Third-Party Branding
The leadership role Morningstar has in the investment ecosystem naturally brings our data, research, services, and workflow tools into the daily activities of clients and collaborators. We are also part of wide-ranging conversations and events that influence how global investors think about risk and opportunity.
While we’re proud of the Morningstar we’ve built, we’re also fiercely protective. We have deep commitments to empowering investor success and to our brand pillars of independence, transparency, and long-term focus. They make it essential that we safeguard the integrity and preserve the value of Morningstar whenever it’s represented by other organizations in touchpoints and environments that reach third parties. This includes our brands, logos, names, trademarked/service marked offerings, IP, data, research, tools, and other products, as well as our people when they are cited as sources of information and insight.
Whether we have entered into a data redistribution agreement, are sponsoring an event, act as the fiduciary for a service, or have our research referenced on a podcast, it critical that that the relationship between Morningstar and the organization communicating with the third party is clear, consistent, and that all relevant attribution is proper and prominent.
Primary Use Cases
We approach third-party relationships by use case, providing direction for like-minded organizations and everyone at Morningstar to support our objectives. Activities in third-party branding relationships typically include attribution and/or co-marketing; in limited cases, they may involve co-branding.
Morningstar (including its subsidiaries) prioritizes six use cases across its third-party branding relationships, all of which require contracts:
Distribution and Redistribution | An organization provides or resells Morningstar data and research to third parties. |
Integration/Solution Design and Delivery | An organization delivers data, research, and reports from Morningstar for use by third parties and/or an organization facilitates usage of a Morningstar product that aggregates data from multiple sources on behalf of a third party. |
Asset/IP Licensing and Reporting | An organization uses Morningstar’s proprietary assets/IP in investment product marketing and/or in reports prepared for third parties. |
Service Marketing and Usage | An organization engages Morningstar as an investment manager, technology provider and/or fiduciary for a service it provides to third parties. |
Sponsorship | An organization engages Morningstar to provide support to an event or activity that has the intent of influencing and/or engaging third parties. |
Product Co-Development | An organization and Morningstar jointly develop a product intended for use by third parties. |
Ad Hoc Use Cases | |
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Citation and Identification | Referencing Morningstar data, research, or people in content, programs and/or events for third parties |
Marketplace | Including Morningstar in a multi-brand environment |
Non-Commercial Use Cases |
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Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Initiative |
Corporate Reputation and Sustainability Initiative |
Employer Brand and Talent Initiative |
Purpose-Driven Initiative and Investor Education |
For information and guidance in addressing how organizations should represent Morningstar in their communications and/or engagement with third parties, please email the Brand team.
