2021 Senior Workshop Classes Shine with Strategic Integrated Marketing Campaigns

The Ad/PR Senior Workshop, the capstone class for majors, challenges students to put their strategic communication skills to the test by taking on a paying client. Students form agency teams and research, plan and launch an integrated marketing communications campaign during the 16 week semester. Each term, there are two Workshops, team taught by Professors Lynne Scott Jackson and Yury Vargas and Professors Gerardo Blumenkrantz and John Totaro.

In Fall 2020, Scott Jackson and Vargas students worked with the New York Chapters of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) and the Black Public Relations Society (BPRS). Bluprint Media, Cultur.ly and Aequitas addressed the need to attract members from diverse audiences and enhance inclusive programming of interest to recent graduates and stress the value and networking and mentoring opportunities offered by professional associations. During the judging phase, executives from each association revealed that elements of each campaign would likely be considered by marketing committees in 2021 and beyond.

The marketing objective for students in Blumenkrantz and Totaro’s class was to increase the number of CCNY Downtown students enrolling in the 4+1 BA/MA Program, which enables talented and motivated undergraduate students in the Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences program to enroll in courses in the Study of the Americas MA to connect their specific concentration area to a broader context. This gives them the option of completing the MA degree after receiving their BAs. By earning an advanced degree, students will be more competitive for jobs and for admissions to further graduate study such as PhD programs.

The Brick Agency Team developed a campaign that celebrated the students’ titanic multitasking skills, encouraging them to use them towards completion of the program while Team Level Up positioned the 4+1 BA/MA Program as one who will give students the tools they need to navigate the current sociopolitical landscape.

In Spring 2021, Scott Jackson and Vargas students worked with CCNY Student Health Services to raise awareness of its value and encourage students to take advantage of in person and virtual physical and emotional / counseling services as they return to campus in the fall. Realizing that a post pandemic world presents unique challenges, students galvanized support for additional CUNY funding, in that a lone clinician, Romy Fabal RN is not adequate to meet the health service needs of 16,000 students.

Teams INtouch, Big Apple PR and Fusion Media created an array of multi-platform thought leadership content, advertising and alternative media to drive the narrative home. INtouch secured the account win and created an online Change.org petition to galvanize support for increased Student Health Services funding which includes more than 420 signatures and counting! Supported by publicity, social media and online events, student teams were excited to leave a legacy of healthy living, reminding classmates to take care of their minds, bodies and souls.

Students in Blumenkrantz and Totaro’s class had the opportunity to develop integrated marketing campaigns for The Americas Film Festival of New York (TAFFNY), which represents the rich diversity of the cultures, languages and stories of North America, Central America, and South America along with their associated islands. The festival is a project of the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education of City College of New York (The City University of New York - CUNY), in collaboration with the Cervantes Institute of NY and the National Museum of the American Indian. TAFFNY aims to create a new culture of cinematography appreciation by providing a dynamic space for the public and artists to meet and reflect on multiculturalism and diversity in our society, while promoting the work of new and emerging filmmakers.

The marketing objective of this semester’s Ad/PR Workshop project is to increase CCNY Downtown student awareness, engagement and participation in TAFFNY by making the Festival both relevant AND exciting to them. At the moment, three student teams are developing integrated communications campaigns that address this exciting challenge.