Diageo taps BICsters to help brand The Naked Turtle

2/23/2018 Unknown 0 Comments

Diageo, a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer, will be partnering with the BIC Corporate Capstone this spring to develop branding and integrated marketing communications materials for The Naked Turtle White Rum. Headquartered in London, England, Diageo produces over 200 brands – old and new, large and small, global and local – that are enjoyed in more than 180 countries around the world. Diageo is a business built and sustained through innovation; developing new ideas is crucial to its growth strategy. Its established brands include Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, and Guinness.

All semester long, BIC will be working with Diageo's Jason Chebib and Joyce He on one of its newest brands, The Naked Turtle White Rum, created by Diageo in 2012 and now in limited test markets. It's a rare spirit that has social impact built into its brand identity. According to The Naked Turtle’s website:  “Our journey began in 2012 when a small team hatched up a big idea. We decided to create a rum that could inspire a more colorful way to live and give. Recognizing that goodness starts from within, we made sure our rum was made with love and quality ingredients. But we wanted to spread that love even further by partnering with the Sea Turtle Conservancy to bring our true purpose to life: to save baby sea turtles with every bottle made.”

Diageo is looking to BICsters to help The Naked Turtle stand out from the crowd of alcoholic beverage brands by disrupting the traditional marketing model via drivers that resonate with today’s consumers.  In 2018, our objectives are to step-change awareness of Naked Turtle and increase consumer interaction and access to the product.

Each Spring semester, the BIC Corporate Capstone is led by BIC Professor and Program Director Nancy R. Tag who divides students into separate communications teams to fulfill the brief of a corporate client. Past clients have been Univision, Universal Music Group, and Heineken. HUSA Brand Manager Katherine Preville said of the experience: “Participating in the BIC Capstone was an incredibly rich and memorable experience.  Having an opportunity to review and hear ideas from passionate and driven grad students was refreshing and thought provoking.  The immense effort taken by the students to create diverse, rich, and unique content while trying to stay true to the brief provided was clear and a good way to get a fresh perspective.  It was a great experience and an honor to participate in the program.”

DECODED plus BIC equals social impact in Tech for Non-Techies partnership

2/23/2018 Unknown 0 Comments


The New Imperative: Tech Literacy for Non-Technicians.


Today, the communications industry is driven by technological advances that must be broadly understood, but not directly applied or mastered by many professionals in the field. That's why BIC is introducing a one-credit course this Spring semester called "Tech for Non-Techies." Because of the unique target audience and specialized nature of the instruction, BIC will be partnering with DECODED, an organization that helps businesses bridge the divide between digitally literate programmers and those who do not understand technology — often a company’s leadership. Decoded's mission is to "demystify" technology. This unique partnership with BIC spreads that mission into the academic realm.

Social Impact
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Currently, Decoded’s audience is industry. But both BIC and Decoded appreciate the educational value of teaching tech literacy to a vast number of students who aren’t studying technology, but must be knowledgeable and not intimidated by it in order to be academically and professionally successful. This Social Impact pilot partnership is being developed by Decoded's Senior Director of Team & Social Impact Jeffrey French along with BIC Professor and Program Director Nancy R. Tag. In order to see if this could be scaled up, Decoded is inviting potential benefactors to attend the one-day workshop that it's facilitating for the BIC students as part of its Tech for non-Techies course. 


Education of the Future?

If you're interested in introducing these concepts into education and are in a position to make an impact, either as an educational administrator or funder, please contact us at bic@ccny.cuny.edu.
BIC space in Shepard Hall on The City College of New York campus

DATE: Saturday, April 14th  10AM to 3PM* at The City College of New York, BIC Space

Workshop Description : Decoded will run Code in a Day for Nancy Tag’s BIC students plus select higher education funders (or decision makers) inspired by the vision of education creating digitally empowered innovators. The Decoded team would be made up of 2 facilitators. The participants will be evenly split between students and education funders.

Theme : Code-in-a-Day is an intensive day-long experience for anyone seeking to understand how the digital world is built, and what’s possible with digital technology today.

Format : Each learner is put into the shoes of a developer for the day. The day is designed around a brief to design, build and launch a multi-platform app that encourages and rewards customer loyalty. Through this hands-on process, learners will understand what code is, how it is used and how it can be harnessed your new understanding of it to excel in business.

*3PM Benefactors Info Session: Stick around >> DECODED holds an open discussion on The Education of the Future for educators, corporate funding partners, academic administrators, and other beneficiaries interested in learning how to scale up the day's program.  By invitation only.
Decoded's learning-by-doing approach to education

2 Robs @ BIC in 2018

2/20/2018 Unknown 0 Comments

This Spring, BIC welcomes Board Members Rob Schwartz, CEO of TBWA/Chiat/Day NY, and Rob Norman, Former CEO/CDO of GroupM, to campus as lecturers in our @BIC Series.

On Monday, February 26th, our favorite disruptor Rob Schwartz will present "The Seven Stories," his take on how seven basic archetypal stories are used every day to build brands.  On Monday, April 16th, the industry's eminent trend-watcher Rob Norman will look back on his years in the business in his lecture "Thirty Years of Curiosity: A Survivor's Guide to the Ad Biz."

These events are open to public. To reserve your seat, please RSVP to bic@ccny.cuny.edu.

#PRDiversity: The Struggle is Real Wins the 2018 SABRE Innovation Excellence Award

2/17/2018 Unknown 0 Comments


Following a cocktail party reception at the Intercontinental Hotel in New York City, BIC Professor Angela Chitkara was awarded the 2018 SABRE for Most Innovative Project at the University Level for her research on diversity in the public relations industry. She took to the stage to thank the industry's support and efforts to put D&I in the forefront of talent development, retention, and innovation.

In collaboration with The Holmes Report, Angela Chitkara first previewed her diversity and inclusion research in a Town Hall meeting at The City College of New York in May and then presented more advanced findings in July before CEOs, Diversity and Inclusion Officers, students, and faculty. The research, #PRDiversity: The Struggle is Real: Meeting Business Objectives with a 2020 Mindset, focuses on the role of the CEO in Diversity and Inclusion primarily.

Her May event gave industry CEOs the floor to answer some of the questions raised in the research. CEOs Peter Harris of GraylingHeidi Hovland of DeVries GlobalBrad MacAfee of Porter Novelli, and Rob Flaherty of Ketchum engaged the audience in panel discussion. 


About the SABRE Awards: Considered the world's biggest PR awards program, dedicated to benchmarking the best PR work from across the globe, this year's Innovation SABRE Award entries “spanned an impressive breadth — the work touched on cultural moments, the political climate, social movements, technological change and, in some cases, unearthed innovation in unexpected places.” Click here to see all the nominees  http://bit.ly/2Goz1aS

About The Holmes Report: The Holmes Report is the authoritative voice of the global public relations industry, dedicated to proving and improving the value of public relations by providing insight, knowledge and recognition to public relations professionals.



Don't Miss This Year's BIC PiP!!

2/17/2018 Unknown 0 Comments


Hey Talent Cultivators, Super Star Searchers, and Career Catalysts!!

It comes once a year. And THIS year, the BIC PiP is on Friday, March 16th. 

What’s a PiP? It’s BIC's Portfolio-in-Progress event — a one-day opportunity for recruiters to get a “sneak peek” at portfolios as they are in development. This gives industry reps the unique opportunity to give feedback to students two months before their Portfolio Defense in May. You can engage more substantively with students because the relationship is not transactional. You’ll not only be able to preview great talent before it hits the marketplace, but get to cultivate your ideal candidate: you’ll actually get to see your feedback in action at the next job interview. 
BIC is the only master’s degree program to teach branding and communications in an integrated way. The program is portfolio-driven which means that ALL students (not just art directors and writers, but managers, planners, and public relations practitioners) must create and defend a portfolio to professionals in order to graduate. Those portfolios are high-level and built over the course of the students’ two years in the program. 

Who are BICsters? Most of our students are working professionals, super-motived and savvy. They’ve Idea catalysts. Culture creators. Social Do-Gooders. Communication strategists. Creative managers. PR activators. Conceptualizers. Wordsmiths. Designers. Brand galvanizers. Problem solvers. Forward thinkers. Lateral thinkers. Deep thinkers. Non-Bloviators... BICsters have earned undergraduate degrees at schools such as Yale, RISD, Dartmouth, Hunter, Lehigh, Rochester, Bard, and Science Po. Since BIC's launch in 2013, BICsters have won five MAIPs, nine The LAGRANT Foundation Scholarships, and two GOLD Pencils at The ONE Show. 

BIC alums have rocked it at communications agencies such as Droga5, Y&R, HunterPR, Berlin Rosen, FutureBrand, 360i, Y&R, Cohen & Wolf, TBWA/Chiat/Day, RooneyPartners, and BBDO as well as companies such as Nestle, NYTimes Brand Studio, SAP, Johnson & Johnson, Vox, and the NAACP.

If you’re interested in attending please RSVP to bic@ccny.cuny.edu or CLICK here >> on the BIC Eventbrite page. Feel free to share, but space is limited so PLEASE RSVP. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. 


Spring BIC Open House

2/12/2018 Unknown 0 Comments



If you -- or a colleague -- are searching for a "get your hands dirty" master's degree in communications, let us introduce you to a new kind of graduate program. Our 36-credit, portfolio-driven Master's in Branding + Integrated Communications (BIC) let's you research, think, collaborate, create, and feed your curiosity in three interdisciplinary tracks --  Management & Planning, Creative, and Public Relations.

Curious? On Monday, February 26th, BIC opens its doors to inquisitive candidates interested in applying to the BIC Master's Program for Fall 2018. The afternoon begins at 4:30 in Shepard Hall when Director Nancy R. Tag serves cookies and coffee while giving potential grad students an overview of the BIC Program. Attendees will be rewarded with a FREE admissions application — CCNY will waive the fee to everyone who signs in.  Then don't delay: the deadline to apply for Fall 2018 is April 1st. 

Stick around. At 6:00PM, BIC holds its first @BIC Lecture of the semester: "The Seven Stories" by BIC Board Member and TBWA/Chiat/Day NY Rob Schwartz.  No matter how innovative a marketing campaign may seem, no matter how new or different its premise appears, Rob contends that it can be reduced to one of seven basic archetypal themes. Based on Christopher Booker's book The Seven Basic Plots, Rob will explore how the seven stories can guide a firm in discovering what story its brand should tell. 


Immediately following, candidates are invited to sit in on B2003 Brand Experience, a foundational BIC course taught by Pentagram Creative Director Brian Crooks. Hungry for more? Grab a bite in the neighborhood. Mention CCNY BIC for a special 10% Off Discount at FUMO, our favorite Italian restaurant, at 139th and Amsterdam for Dinner.  Valid 2/26/18 only.   

Marcus Graham Project Picks Natalie Alcide for iCR8 Fellowship

2/12/2018 Unknown 0 Comments

Some background >> The inspiration for the Marcus Graham Project's iCR8™ program was posed in a blog written by Tiffany R. Warren, Chief Diversity Officer of The Omnicom Group and Founder of the AdColor Industry Coalition:
“One idea proposed is the creation of an industry sponsored advertising “bootcamp.” Such a camp could assist those agencies who need to diversify, but are worried about lack of advertising experience in potential candidates. This would also help professionals yearning to be free from other sectors hit the ground running when they enter ours.” (“The Big Tent,” Ad Age Blog)
The goal of iCR8™ programs to do just as Ms. Warren suggested, identify opportunities in the industry and those interested in pursuing them. The curriculum design was inspired by the 1969 Agency Primer written by Bill Sharp entitled, “How to Be Black And Get a Job in The Advertising Business Anyway.” 
From the site >> Approaching its 9th year, the Marcus Graham Project’s experiential learning methodology is specifically designed to provide diverse aspirants in the field of marketing and media, including advertising, PR & social media with the exposure and experience necessary to solidify careers within the industry. 
The selected participants in iCR8™ programs form themselves into a pop-up agency that they will run as they manage the clients that they will partner with. Each year, the selected team typically provides consultancy for a select non-profit organization, as well as a large corporation and a start-up.