Marketing Communications

Policy

The public image and brand of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte are influenced by the quality of the marketing communications materials produced and distributed by the University.

1. To ensure consistent, high-quality University communications:

1. The Office of University Communications and its Marketing Services Department, specifically, are responsible for reviewing and approving major University communications, including publications, marketing materials, advertisements, and other products in any medium, including websites and other digital media published to electronic devices, that represent the University externally, and are distributed publicly.
2. The Offices of Undergraduate Admissions and Graduate Admissions are responsible for overseeing the editing and design of student recruitment communications in accordance with University brand standards. The Office of the Provost is responsible for ensuring that departmental recruitment publications accurately convey academic information.
3. The Office of University Communications and its Public Relations Department are responsible for the University magazine.
4. While operational areas, including colleges, divisions, and business units own the content for their materials, all of these materials should be created collaboratively with the Office of University Communications and must receive review and approval for brand compliance prior to dissemination.

2. All communications to be produced by a printer or vendor other than the University’s contract printers or communications vendors must be approved by the Marketing Services Department.

Procedures

1. Standards for letterhead, envelopes, business cards, and use of the University trademarks and service marks are contained in the University's logo standards manual, available online from the Marketing Services Department. These standards must be observed in all instances.

2. A standard Brand Guidelines document is available online from the Marketing Services Department which will guide development of marketing materials in order to maintain the consistent image and brand of the University.

3. Marketing, advertising or design agencies contracted to work with units of the University must be selected and coordinated through the Marketing Services Department, or in accordance with the procedures established by the University Purchasing Department for the use of the pool of approved communications contractors determined by Request For Proposals (RFP) process, to insure high-quality design and integration that is consistent with the image and brand of the University. The products that those agencies produce for University units must be reviewed and approved by the Marketing Services Department for brand compliance.

The Marketing Services Department will provide editorial and/or design services to the extent of its resources when requested by members of the campus community for departmental publications or other print design needs.

4. Publications that do not require prior approval may be sent directly to the assigned representative of the University’s contract printers. A list of the University’s contract printers is available from the Marketing Services Department.

5. All printing that can be performed by the University’s contract printers will be performed by one of them; provided, however, that printing jobs requiring process color printing that are expected to cost in excess of $5,000 must be sent out for bids by Materials Management.

6. All University publications that are annual, biennial, regular, or special publications, 200 or more copies of which are printed using state-appropriated funds (excluding intra-agency communications and agency correspondence) must bear the following statements:

"The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students, or employees based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, actual or perceived gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, veteran status, or genetic information. In keeping with this commitment, UNC Charlotte actively seeks to promote diversity in its educational environment through its recruitment, enrollment, and hiring practices."

"Produced in (Month/Year) by the UNC Charlotte (name of unit). (Number) copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $(Total Cost) or $(Unit Cost) per copy."

When such a publication is an advertisement for or an invitation to a public event, it must bear the following statement:

"Persons who wish to request special accommodations should contact the event coordinator and the UNC Charlotte Director of Disability Services at least two weeks in advance of the event."

When such a publication is printed on recycled paper, it must contain a statement or symbol indicating that it was printed on recycled paper.

7.  North Carolina law requires that certain University mailing lists be updated annually. The law applies to any University mailing list used to send to the general public 200 or more copies of any publication that has been paid for with state-appropriated funds. The law does not apply to lists of alumni. A list is considered updated if the persons or organizations on it have requested during the previous 12 months that they be placed on the list or have renewed a request to be placed on the list.