TAP No. 35: Marketing and Communications

TAP No. 35: Marketing and Communications

Scope

This Policy applies to all persons who participate in creating, editing or approving any University marketing and communications activity, including students, faculty, staff, and third-party providers who may be contracted to perform such work. 

Purpose

This Policy guides the production, approval, and transmission of all official University communications, messaging, and marketing activity done via publications, advertising, official email channels, websites, social media, and other external marketing materials. 

For this Policy, official University communications, messaging and marketing activity is defined as creation and distribution of material intended to represent Duquesne programs, schools, and offices to a broad audience that includes external constituents. Prominent examples include the University website (duq.edu); social media accounts for the University, its schools, programs, and offices; print materials used for enrollment, fundraising, alumni, parent and community relations, and media relations; advertising and event promotion; and any promotional material or merchandise bearing any official University logos. This policy generally does not apply to typical academic communications such as emails between faculty and students, course materials, or submission of a research paper to a journal, as a few examples. 

This Policy evidences the University's commitment to ensure that all official University communications—including publications, advertising, official email channels, websites, social media, and other external marketing materials—appropriately enhance Duquesne’s image and align with the University’s mission and with current brand standards established and overseen by the Division of Marketing and Communications. Coordination of all external marketing and advertising assures that the University projects a consistent identity, image, and message across its programs and units, leveraging the efforts of schools and departments to benefit the entire institution and vice versa. The Department of Athletics manages its brand and associated visuals in coordination with the Division of Marketing and Communications.

I. Policy

It is the Policy of Duquesne University to maintain a consistent identity, image, and message in all of its marketing and communications efforts, aligned with the mission, informed by data and produced in accordance with professional best practices, and with managing authority provided to the Division of Marketing and Communications. 

A. Overview

The Division of Marketing and Communications (the “Division”) is responsible for ensuring that all official University communications and marketing materials appropriately enhance Duquesne’s image and align with current brand standards. Coordination of all external marketing and advertising assures that the University projects a consistent identity, image, and message. To ensure this consistency, all marketing and advertising must be coordinated through the Division. TAPs exist relevant to different aspects of marketing and communications, including TAP 57: Social Media and TAP 27: Political Activity 

The Division is the official “voice” of Duquesne in response to media and in coordinating proactive media outreach. The Division also facilitates all media inquiries seeking faculty expertise and coordinates such exchanges. The Division should be involved in all major campus events to assure such events are promoted in a way that benefits the University and/or select constituencies important to the University.

II. Key Concepts

A. Media Requests

1. All external media requests seeking University comment, interviews, or access to students, faculty, and/or staff must be discussed with the Division before taking any action. 
2. Media requests for individual expertise should be coordinated with the Division. 
3. No media organizations are allowed on University property without written permission or clearance from the Division. 
4. All Duquesne employees must clearly distinguish personal views, perspectives, and opinions, even when based on their academic expertise, from those of the University. Under no circumstances are University employees permitted to offer their personal views, perspectives, or opinions as those of the University. 
5. University letterhead and e-mail sent through University electronic servers should not be used to offer personal views, perspectives, opinions, or positions on issues for non-University purposes.

B. University Brand Compliance

1. The University will periodically invest resources in developing data-informed guidelines for effective and consistent expression of its identity, image, and message, including its brand and its trademarked logos and wordmarks, which will be managed and maintained by the Division. 
2. All official University communications and marketing materials must be created and maintained consistent with the official Duquesne University Brand Guidelines that are in existence at the time the communications or marketing materials are created. 
3. Each product that requires use of Duquesne University’s branded logo assets (i.e. the University logo, the University seal, etc.) must be individually reviewed and approved by the Division prior to the inclusion or release of logo files. The University’s branded logo assets include the numerous instances when the logo is combined with School and department names). The review must ensure compliance and consistency with official Duquesne University Brand Guidelines, ADA standards, and other guidelines that may be specific to a particular product use. 
4. Complete guidelines for the use of the University’s logos and wordmarks must be available to internal users on the University’s intranet. 

C. Photography and videography

1. All requests for non-news photography and videography on campus must be arranged through and approved by the Division in writing in advance of any production. This includes—but is not limited to—requests from external production firms, photographers, filmmakers, documentary producers, videographers, and digital media firms, among others.
2. All requests reviewed by the Division and determined to be possible appropriate projects will undergo a review by Risk Management and Legal Affairs, and other administrative units depending upon the nature of the request.
3. Requests to film or take photographs on campus for the purposes of creating advertisements, testimonials, or other marketing materials in order to sell a commercial product, service, or entity, or in support of a political campaign or political viewpoints, will not be granted.

D. Websites

1. The Division of Marketing and Communications oversees strategy, operation, and content of all University websites, which includes www.duq.edu, www.myduquesne.duq.edu, families.duq.edu, intranet.duq.edu, goduquesne.com, and any other domain that includes duq.edu. 
2. The University’s Web Governance Guidelines stipulate roles, responsibilities, and expectations of Duquesne University web editors and publishers and are maintained and updated by the Division. Ongoing maintenance of the University’s websites, including timely responses to audit compliance requests, must be done so in a manner consistent with Web Governance Guidelines. 
3. Individuals tasked with contributing to the ongoing production and maintenance of the University’s websites must do so in a manner consistent with official Duquesne University Brand Guidelines in existence at the time the website modifications are made. 
4. All schools, departments, and/or offices that have a web presence must assign web-editing duties to someone within your organization. The person should be a full-time employee.
5. All web content editors and publishers must complete ADA training, ADA quiz, Basic CMS training, and other training as necessary, at the discretion of the Division and as stipulated in the most recent edition of the University’s Web Governance Guidelines.
6. All schools, departments and offices must ensure ongoing production and maintenance of the content on their websites. 
7. Social media sites are addressed in TAP 57: Social Media. 

III. Related Information 

TAP No. 27: Political Activity 
TAP No. 57: Social Media 
Americans with Disabilities (ADA) 
Duquesne University Web Governance Guidelines 
Duquesne University Brand Guidelines 

IV. Violations

Violations of this Policy will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and are subject to formal disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. 

V. History

Date of most recent revision: May 2023

VI. Ownership of Policy

Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Division of Marketing and Communications