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Department Spotlight: Office of Marketing & Strategic Communications

Denise Haviland, center, director of the Office of Marketing & Strategic Communications, works with Divinity School staff to review goals, strategy and costs for an online communications project.
Denise Haviland, center, director of the Office of Marketing & Strategic Communications, works with Divinity School staff to review goals, strategy and costs for an online communications project.

Department:
Office of Marketing & Strategic Communications.

Years at Duke: 1 year.

Number of employees:
Two.

Who they are:
Denise Haviland, director of marketing and strategic communications, and Blyth
Morrell, senior web and vendor consultant, comprise Duke's in-house strategic communications consulting
and vendor management department for all print, web and multimedia
communication efforts that cost more than $5,000. "We are matchmakers and
advisors," Haviland said. "We help departments find the best tools, resources
and vendors for the job they want to accomplish."

They collaborate
closely with the Office of Information Technology, which hosts most Duke
websites, and Procurement, which has handled print and design projects for more
than 10 years. The marketing and strategic communications office helps schools
and departments more effectively present their programs internally and
externally, while reducing the $13.6 million Duke spent in fiscal year 2009 on
developing magazines, newsletters, websites, graphic design and other
communication products.

What they’re known
for:
Their most visible product is a style guide website. This site includes downloads of Duke-branded
PowerPoint templates, Duke logos, fonts and colors and code for the Duke Web
Brand Bar, a resource for Duke-affiliated websites. The office also certifies
vendors to ensure they understand and maintain Duke brand standards. Certified
vendors know, for example, the exact shade to use for Duke blue (PMS 287 for
print, #001A57 for web) and agree to Duke's intellectual property rules and
regulations.

What they do for you:
Employees with responsibility for large communication projects can contact the
office for help in determining the scope and purpose of a project, getting quotes from at least two vendors (a
requirement for all projects that cost more than $5,000), reviewing bids and
negotiating contracts and navigating Duke's procurement policies. The office
routinely includes a bid from internal services, such as Duke Photography, the
Duke Copy Center or Duke Web Services, where possible. "We don't give
preferential treatment to Duke services," Morrell said. "But we like to keep
Duke dollars at Duke when it makes sense to do so."

Hidden department/unit
fact:
The office is located in an old faculty apartment on the fourth floor
of the West Campus Union Building. "There are 82 steps and no elevator to our
office, but we have the most incredible view of the Chapel and Quad from our
windows," Morrell said.

Significant
achievement:
Saving Duke $5.5 million last year on communication projects
through strategic review of projects, competitive bidding and buying services
in bulk.

Big goal:
Strengthening Duke's brand identity and visual image, while saving the university
money.

How they make a
difference:
Seeing the big picture. "We have a bird's-eye view of what is
happening in communication at Duke," Haviland said. "We can see where the
opportunities are to share knowledge or save money."