look and feel of Texas A&M’s SXSW footprint for each day of the activation;
• Highlights our panelists, programming and on-the-ground experiences; and
• Connects users directly to related Texas A&M Stories content and social coverage.

How marketing and communications teams can use it:

• Storytelling and campaigns: Embed or link to the tour in digital stories, email campaigns, social posts and presentations to illustrate Texas A&M’s national presence and thought leadership.
• Unit/program promotion: Use specific scenes, panels or themes that feature your college, unit or area of expertise to demonstrate how Texas A&M highlights our research impact on a national stage.

Share the tour with students, faculty, staff, partners and the broader Texas A&M community as a way to “be there” at SXSW by experiencing our brand, research, innovation and people in an interactive showcase that demonstrates how we are telling the story of Texas A&M nationally.

Access the SXSW Virtual Tour

Online Aggie Marketing Materials Store Now Open

It’s now even easier to get branded printed materials. We’ve added marketing materials to the existing Integ Punchout, making it simple to browse and order print pieces directly through AggieBuy.

Simply log in to AggieBuy, browse the available materials, select the quantities you need and check out. You’ll be able to see the cost before completing your order, and items will be delivered directly to the location of your choice.

You can find the materials by navigating to:
SSO >AggieBuy >Integ >Texas A&M University >Marketing Materials

Available materials include the following:

• Brand platform book
• Brand platform poster
• Recruitment publications
• Visitor guide

If you do not have direct access to AggieBuy, please contact your designated Finance and Business Services support team member or email aggiebuy@tamu.edu.

We will continue to add more assets to this store and share those assets here as they are added.

Save the Date for MarComm Summit

Marketing and communications professionals from across Texas A&M are invited to participate in the 2026 MarComm Summit on June 1-2, 2026. This day‑and‑a‑half gathering will feature strategic updates from the Division of Marketing and Communications, keynote speakers and breakout sessions led by university experts from across our campuses.

Please mark your calendars and make sure to join us! Additional details and registration information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Reminder: Digital Content Accessibility Deadline Is April 24

Take action if you haven’t already: We all have a shared responsibility to ensure university websites and our online presence meet federal accessibility requirements for each individual who engages with our digital content. As a reminder, digital content includes websites, online services, PDFs, social media graphics, videos and any other digital content your unit produces or publishes.

The deadline to remediate inaccessible digital assets in accordance with the June 2024 update for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Texas House Bill 5195 (HB 5195) is April 24. We encourage you to review the information shared in the Feb. 9 newsletter about these requirements and to learn how Aggie UX 2.0 can help you and your teams produce responsive, regulation-compliant websites and online services as you move forward. Additional “how-tos” and step-by-step guides are available through itaccessibility.tamu.edu.

Community Resources Available to You

Design Counsel

Design Counsel is a creative space for Texas A&M’s visual storytellers — a place to share ideas, spark inspiration and help shape what’s next for creativity and collaboration across the university. Each meeting dives into a new topic in marketing and communications, with lots of room to learn from one another and offer support.

The next meeting is Wednesday, April 8, in the Memorial Student Center Rm. 2404. Kara Humphreys and her team at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) will be presenting on what TEEX is and why it’s so unique, the latest research on EV-Lithium-Ion battery fires and safety, new print services at their print shop and the use of AI for powerful video production on a tight budget. Please RSVP using the link below.

For more information, please contact Melissa Loudermilk, Designer for Brand Services, at mloudermilk@tamu.edu or via Slack or Teams.

Register for upcoming meetings

Aggie UX Training and Support

The Division of Marketing and Communications Web team hosts virtual office hours every third Thursday from 10 to 11 a.m. These sessions include a different demo every month for using Aggie UX in Cascade, WordPress and Figma. Other practical advice for creating web content, applying best practices and using the Aggie UX design system is available on the MarComm site, including a list of on-demand online trainings. Be sure to sign up for Aggie UX-specific communications by joining the Aggie UX email list.

View Aggie UX Office Hours

Research Communicators Network

The Divisions of Research and Marketing and Communications cohost a biweekly meeting for communicators to connect, share updates and collaborate around promoting Texas A&M’s research enterprise. These meetings are a valuable opportunity for everyone who attends, and we encourage you to send a representative if you do not have someone already participating from your unit, college or school.

When: Every other Tuesday, 10 a.m.

This informal virtual gathering is open to all communicators supporting research initiatives and researchers themselves. It’s a chance to ask questions, get feedback and align on research messaging across the university.

Contact Tim Doty, Assistant Vice President for National Media and Public Relations, or Rusty Cawley, Director of Research Communications, to be added to the calendar invitation.