UAC Marketing Handbook
Prepared by:
Stephen Ho
UAC VP Marketing 2003-2004
Job description for UAC VP of Marketing
“The Vice President of Marketing is responsible for the overall publicity of
UAC and also serves as a resource to committees with regards to publicity
concerns.”
Basically, these are the things you are responsible for:
 Market UAC (the umbrella organization) to the University community.
 Market UAC’s events to the University community.
 Try to establish a link between UAC and UAC’s committees to the
general public. People usually know about our committees, but have
no clue who or what UAC is. Thus, try to build a stronger brandrecognition for UAC.
 Assist committees in creating an effective marketing strategy, and to
assist all their marketing concerns.
 Tend to publicity materials for UAC (ie. Brochure, website)
 CREATE AN EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGY which is totally
up to you to define. You have the job and responsibility and also the
freedom to think beyond the box – not to mention the finances too –
so think of good ways to reach out to the student.
How to market UAC?
Traditional methods:
 DIAG Boards
 DIAG Banners
 Bus signs
 Flyering on kiosks
 E-mail lists (uac.info@umich.edu)
 Advertisement in The Daily, Every Three Weekly, The Current
 Advertisement in program books via. our committee, or cosponsorship program books (ie. Huaren or GenAPA)
 Festifall and Winterfest
 Pens/cups/brochures/website
Non-tradition methods:
 DIAG days – Give away free fishes and fish tanks on the DIAG, have
committees perform on the DIAG
 Have committees perform at other committees events
Where to get marketing things done?
1. The SORC (right across from UAC’s office): Register for DIAG
Boards/Banners/Bus signs here. You will have to submit your
materials to them 1 week in advance. You can buy materials to
make your DIAG boards/banners here, or you can go to Kinko’s to
have them created. You also have to sign up for the lottery process
of getting DIAG Boards/Banners with the SORC at the end of every
semester. Then, at the beginning of each semester, you will be
allocated a time/date to go and sign up. You also have to tell your
committees to do this as well. But, I suggest you to do it for them.
DIAG stuff are interchangeable between UAC committees, so if you
or another committee want DIAG Boards every week for the whole
semester, you/committees can use other committees allocated slots.
The best way to pay for this is to use an “open contract” with them –
so all you do is sign for it – no cash/check needed. You, as well as
all the executive/general board members, will have the ability to sign
for any purchases from the SORC.
2. Michigan Daily: If you need to place an ad into the Daily for
upcoming UAC events or to advertise for something else, contact
display@michigandaily.com . You can also send your ad file to them,
or you can tell them to make it for you – but it might look ugly. You
will be assigned with an ad manager to work with, who you will
coordinate your dealings with. The best way to pay for this either by
credit card (you get to earn your points or whatever you get from
your credit card) or by a purchase order. The purchase order can be
filled out and approved by an authorized signature (either the VP of
Finance or President), and then you will have to give a copy to the
Daily.
3. Union Graphic Design shop (down the hallway from UAC’s office):
They usually create all the professional posters for our committee’s
event. You have to fill out a design request (found on their door)
about a month in advance, since they are low on staff and the
turnaround rate is slow. In the past, they have created our brochures
for us. Payment is via. SOAS transfer – just tell them our SOAS
account number and sign – everything else will be taken care of
automatically. When working with them, they will continuously give
you updated copies of the work you requested them to make – but
make sure you proof read every draft that is given back.
4. Private hire: You can privately hire a person to design or to make
something for UAC. In previous experiences, we hired web
designers and students to assist UAC. The going rate for a design is
$100, but UAC does prefer NOT to pay for any services until needed.
If friends are willing to do it for free, then why not. The most we can
give them is a dinner treat or a title. It is also very important to create
a “temporary employment contract” (sample included) with the
private hire. To pay for private hires, the hired has to fill out “service
rendered” forms from the office – Mary will have these.
5. First Impression Printing is where we usually get our professional
posters and brochures printed at. Contact Steve Weaver who will
direct you on how to get files to him. They will in return send back a
‘dylex’ copy of what you want for proofing, and then when you say
OK, they will start printing your job order. To pay for this, use a
purchase order.
6. uac.info@umich.edu is a UAC mailing list which people sign up for
updates on our events. This mailing list is linked directly to our
website and you have to add/remove people from this list
continuously from directory.umich.edu. You will get emails from
people who want to join, and the email will simply say “from:
xxx@umich.edu” , and this means to add them. Usually, I will send 2
emails out every month (beginning and middle) about the events
UAC are having for the month (a sample is included). You will also
be required to create the email and perhaps the events, and keep
the dates/events/venue updated. It’s very important for you to know
when/what/where events are taking place – just incase somebody
asks.
7. The website needs to be constantly updated. For 2003-2004, we
hired Judy Yu (judyyu@umich.edu) to create our website. You can
probably hire her as a temporary worker (we paid her $10 an hour
for the website) to keep our site updated. You can also get things
added, changed, etc. but with the approval of the executive board.
Since our organization is event oriented, the website is very
important in letting people know about us.
8. Kinko’s is my best friend. You can get everything done there –
DIAG boards/banners, photocopying, etc… They are expensive, but
professional – I made all my DIAG boards from them averaging $250
per piece. But they last, and you don’t have to get dirty to make it.
(Yea I sound cheap). Just to remember, UAC has a tax-exempt from
Kinko’s (and other organizations as well). Show them our tax exempt
sheet and/or our account with them, and they will charge you without
tax. If not, you will not be reimbursed for any taxes paid. Mary will
have these sheets. If you want to photocopy, you can use the Union
Photocopying service on the ground floor of the Union. Just tell them
UAC’s SOAS account number and it’s all paid for. As for Kinko’s,
charge it or pay in cash, and give the receipts back to Mary for
reimbursement.
Financing your marketing strategy
At the beginning of each semester, you have to create a marketing budget,
which you should try to follow. It’s okay to be over and below at times, but
try to balance things out and don’t overspend tremendously. The budget is
fairly simple – just brainstorm what you want to do this semester, and
calculate how much it’ll cost in total. Better to overestimate than under.
Initiatives from last semester/Future goals
1. Selling advertisement space in UAC’s publications: I wanted to
raise money from selling advertisement space in UAC’s main
publications, as well as our secondary publications. The main one
being The Every Three Weekly and The Consider, and the
secondary ones being the program books for our events. I included
an unfinished brochure for this initiative. To bring this initiative
forward, I suggest to hire a group of people to be ‘sales’ people for
UAC – you can decide on the compensation yourself. I created a
suggested price for each program, and feel free to modify this if
needed. I think the committees are open to this idea (the last I
checked, at least), so just run it by the general board again.
2. DIAG Day/Welcome week party: Goal is to get freshmen attached
to UAC during the first week of school. To do this, we need a venue
that everybody would attend. Previous venues were Palmer Field,
but that is unavailable due to restrictions from the new Chemistry
buildings. Last year was held inside the Union on the 2nd floor, in
which a few local bands came. DON’T DUE THIS. I wasn’t the one
who planned it, but keep in mind you want a place where people can
see this even if they don’t know it’s planned. I suggest the DIAG.
You can have music playing on the DIAG from 1-2 without
restrictions – so I was thinking a day in early September, we would
monopolize the entire DIAG and the DIAG signs/banners with UAC
stuff. We can hire local band to come in and play for 20 minutes,
then have our committees play for another 20 minutes, and perhaps
have a drama show on the DIAG too. We can set up a few tents in
the middle of the DIAG offering free food/drink (??) and have ALL
our committees participate as well. This would be a mini-festifall for
UAC alone.
3. UAContributor? UAComdian? UACynical? There were some of
the branding we used to relate UAC and our committees. You will
find in many of the committee specific posters these phrases. In the
end, I hope that people can connect UAC and our committees
together, as well as what they do. They are found on our
brochures/website and basically everything we have. My goal is to
implement these phrases on all the marketing materials each
committee produces. So for example, I want posters from Amazin’
Blue to say “UAConcerts” on the top left corner, or from M-Flicks to
say “UACinemas” , etc…
Other things you should know
1. UAC CD is a collection of all the files I created/used during my term.
It includes all the poster files in pdf or photoshop format, as well as
other documents. Please add to this collection as you go on, and
pass it down. I also included a lot of UAC marketing materials as
examples for you.
2. UAC LOGO should appear on EVERY SINGLE MARKETING
MATERIALS CREATED WITHIN UAC. That means, ALL
committees posters/flyers/banners/etc should bare the UAC Logo on
it somewhere. I suggested to place it on the top left or bottom right –
and this needs to be enforced. A high quality UAC logo is placed on
the CD, as well as in the web directory.
3. UAC marketing materials can be purchased. We suggested
purchasing UAC mints/stress balls in the past, however, for my year,
we bought cups and pens (not my idea). You are free to purchase
whatever you may feel that can help get the name out. Use your
imagination. Remember to have our logo on the materials. You can
order these online or anywhere you feel is appropriate.
4. The Current is useless. I don’t suggest advertising in there – rather
advertise in the Daily if needed. The Current is full of ads and your
might be on page 88 or 100 of that magazine. Have you even heard
of it?
5. Commemorative posters are not allowed. From time to time,
committees (keep a watch out for BTP) would want to create
commemorative posters for people they bring in. This is prohibited
(unless under extreme circumstance) because it is very expensive to
print just a few, and it does not benefit any students but themselves.
NONONO!
6. UAC blacklist: Eston Bond, one of the failed web designers we
worked with.
7. Keep in mind that you are using student’s money – try to be cost
efficient as possible.