CONFERENCE RECAPS

Sustainability as a Lifestyle: What it Means for Consumers & Brands April 30 th , 2017 Speakers: Molly Malloy (Moderator) - Director of Brand Purpose Planning at Futerra Jennifer Coleman - PR & Social Media Manager at UncommonGoods Andrea Reyes - Chair of the NYC Fair Trade Coalition and Co-Founder of A.Bernadette Whitney Ferrell - Founder of RE.BIN and Environmental Attorney Julie Gueraseva - Founder - Creative + Editorial Director of LAIKA Magazine I was glad to have chance to attend the conference “Sustainability as a Lifestyle” in Dumbo, which was a part of Lightfoot Market - a sustainability pop-up. I found this conference was interesting because given today’s  political environment, it’s a time to take stock of the role and efficacy of “conscious consumerism” and explore what it means for consumers and brands today.  In the discussion, we got chance to hear different perspectives on these important questions, How can the average ...

Sustainability as a Lifestyle: What it Means for Consumers & Brands How can the average person make sustainable and ethical decisions in his or her everyday life? What are brands’ responsibilities to make these decisions easier and more accessible for consumers? These were just a two of the many questions discussed at the " Sustainability as a Lifestyle: What it Means for Consumers & Brands" conference. Guest got the chance to hear a panel of communication professionals discuss how an average person can make can make sustainable and ethical decisions in their everyday life. I found this conference interesting because it aligned with my law and ethics class I am taking this semester. I found a lot of materials that we discussed in class came up in discussion. During one part of the conversation, the panel explored how a person's morals and ethics can be challenged at their work place. There were a number of different scenarios thrown out and the audience al...

#PRDiversity2020: The Struggle is Real/Meeting Business Objectives with a 2020 Mindset examines the current and future states of DNI in public relations On Wednesday, May 3rd, public relations professionals of all backgrounds and career levels gathered to attend a seminar centered around diversity and inclusion. Hosted by Angela Chitkara, PR Track Director at BIC, and The Holmes Report, #PRDiversity2020: The Struggle is Real/Meeting Business Objectives with a 2020 Mindset proved to be an eye-opening seminar that delved into the somewhat controversial topic of diversity and inclusion (DNI) in the communications industry. At a point in American history in which multiculturalism and diverse individuals is in a precarious state, conversations centered on DNI are more important than ever.  Opening words were delivered by Nancy Tag, Program Director at BIC. Tag mused over the spectrum of diversity on the campus of City College. As one of the most diverse campuses in...

This is a conference held by 451, an agency that is specialized on providing strategic creative, digital marketing and public relations campaigns. The presenter is Francis Skipper, who has over 15 years of experience in global digital marketing including search engine marketing, social media and digital advertising. At Agency 451, Skipper has built an industry leading digital team, developing award-winning global digital marketing campaigns for clients including AstraZeneca, Bob’s Discount Furniture and Ericsson. Francis is a renowned thought leader in the digital space; speaking regularly at industry conferences and events, as well as contributing to industry publications. Astonishingly, according to Forbes, the digital media giants, Google and Facebook, account for 65% of total social network ad spend - expected to reach $36 billion this year. And from 2015 to 2016, Facebook saw a 61% increase in ad spend. On the other hand, Google only saw a 20% increase in ad spend year ov...

On April 27th, Francis Skipper, a digital marketing leader held an event to share his opinion and discuss the future of digital advertising. He started the conversation by asking questions:“Now that Facebook and company are getting more screen time than Google, will social networks be the ultimate winners in the ad game? Is winter coming for Google?”  There is no doubt that social media is playing an increasing role in digital advertising. With so many successful social media campaigns, companies are paying more attention to build their brand in a social media way. However, most companies don’t have the knowledge to analyze the trend or the money to buy data. So they started hiring social media interns to test the water. Even the big companies are kind of far away from us, but looking at the trend can definitely help us find the right direction and walk the path more confidently.  Then he shared some facts “According to Forbes, Facebook saw a 61% i...

  BICsters be on the lookout for the application deadline (sometime in June) Last summer, I attended the Griffin Farley Beautiful Minds Program. It is a strategy & planning boot camp inspired to mentor young talent who want to break into the increasingly competitive advertising industry as strategists or planners. The program takes place at BBH New York and lasts for 4 days. How the program works: The first day is the networking day where you get to meet your group members (they randomly divide you in groups of 5-6 people), chat with aspiring planners and strategists just like you as well as industry well established professionals who are the speakers or program mentors. The second day is when the program officially kicks off. The day starts at 8 am with a series of great speakers sharing their own insights and experiences: how they got their first job, advice on how to transition into the industry, what are the best strategically driven campaigns...

On March 27th, I attended the #UnstoppableLatinas Leadership Summit hosted by WebCityGirls, in partnership with 100 Hispanic Women National. Each panel contained women in leadership positions, within tech and media, and focused on the best ways to be a leader and help others become leaders. The main focus was success through collaboration instead of competition. By learning to unite and empower one another, we are pushing our way into powerful roles in business, marketing, etc. The purpose is empowerment and all we can do to raise the number of women in powerful roles, which are slim to none and the number is even smaller when looking at women of color in powerful roles. It is all about what you can do for me and what I can do for you. Through mentorship and networking, women will become unstoppable. Takeaways What was memorable to me was just how important women are in business. In the first panel, Powerhouse Latinas: Thought Leadership Through Purposeful Business, Liz...