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About INSEAD

Communications Policy

INSEAD Communications Policy

INSEAD Communications has ownership of policies regarding a variety of media-related topics. Below are links to several useful documents, forms and websites related to how INSEAD is represented in various media. In case you are looking for specific guidance related to our brand guidelines or editorial guidelines, please refer to brand.insead.edu.

Filming Guidelines

All commercial, non-news photography or videorecording must be approved in advance by INSEAD Communications, in partnership with our Legal Department. INSEAD Communications or the relevant department must inform Campus Services when commercial filming is taking place on campus. Below are the guidelines and policies for commercial filming at INSEAD. 

For the Asia Campus, film crews or photographers (non-media) will be required to fill in a Contractor’s Declaration and Risk Assessment form prior to commencing any filming or photography on campus.

Commercial Use of INSEAD Facilities  

INSEAD protects its name, marks and landmarks from inappropriate commercial use but strives to cooperate with film and video producers desiring to use INSEAD facilities when it can be demonstrated their activities serve the school’s best interest. Priority generally is given to those activities that can help support the educational mission of the school. INSEAD Communications will use appropriate means to facilitate such endeavours. 

Procedures 

  • All requests for non-news or current events media, including but not limited to filmmaking, videorecording or photography at INSEAD should be directed to the Global Director of Communications. 
  • Final approval for any location filming request must come from the Global Director of Communications. Once approval has been granted, the team in question will be responsible for working with the production company, ensuring the school’s brand guidelines are followed.  

Guidelines 

INSEAD will consider permitting the making of photographs, films and videos on campus for commercial non-news purposes based on the following guidelines: 

  • A production will be considered in terms of its size and complexity and to what degree it might disrupt classes and other normal campus activities. Whenever possible, production should be scheduled for weekends and during breaks in the academic calendar. 
  • The school expects the production to feature educational and/or extracurricular experiences to INSEAD students. The school strongly encourages the use of students as extras and production assistants for on-campus productions. The school also encourages representatives of production companies to make themselves available for classroom discussion of their work. INSEAD also requires that upon completion, a copy of the production be donated to the school’s library. 
  • Anyone wishing to film on campus for commercial non-news purposes must submit in writing detailed information about the proposed project, including: 
    • locations; 
    • days and hours of shooting; 
    • number of people involved in each day’s shooting; 
    • type of activity to be filmed; 
    • list of equipment and vehicles used in connection with the filming; 
    • sizes and composition of structures involved; 
    • security and safety requirements. 
  • This information and a script must be submitted in writing to INSEAD Communications for review at least 30 days before the start of filming. This requirement can be waived at the discretion of the Global Director of Communications in the case of small productions. 
  • A walk-through of all proposed shooting locations must be conducted with an appropriate INSEAD representative at least 10 days in advance of the desired dates. After locations are given tentative approval, the production company must take part in an initial meeting with representatives of all the involved university departments. 
  • A commercial general liability insurance certificate with a combined single limit of €30,000, naming INSEAD and its employees and agents as additional insureds, must be filed with INSEAD Communications at least 10 days prior to the first set-up day. In addition, if the production company has three or more employees, it must furnish proof of insurance
  • The school reserves the right to require production companies to make a damage deposit prior to the arrival of any production vehicles on campus. The damage deposit will be refunded in full after completion of the shooting upon inspection by university officials to ensure that all locations are found to be in satisfactory condition. Special arrangements can be made for small productions.
  • Each production company will be charged a location fee. Any representation of official INSEAD marks, logos or seals must be approved in advance of production. In addition, the production company will pay all incurred expenses such as those for electricians, food services, security, janitorial services, etc. Fees for set-up days will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Cancellation of a production within seven days of the start of filming will result in a penalty charge. Each production company will be liable for any negligence including but not limited to property damage, and any misconduct, personal injury, or death. Each production company will defend, indemnify and hold harmless INSEAD from death or personal injury of the production Company’s personnel while on INSEAD premises to the extent such death or personal injury is as a result of or in connection with acts or omissions of each production company.Each production company will conduct background checks on its employees to the extent permissible by applicable law and undertake that its employees do not have a criminal record.
  • INSEAD will prepare a letter of agreement, to be signed by the appropriate official of the production company and the school’s Global Director of Communications. A shoot will be confirmed once this contract has been signed by both parties. The production company must provide INSEAD with (i) an insurance certificate, (ii) damage deposit, (iii) cheque for full amount of location fee, and (iv) a signed contract at least 24 hours before set-up begins. Once all of these conditions have been fulfilled, the contract becomes operative.

Gift Announcements

Development & News

Sharing news about the financial support INSEAD receives from alumni and supporters is important. It helps acknowledge the generosity of INSEAD donors and promotes the people, programmes, facilities and activities that donors support. INSEAD Communications’ policy supports the school’s fundraising efforts to the fullest extent possible, consistent with journalistic practices and sound news judgment.

Guidelines

To support the school’s fundraising objectives, INSEAD Communications and INSEAD Advancement jointly oversee the writing, editing, distribution and promotion of news releases about gifts and grants. These guidelines apply to content that appears in publications, social media, websites, e-mail communications and other communications that come from INSEAD. Gift announcements are handled in accordance with the following guidelines:

 

  1. Before a gift may be announced in any INSEAD communication, it must be recognised officially as a gift or pledge and entered appropriately in our gift records system.
  2. Public announcement of a gift or grant must be approved in principle by the following individuals:
    • The Associate Dean of Advancement (or his/her designee)
    • The Global Director of Communications (or his/her designee)
    • The donor(s).

    No announcement will be made without the consent of the aforementioned.

  3. INSEAD Communications will consider distributing a news release announcing any gift or grant that might be viewed by media outlets as newsworthy. Gifts are most likely to attract media interest if they are large in size (generally at least €1 million) and are associated with new or innovative programmes or facilities or have a strong human interest angle and a compelling story. (See chart below for more specific instructions.)
  4. A news release or media announcement promoting a gift or grant must include the amount of money involved. A large gift may be newsworthy even if the donor prefers to remain anonymous, but no gift of unspecified amount is considered newsworthy under this policy.
  5. In general, if INSEAD has previously announced a €5 million or more gift from a donor to any area of the school, that gift should be mentioned again in a release about a new gift. If INSEAD has previously announced a gift in the €1-5 million range, it may be appropriate to mention the earlier gift in a release about a new gift; appropriate development staff should be consulted.
  6. It is INSEAD policy not to disclose any information about specific gifts or donors, or their prior and/or cumulative giving to INSEAD, without the donor’s permission. Further, the school does not disclose terms, conditions or payment schedules for any gift or donor.
  7. INSEAD will respect the wishes of a donor who asks to remain anonymous or who prefers not to be quoted, but who has no objections to the release of other information about the gift.

Procedures

The responsibility for preparing and managing gift announcements varies according to the level of gift:

Gift Level Announcement Prepared By Review Process Coordinated By Announcement Attributed To
€1 million – 4.9 million Advancement Communications Advancement Communications Dean
€5 million and above Advancement Communications & INSEAD Communications Advancement Communications & INSEAD Communications Dean
Gifts of any level spanning more than one school or unit Advancement Communications & INSEAD Communications Advancement Communications Advancement Communications & INSEAD Communications Dean

In all cases, the person preparing a gift announcement should coordinate with INSEAD Communications to:

  1. Confirm gift has been properly documented and there aren’t any unusual circumstances related to the gift announcement.
  2. Obtain internal approvals.
  3. Send draft to INSEAD Communications for review and editing.
  4. Only after steps 1-3 are completed, send draft to donor for approval and possible quotes. Any significant revisions at this point require review by INSEAD Communications and Advancement Communications.
  5. Identify photos or relevant images for use with the announcement.
  6. Confirm distribution lists.
  7. Determine announcement timing.

No release or gift announcement will appear in official INSEAD channels (INSEAD Announcements, INSEAD Weekly etc.), online or in social media until the steps outlined above have been confirmed.

The Dean has final authority and responsibility for determining the official dissemination of all news from INSEAD. The Dean has delegated that authority to the Global Director of Communications, who has day-to-day responsibility for ensuring the accuracy, timeliness, completeness and professionalism of communications with the news media.

Contact INSEAD Communications for additional information or clarification about gift announcement practices.

INSEAD Media Policies

These policies are in place to support INSEAD’s primary mission of bringing together people, cultures and ideas to develop responsible leaders who transform business and society. Our goal is for students, faculty and other members of the INSEAD community to carry out their activities with a reasonable expectation of privacy and normality while remaining free to speak openly with the media if they choose to do so. 

Access to Campus 

Members of the media must obtain permission in advance to film, report or broadcast live from INSEAD property.

For access to any school property, the department organising the filming (for example, Communications or Marketing) must alert Campus Services:

  • Inform Campus Services in advance and describe the mission of the project, advising if the media members will be alone or accompanied;
  • Provide Campus Services with names to be logged at main reception for visitors cards and by the security team;
  • Check with relevant stakeholders and departments on availability of spaces. This includes seeking permission in advance from the appropriate office to enter classrooms, facilities, offices, and so on for the purpose of reportage. 
  • Inform Campus Services if drone footage is planned so the necessary permissions can be verified.

INSEAD may limit the locations for television broadcasting/live streaming. 

  • Media must park in designated areas. 
  • INSEAD Residences is closed to news media. 
  • Media must obtain permission from INSEAD Communications in advance to take exterior still photographs of the INSEAD campus for news purposes. INSEAD Communications maintains a library of still images and b-roll of campus for media use. 
  • INSEAD reserves the right to deny or limit access to campus, and/or require pool cameras or reporting. 
  • Media entering INSEAD premises will be asked to sign waivers acknowledging their liability for any negligence including but not limited to property damage, and any misconduct, personal injury, or death.
  • Media entering INSEAD premises will be asked to sign waivers that defend, indemnify and hold harmless INSEAD from death or personal injury of any media personnel while on INSEAD’s premises to the extent such death or personal injury is as a result of or in connection with acts or omissions of each production company.
  • Media will conduct background checks on its employees to the extent permissible by applicable law and undertake that its employees entering INSEAD premises do not have a criminal record.

Event Coverage 

Events that are open to the public are typically open to the news media; however, some campus events may be closed to the media due to space limitations, safety concerns or the preferences of a speaker or event sponsor(s). 

  • Media who wish to attend an event organised by an academic unit or school department should contact the event organiser in advance (the event organiser will be listed on a news release and/or the calendar event listing) 
  • Media who wish to attend an event organised by students must contact INSEAD Communications in advance. 
  • Media must comply with any restrictions related to recording; television cameras, still cameras and audio recording equipment may be prohibited from an event or only given limited access if requested by the speaker or sponsor. 
  • Media may be asked to sit/stand in a section reserved for media. 
  • Media may use event material posted on any public INSEAD website, so long as it is properly credited. 

Exclusives and Fairness 

INSEAD reserves the right to provide exclusive story coverage and release information to specific outlets based on the story, audience and judgment of the communications staff and leadership. This also applies to op-eds, commentary articles and other features pitched to the news organisations for whose audiences the content will be the most relevant. 

Paid Promotion 

INSEAD representatives will not engage in media relations activities in which external media are provided financial compensation for attending INSEAD programmes, interviewing INSEAD representatives or otherwise covering the school. 

  • There are occasions when it is reasonable for the school to provide travel, lodging or meals for reporters visiting the school or attending school events. In those cases, approval should be sought in advance from INSEAD Communications. 
  • Since many international media organisations are affiliated with foreign governments, any gifts, reimbursements, travel, lodging or meals that are provided to them must be cleared in advance by INSEAD Communications to ensure that the university complies with local regulations. 
  • There should be clear distinctions made between paid advertising and media relations activities intended to generate editorially independent coverage of the university. 
  • Paid advertising in support of institutional activities and goals is permissible and is generally managed and budgeted at the unit level. 

Social Media Guidelines for Communicators

The purpose of these guidelines is to help INSEAD communicators understand how INSEAD policies apply to digital communications such as blogs and social media, and to guide them in using social media platforms. The guidelines apply to material that INSEAD communications teams publish on INSEAD-hosted websites and branded INSEAD profiles such as those on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. Any questions about these guidelines should be directed to [email protected].

INSEAD has wide latitude to create and maintain a presence on social media channels such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. This should be done in ways that are professional, factually accurate, technically secure and transparent.

Confidential technical information such as passwords or login details are to be kept only within the relevant team members who require regular access to the channels. If (an) account(s) are suspected to be compromised, please change the passwords immediately and inform INSEAD Communications.

Those posting on social media on behalf of INSEAD are responsible for ensuring that content posted adheres to all INSEAD policies and to appropriate laws that govern the public dissemination of information. To that end, anyone tasked with posting on behalf of INSEAD should periodically review the guidelines for social media established by INSEAD Communications and consult with INSEAD Communications if they have questions about their implementation:

Explore existing options. Before exploring the creation of individual pages, new social media accounts and building an online community from the start, consider whether there are existing avenues and accounts that can be leveraged upon to achieve your goals, and amplify your message.

Think long-term. Should creating new individual pages and accounts be the best option, consider whether there is sufficient relevant and engaging content to post on these channels regularly, and whether this consistency can be maintained in the long run.

Understand your strategy. Social media efforts should be part of a larger communications strategy. Know what you’re trying to accomplish, and why. Before launching a social media programme, you should be able to answer these questions:

  1. Who is your audience?
  2. What do you want them to do?
  3. How do you plan to achieve this (strategy)?
  4. Is social media the best way?

Remember that everything is public. There’s no such thing as a private or temporary social media post. Search engines can turn up your posts years later and screen captures live forever. Don’t post something today that may haunt you later.

Be respectful. As a general rule, be respectful and don’t post anything you would be uncomfortable saying in a public setting. Follow INSEAD’s values and the INSEAD Code of Conduct.

Be transparent about your role at INSEAD. If you participate in or maintain a social media site on behalf of INSEAD, clearly state your role and goals. Strive for accuracy, correcting errors quickly and visibly. If you have questions about whether it is appropriate to write about certain material, contact INSEAD Communications.

Maintain confidentiality and follow all applicable INSEAD policies. Do not post confidential, proprietary or protected information about students, employees, or other members of the INSEAD community. Use good ethical judgment. All legal guidelines and school policies must be observed on INSEAD-affiliated or INSEAD-maintained social media sites.

Actively moderate comments and discussions on your channels. By their nature, social networking sites are participatory and involve sharing among multiple users. However, it is important to monitor live discussions for off-topic or abusive comments.

Respect school time and property. INSEAD computers and work time are to be used for INSEAD-related business. It’s appropriate to post at work if your comments are directly related to accomplishing work goals, but maintain your personal social media on your own time using non-INSEAD computers.

Set up your accounts with INSEAD in mind. Use shared email addresses for registration and keep track of passwords (we recommend using Dashlane) so that others in your office have access to your accounts if needed, or in case you move on to another position.

INSEAD Comment Moderation Policy

INSEAD reserves the right to hide or delete off-topic, vulgar or abusive comments. We do not permit comments selling products or promoting commercial ventures. Students should adhere to the INSEAD Code of Conduct when posting or commenting on social media.

Posted comments and replies do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the university. All content and posts are bound by the individual platform’s terms of service.

If you have any concerns about the content posted on INSEAD social media, please email us at [email protected]. We welcome all of your feedback.

Branding and Graphics

When you post to social networks from an official INSEAD account, you are representing the INSEAD brand. Here are some simple guidelines to help put your best foot forward. If you have specific questions on branding, please contact [email protected].

  • Begin with “INSEAD” when creating a name for your Facebook Page, Twitter account or other social media presences
  • Use of the INSEAD logo is reserved for INSEAD institutional departments, centres and units: students must receive permission from INSEAD Communications for any use of the INSEAD logo or marks
  • Where available, departments, schools and units should use their official logos and iconic images to build their own profiles

Please follow INSEAD policies & Procedures regarding copyright, privacy and sharing of information.

Images for Albums and Sharing

INSEAD’s asset management platform at brand.insead.edu is a wonderful collection of thousands of current photos and videos of INSEAD campuses, programmes, people and more. It is refreshed regularly with community-sourced images as well as new content captured by the INSEAD Communications team.

Guidelines

Advocacy

The INSEAD Advocacy Toolkit is a digital repository of easy-to-share content for social media. As ambassadors of INSEAD, you are invited to share widely – and regularly – the content available in this toolkit. Together, let’s unlock the potential of social media advocacy and build on our global outreach and reputation – virtually!
advocacy.insead.edu

#INSEADMoments

A different take on your INSEAD experience. Share your best INSEAD moments with #INSEADMoments on Instagram and Twitter.
moments.insead.edu

INSEAD Social Media accounts

As a global institution with an extremely diverse community, INSEAD is present across various social media platforms.

From our overarching institutional accounts, to tailored ones for stakeholders depending on their needs and relationship with us, INSEAD social media is a great place to get real-time insight from multiple sources on the many activities taking place across our community. We encourage everyone in our community to follow our accounts and use your own to amplify our presence on social.

INSEAD Institutional

INSEAD Knowledge

INSEAD Executive Education

INSEAD Alumni

INSEAD Lifelong Learning

The INSEAD Hoffmann Global Institute for Business & Society

Hashtags

Please use the following hashtags when posting on an INSEAD account or when advocating about an INSEAD initiative. If you would like to create a new hashtag for a campaign, pleaser contact [email protected].

Programmes

  • #INSEADMBA
  • #INSEADEMBA
  • #INSEADMIM
  • #INSEADEMC
  • #INSEADEMFin
  • #INSEADPhD

Campaigns

  • #INSEADMoments
  • #INSEADforGood
  • #INSEADTogether
  • #INSEADExecutiveEducation

Other

  • #INSEADAlumni
  • #INSEADWomen
  • #INSEADKnowledge

Zoom Backgrounds

Latest branded backgrounds available on brand.insead.edu

Vendor Policies

Vendors must work through INSEAD Procurement in order to establish a business relationship with INSEAD. Communication vendors are vetted through INSEAD Communications

The abundance of work across INSEAD can’t be met by the in-house resources alone. We utilise vendors to support our work. The following guidelines have been developed to streamline the process of working with external vendors. 

What You Need to Know 

There are some areas of the web design process that are non-negotiable. Meaning, requirements in these areas must be met for the safety and security of our digital presence and the integrity of the brand. 

Security 

Web security is a critical component of online information.  

Accessibility 

Assuring that INSEAD digital content is accessible to all requires meeting the WCAG 2.0AA requirement. Meeting this is both a content AND development concern. Colour, documents, code, and videos must all be compliant before being posted. 

Hosting 

Unless a justifiable business need has been identified, all sites and content related to INSEAD should be hosted using internal resources. Vendors can be granted affiliate net id’s so that they can build your project within the INSEAD environment saving both time and money. Please contact [email protected] for more information. 

Domains 

URLs should build upon the insead.edu extension. Third-level domains require approval through INSEAD Communications. External domains must be purchased through the central IP registry process. 

The Process 

Communications projects over €5,000 should have at least two quotes, over €25,000 should have a minimum of three quotes and those over €50,000 require a mandatory tender with INSEAD Procurement.   

Bidding 

  • Clients should develop a scope document. This should be no longer than 3-5 pages and should include the project objective, audience, timeframe and a range of cost. This should NEVER represent your entire budget. 
  • RFP’s should be requested to be received within 2 weeks. *Note: you may also need to leave time for addressing vendors questions in this phase. 
  • A project kickoff is held. 

Selection 

  • Once bids are received, the decision of the vendor is left up to the client/department. Note that if the project is over €50,000, INSEAD Procurement needs to involved and the project needs to be validated as per the INSEAD Procurement Policy.  
  • RFP’s should be requested to be received within two weeks. *Note: you may also need to leave time for addressing vendors questions in this phase. 
  • Once chosen, a project kickoff is held. 
  • A purchase requisition should be requested through Basware for the entire amount of the project. You will bill against that amount throughout. 

Managing Your Vendor 

  • At the project kick-off establish your method of project management. Identify someone from the vendor team and someone from your team (usually yourself) to be the primary contact. 
  • Request status updates bi-weekly or weekly. These updates should always include where you are on time, scope and budget. (If these are out of synch, this will help do avoid derailing the project.) 

Review of Work 

  • It is important that you allow adequate review and revision periods for work both before and after the launch of a site. If you are suspicious about the back-end development and would like additional support, INSEAD Web Services can review the work for a small fee. 
  • It is also worth noting that the review period is not the time for design changes. 

Bids 

All work that exceeds €800 will be flagged for approval within Basware. To maximise the use of INSEAD resources, one of the competitive bids must be from a qualified internal service provider if one exists in that category. The remainder of the bids must be from approved INSEAD external vendors. 

Payment of Vendors 

  • Approval from appropriate parties is needed for getting a vendor paid. All communications projects utilising an external vendor should be put forth on a Purchase Requisition order. No invoice will be paid without a validated PO. 
  • Vendor names are managed in conjunction with INSEAD Procurement and Accounts Payable. 
  • Payment terms should never be less than two instalments (at least 1/3’s preferred) and all invoices are net 30 days. 

Copyright

Copyright law protects original works of authorship by granting the author the exclusive rights to display, reproduce, distribute, perform, and create derivate works of the original work. Copyright lasts for the life of the author plus seventy years after which the works enter into the public domain, free for anyone to use. The law provides these exclusive rights to authors as an incentive to invest efforts in creating works which enrich the public.  

Almost any work requiring creative effort can be copyrighted. This would include music, lyrics, writings, paintings, photography, movies, television, etc. Facts cannot be copyrighted. 

Copyright is immediately granted when an original work comes into existence. For example, every letter or email you write is technically subject to copyright. Every picture you take is automatically copyrighted. Copyrighted works do not require any registration or statements of copyright. However, such statements may improve a claim if there is a copyright dispute in the future. 

Companies and organisations, including INSEAD, can also be copyright owners. For example, copyright laws allow employers to own the copyright to original works created by employees in the scope of their employment. In some jurisdictions, this is referred to as “works made for hire,” which establishes that works created by an employee within the course of employment are owned by the employer. This is set out in more detail in INSEAD employment contracts and faculty handbook/guidelines. Copyright protection for works made during the course of employment last for 95 years from the date of publication or 120 years from the date of creation, whichever is shorter. INSEAD policy further establishes that copyright over original works incorporating INSEAD resources created by an INSEAD student are owned by INSEAD. An example of this is the non-fungible tokens (NFTs) created by INSEAD students.