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Brand and Reputation Policy

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Section 1 - Purpose

(1) This Policy: 

  1. provides a framework to support and sustain the University’s brand; 
  2. describes a standards-based approach to manage marketing, communications, media and public relations activities in a sustained and disciplined way; 
  3. supports UOW’s ability to protect and enhance its reputation; and 
  4. prescribes the correct use of the University name. 
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Section 2 - Scope

(2) This Policy applies to: 

  1. staff, students and affiliates; 
  2. any use of the UOW brand identity, logo, or name; 
  3. all official UOW communications. 

(3) This Policy does not apply (unless stated) to: 

  1. controlled entities (including UOW Enterprises, University of Wollongong USA Foundation, UOW Pulse, and may change over time), however, controlled entities are expected to maintain equivalent policies, and form appropriate usage of UOW's name and marks by way of agreement, licensing or ongoing alignment with UOW's brand strategy and trademark holdings.
  2. students, where they are required to develop materials for learning purposes that will not be released publicly.

(4) All official UOW communications:

  1. must comply with all relevant legislation, such as the Copyright Act 1968, Trade Marks Act 1995, and Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
  2. produced by staff must comply with University conduct policies such as the University Code of Conduct, Respect for Diversity Policy, Privacy Policy and the Inclusive Language Guidelines. 

(5) If this Policy refers to the title of a position at UOW, that reference is taken to include any future change in title for that position, provided the position is substantively the same. 

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Section 3 - Principles 

(6) The University is committed to:

  1. upholding the integrity of its brand, ensuring that all marketing, communications, media, and public relations activities align with the University's core values and standards; and
  2. universal design and accessibility, ensuring that the campus, digital platforms, experiences and communications are inclusively designed and accessible to everyone.
  3. maintaining a culture of inclusivity and collaboration.

(7) All representation of the University, whether through its name, visual identity elements, language system, or tone of voice, should be consistent and in accordance with the prescribed Brand Guidelines. This ensures that the University's brand identity remains distinct and recognisable, fostering trust and credibility amongst both internal audiences and external audiences. 

(8) Official UOW communications must adhere to relevant legislation, including but not limited to the Copyright Act 1968, Trade Marks Act 1995, and Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Additionally, communications produced by staff should be in line with the University's ethical standards, such as the University Code of Conduct, Respect for Diversity Policy, and Privacy Policy. 

(9) The Policy and associated procedures provide clear guidance to support UOW's brand identity and reputation, aim to manage risk, and ensure compliance with regulatory and legislative requirements, by prescribing: 

  1. approval processes (for usage of university name and UOW logos, depending on intent; development of UOW official communications; entering into brand partnerships and creating social media pages); 
  2. ongoing management of key activities and touchpoints (email signature, internal communications, logos, media, signage, website, YouTube). 
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Section 4 - Brand and Reputation Procedures 

(10) The following procedures (and associated templates available at UOW Brand Identity give effect to this Policy, describing activities that support UOW’s brand identity and reputation. These procedures (and templates) are available for staff (and other approved users). Approved users are tracked on a register.

Procedure 
Description 
Brand Approvals Procedure
Prescribes the process for approving: 
Use of the University Name (by the University or Third Parties); 
Use of the UOW Logo (by the University or Third Parties); 
Official UOW Communications; 
Brand Partnerships; 
Requests for new UOW Social media presences. 
Email Signature Procedure
Prescribes the management of UOW email signatures by defining information required to be included in the UOW email signature and how it should appear. 
Internal Communications Procedure 
Prescribes the management of internal communications; and outlines the types, formats and approvals of internal communications. 
Logos Procedure 
Sets out the process for the management of UOW Logos. 
Media Procedure 
Prescribes the management of UOW media activity. 
Signage Procedure 
Prescribes the standardisation and management of UOW's signage design and production to ensure efficient direction, location identification, accessibility compliance, brand consistency, and to guide the design, and production process. 
Website Procedure 
Prescribes the management of UOW’s web presence to ensure proper hosting, discoverability, information architecture, content design, accessibility compliance, brand consistency, and to guide the development process. 
YouTube Procedure
Prescribes the management of UOW’s YouTube channel outlining the content, format, and approval and submission requirements. 
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Section 5 - Non-Compliance

(11) Suspected non-compliance must be reported to the Advancement and Communications Division. The Advancement and Communications Division will assess and address non-serious instances informally. Serious or continued instances will be handled as follows: 

  1. Staff non-compliance will be escalated to local management, Office of General Counsel, Senior Executive, or to the People and Culture Division, depending on type of non-compliance and context. This may include initiating disciplinary action according to relevant UOW misconduct guidelines or procedures, applicable policies, enterprise agreements, industrial instruments or contracts. 
  2. Student non-compliance will be resolved according to relevant UOW policies, rules or guidelines in relation to student misconduct. 
  3. In cases of third-party non-compliance, contact the third party and seek to resolve according to the relevant contract or other arrangement as quickly as possible. Where relevant, the University may seek those costs incurred in corrective action, and assurance from the third party that all reasonable steps will be undertaken to ensure that there are no future instances of non-compliance. 
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Section 6 - Roles and Responsibilities

(12) The Advancement and Communications Division: 

  1. is responsible for developing, managing and maintaining all elements of UOW marks, including relevant guidelines; 
  2. provides support and advice on the use of the UOW the brand and its elements; 
  3. manages the University’s relationship with its alumni and philanthropic donors. It is critical that any communication with alumni and donors is managed effectively and that their privacy is respected. Not all requests to communicate with alumni and donors can be supported;
  4. manages all requests to send communications to alumni or philanthropic donors prior to publication or release; and  
  5. manages and has oversight of advertising supplier relationships and advertising bookings. 
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Section 7 - Definitions

Word/Term
Definition (with examples if required)
Brand 
An intangible perception that audiences have about a brand identity. Made up of many associations formed in the minds of audiences. 
Brand Identity 
A way to uniquely identify the specific source of a product or service. At UOW includes name, visual identity elements (font, colours, images, graphic devices and style), the language system and tone of voice (the way UOW sounds in its written, spoken or heard communications). 
The brand architecture of an organisation is the arrangement and development multiple brand identities. 
Brand Guideline 
Prescribes the UOW brand identity, with approval from the Vice-Chancellor and President and communicates the UOW brand identity via the UOW Brand Identity website.
External Audience  Individuals who are not staff, students or affiliates. 
Internal Audience  Individuals who are staff, students or affiliates. 
Marketing, Communication and Creative Services Suppliers  Marketing preferred suppliers refer to third-party professionals and agencies, including designers, graphic artists, photographers, videographers, typographers, musicians, illustrators, media booking, and public relations service providers, that the University of Wollongong (UOW) periodically appoints. These suppliers are specifically selected and vetted for their expertise and their alignment with UOW's standards and needs, by the Advancement and Communications Division. 
Official UOW Communications  Materials communicated by or on behalf of UOW, both in traditional and digital formats, that include promotional items, merchandise, university messages, advertisements, media outreach, sponsorships, official websites, and signs on campus. Used by UOW to establish a consistent brand identity, and engage with audiences to maximise recognition, and connect them with UOW’s values, achievements, and services. 
Public Relations  Activities undertaken to shape and manage relationships between the UOW and its stakeholders. 
Senior Executive Positions defined as Senior Executive within the Delegations of Authority Policy. 
Social Media Channel  Digital platforms (including apps and websites) that enable users to create and share information or ideas with a network of other users. 
Sponsorship  An alliance, collaboration or other relationship between UOW and a Third Party in which one party provides funding, resources or in kind services to the other party, in return for benefits such as rights of association for commercial and/or reputational advantage. 
Third Party  An organisation, company or individual external to UOW. 
Unauthorised or Incorrect Use  Use of the UOW name, a UOW mark, a UOW Social or UOW Web presence that does not comply with this policy and associated policy and procedure documents. 
UOW Logo  The main visual identifier for UOW, incorporating the UOW crest and the words "University of Wollongong Australia". Does not include campus, faculty, school or department). 
University Name 
The University name and all abbreviations and derivations of that name. The official name of the University is the “University of Wollongong, Australia”, and the appropriate abbreviated name is “UOW”. 
Campus names relate to the University name, but denote location, not University. At all campus locations, "University of Wollongong, Australia" is the University Name. 
"Wollongong Uni", "Wollongong University", "Uni of Wollongong" or "UoW" are not correct and must not be used to refer to the University. 
UOW Business Unit  A formally approved organisational unit within the University of Wollongong. 
Staff, Students and Affiliates  Staff (engaged as academic or professional services staff, casual or otherwise), Students (enrolled in a course at UOW, whether undergraduate or postgraduate) or Alumni and persons who hold Honorary or Visiting appointments with UOW (in conjunction with UOW's Appointment of Visiting and Honorary Academics Policy and University Honorary Award recipients, including University Fellows, Emeritus Professors and Honorary Doctorate recipients). 
Controlled Entity  Those entities over which UOW has control, as defined in section 16A of the University of Wollongong Act 1989 and section 2.2(1) of the Government Sector Finance Act 2018.