BIC Professor Stahl's Art and Craft of PR Wins Axiom Business Book Award

2/21/2019 Unknown 0 Comments


The 2019 Axiom Business Book Awards, honoring this year's best business books, their authors, and publishers, has just been announced. We’re excited to find BIC Professor Sandra Stahl on the list. Her book The Art and Craft of PR is a bronze award winner in the Advertising/Marketing/PR/Event Planning category.

Drawing on decades of experience in agency and corporate positions, The Art and Craft of PR is a user’s manual of skills that distinguish PR as integral to meeting organizations’ needs and business challenges. Her book includes insights from communications leaders at corporate, agency, and industry powerhouses including Burson-Marsteller, Chevron, Edelman, Levi-Strauss, and the Holmes Report.

The Axiom Business Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary business books and their creators, with the understanding that business people are an information-hungry segment of the population, eager to learn about great new books that will inspire them and help them improve their careers and businesses.

A big BIC congrats, to Sandra Stahl!

2019 DezMax Winners Tackle STEM and Entrepreneurship

2/16/2019 Unknown 0 Comments

Congratulations to Carlos Matias (BIC 2020), the big winner of BIC's DezMax Scholarship! His submission fulfilled the criteria of the award which asks BICsters to develop a project that champions a cause with persuasion, passion, and charisma. Carlos's cause was to increase female representation in the STEM fields.

His research indicated that girls from under-represented minorities have less guidance from role models when seeking career information. Indeed, only 50% of minority girls know someone in a STEM career as opposed to 61% of Caucasian girls.

Recognizing this as a serious obstacle, Carlos proposed "STEMfit," an educational program that consists of a traveling lab and accompanying mobile app that leverages the very technology that students love as a way to introduce them to major accomplishments and achievements of minorities in STEM-related fields. The program will take an active learning approach by using interactivity to teach them how to apply STEM material in real-life scenarios. The idea for STEMfit was first sparked in the Fall 24-Hour Idea Hack.



Sahana Chowdhury (BIC '19) also received a DezMax scholarship for her proposal "Idea Hub." By appreciating that entrepreneurial networking and idea-generating energy is more challenging to harness in rural areas, Sahana created Idea Hub, an entrepreneurial incubator that partners with big box stores across the countryside. Companies such as Staples and Home Depot can utilize their underperforming space by embedding dedicated "idea generators" that have the sort of entrepreneurial energy that organizations like WeWork capture in urban areas. Sahana's proposal was a more developed version of a team project she first presented in the B2001 Strategy course.

ABOUT the Desmond Maxwell Cause + Charisma Scholarship. As a student in BIC's inaugural Class of 2015, Desmond was a successful media consultant, boastful undergraduate of City College, and proud member of the US Marine Corps, having served with distinction. He often said with great pride that he was “born and buttered in Harlem.” Dez was not just a charismatic man, but a generously supportive and inspiring classmate who championed causes that were close to his heart. Sadly, Dez died just before he was able to graduate. However, through the generosity of classmates, BIC Board Members, and friends (with a special shout out to GroupM), BIC was able to set up the DezMax Scholarship in his honor. Each year, a BIC student is awarded up to $4,000 for a submission that best demonstrates a communications-based solution to a societal problem. 



Interested in donating to the DezMax Scholarship fund?Ask bic@ccny.cuny.edu how...

BICsters in CMYK's Top 100 New Creatives

2/16/2019 Unknown 0 Comments


Once considered the premier place to find the best student talent in the world, CMYK went on hiatus a few years ago. Many wondered if it would ever return. But this month, CMYK relaunched with its 58th issue. What makes it extra special is that work from five BICsters has won CMYK’s Contest for the Top 100 New Creatives. According to Matt Hamilton, one of the BIC winners, "it's really cool to be featured next to a lot of amazing student work. The ideas and executions are all so impressive; we're excited to be chosen!"


Natia Maisuradze and Matt Hamilton, BIC '19, were recognized for a campaign they did to promote Bumble, a new dating app. They were tasked with highlighting its other services that were less well-known so that consumers could appreciate that Bumble is “more than just a dating app.” Their campaign uses classic love song scenarios in unexpected ways. For greater impact, Natia and Matt proposed launching the campaign on Valentine’s Day. The team was inspired by a class assignment in BIC’s Creative Concept course taught by Cassondra Bazelow (BIC '16) and Caroline Monday. According to Natia, "We're not only proud that our work will be featured among inspiring artists across the globe, but we want to thank our instructors Cassondra and Caroline who gave us direction and valuable feedback while working on the campaign itself."



Letier Santana, BIC '19, was recognized for her campaign promoting Sunset Sarsaparilla, a western style beverage that's featured in the video game Fallout. She was tasked with re-igniting the brand.  Letier targeted Millennial festival-goers who spend on experiences and are loyal to the brands they love. The project was part of the BIC Creative Round Robin overseen by Professor Gerardo Blumenkrantz and was seeded during a “brief and critique” at Digitas.


Amera Lulu, from the BIC Class of 2020, and Peter LavergataBIC '19, were recognized for a campaign promoting Petco, an assignment in BIC’s Multi-Media course taught by Vera Keiter (BIC '15) and Delilah Kim. They were tasked with attracting younger customers to the brand, especially those who are working professionals with small apartments and little time. The “Friends That Fit” campaign shows how Petco can bring the joy of companionship to even the tiniest homes. Amera says that it's "inspiring and humbling to be named one CMYK’s Top 100 New Creatives; it has given me the motivation to put my best foot forward as I continue to work on building my career in advertising."




A Beloved Brand Taps into BIC for Spring Capstone

2/12/2019 Unknown 0 Comments


Diageo, a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer, partners with BIC once again for the Spring Corporate Capstone. Headquartered in London and here in New York City, 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 Alex Carantza, both experts in consumer insights and planning, to promote one of the newest extensions of a beloved brand: Baileys Almande.  With fewer calories, Baileys Almande is not only gluten free, but perfect for those who are vegan and lactose-intolerant. These characteristics combine to create an interesting communications challenge that sets the stage for a productive final semester for the BIC Class of 2019.

All four teams will work from the same brief presented by Diageo on February 7th and then pitch their integrated marketing communications campaigns to the client on May 16th. In between, BICsters will do a deep dive into market research to uncover insights that will drive strategic communications solutions that “scream deliciousness” in product-specific ways.

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. In the Fall semester, BICsters focus on a non-profit organization. This year, they worked on behalf of Sandy Hook Promise to help stop gun violence by promoting clubs on high school campuses.

Oh, Joy!! BIC Baby Girls and Boys!!

2/12/2019 Unknown 0 Comments


Some say it’s the ultimate act of collaboration. Others insist it’s the water in Hamilton Heights. Whatever the reason, BICsters are producing the most beautiful babies. It all started with Diana Olsen Friedman. As a founding BICster, she entered the program in Fall 2013. But she took a break in September 2014 for Sydney — BIC Baby #ONE. Her classmates sent her a BIC Baby T-shirt and a tradition was born. 

Other babies rocking the BIC Baby T-Shirt include Rye Aran Stefanik, Oct 2017 (Jason Stefanik, BIC Professor), Gabriel Moises Venero, April 2018 (Erica Lopez, BIC ’18),  Aarav Das Chowdhury, July 2018 (Sahana Chowdhury, BIC ’19), Elle Miftari, August 2018 (Ben Miftari, BIC ’17), Jonathan Davis, September 2018 (Douglas Davis, BIC Professor), Golda Hannah Reinfeld Kahana, October 2018 (Jake Kahana, BIC Professor),  Mavrick Hudson Leo, January 2019 (Marlene Leo, BIC Program Specialist).

BRAVO from BIC — congrats to all the parents!! And keep those pictures coming!!