Communications and Marketing

East Central University's Department of Communications & Marketing is making it easy. Just e-mail ecuinfo@ecok.edu and the department will follow up with you in 24 hours.

Style Guide Contents

 

Amy T. Ford
Director of
Communications & Marketing
580-559-5725		 Gina Smith
Marketing Coordinator
580-559-5724
Jill Frye
Assistant Director of
Communications & Marketing
580-559-5650		 Ryan Wetherill
Webmaster
580-559-5863
  Susan Ingram
Administrative Assistant
580-559-5664

Purpose

The purpose of the Department of Communications and Marketing is to facilitate the university’s mission through communication with external audiences by:

  • Providing publications that promote the university to outside constituencies.
  • Exhibiting excellent internal customer service by providing ECU faculty and staff with the tools they need to communicate with external audiences.
  • Developing and implementing comprehensive successful marketing plans.

Media Relations

The focus of media relations at East Central University is to widely publicize the newsworthy activities of the university and the achievements of its people.

The Communications and Marketing staff distribute stories in local, regional and state print, web and broadcast media that bring the public’s attention to the distinctive attributes of ECU and higher education.

To request any services from the Department of Communications & Marketing, simply fill out a work order request (pdf) and e-mail it to ecuinfo@ecok.edu.

Increased visibility and recognition for ECU not only help strengthen our academic reputation but also help build a favorable public perception.

Production of University Publications

University publications reflect the character of the university as well as the quality of individual events and programs. The publications staff of the Department of Communications and Marketing works to ensure, wherever possible, quality control for the many publications produced under the university’s name.

The Department of Communications and Marketing provides the services needed to develop a first-rate publication, from the planning stage through delivery of the finished product. All services provided by the publications staff are free. Any pre-press, printing or distribution costs involved are billed to the department requesting the publication.

Since the primary mission of the Department of Communications and Marketing is to facilitate the university’s communications with external audiences, these priorities, in descending order, guide the work of the publications staff and affect the ability of the office to take on projects:

  1. Publications that promote the university to outside constituencies receive first priority, including press releases, recruitment materials, development and alumni publications, athletic publications and admissions communications.
  2. Publications that are essential to the ongoing operation of the university and have broad usage, such as the university viewbook, catalog, continuing education schedules and departmental brochures.
  3. Promotional materials that support or promote major university events such as athletic events, alumni events, performing arts and lecture series.

Photography

If a campus event warrants photography services, the Department of Communications and Marketing may be available. Photographs shot by Communications and Marketing may be used for press releases, webpages and/or university promotions.

When considering photography for publications or to record a departmental event or program event, consult the Department of Communications and Marketing at least two weeks in advance to request a photographer.

The Department of Communications and Marketing welcomes the submission of event and/or departmental photos. All event photos, whether taken by the Department of Communications and Marketing or submitted by individuals, may be uploaded to the photo gallery on the ECU website.

Photos from the online photo gallery can be downloaded for free and are generally reproducible as 4x6 photos.

Communications and Marketing maintains an archive of digital photos, slides, negatives and black-and-white and color photographs.

Anyone needing copies of photos from the archive or in a larger format than what can be downloaded from the online gallery, can purchase a CD with the specified photos for $10. This excludes photos that have been submitted by other departments or individuals.

Photo Examples

Web Services

There are more than 1.7 million visits to the www.ecok.edu site annually. East Central University’s website is one of our primary contacts with students, faculty, staff, future students and the world at large. The Department of Communications and Marketing is responsible for managing the ECU website. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to send timely updates to the webmaster (i.e. calendar items, photos, changes in department information).

During the fall of 2009, ECU purchased and implemented a new Content Management System which allows departments to update their own webpages with ease. For CMS training, please contact Ryan Wetherill at webmaster@ecok.edu or 580-559-5863.

Design and Printing Publications

These guidelines are to be used in the design and printing of East Central University publications. University publications are to be approved by the Department of Communications and Marketing.

The Department of Communications and Marketing will recommend a printing option, which could include the use of an outside vendor or university resources.

The audience and purpose of the publication will determine the extent to which a design that requires outside printing will be pursued and the turnaround time for the project.

Each academic year, every department may request 500 full-color, two-sided pages.

Once a department has used their 500 page allotment, the department will be billed at a cost of $0.30 per color page and $0.05 per black and white page.

Internal Publications

Publications used for internal audiences must follow guidelines outlined in ECU’s Graphic Identity and Standards Policy.

Materials include but are not limited to:

  • Posters
  • Concerts
  • Events
  • Forms
  • Handbooks
  • Directories
  • Internal campus newsletters or departmental newsletters aimed at a narrow audience
  • Other campus activities for the ECU community
  • Announcements publicizing speakers

As a rule, Communications and Marketing does not provide design or production support for materials intended solely for internal campus distribution. Exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis, workload permitting.

Communications and Marketing publications staff are available to help design templates for departmental use in self-producing internal publications such as newsletters, programs or informational pamphlets, and to provide general advice on graphic design and editorial matters.