Sharon Park ’11Journal #1
Today, I began my internship at BBMG, traveling downtown from the Upper West Side to Dumbo, Brooklyn. Two weeks ago, the agency moved from Union Square to a beautiful, airy, sun-filled office at 20 Jay Street. Though currently bare (with the occasional signage poster here and there), the office will be transformed throughout the duration of the summer into a unique workspace, complete with a literal open-door policy. Upon my arrival, Nicole Navratil, BBMG’s Chief Operating Officer, and Michelle Kowalski, Operations Manager, gave me a brief introduction to some of the office policies. This meeting took place in an area affectionately nicknamed “the Barn”, just one of the many unique aspects of the agency. I also met with my direct supervisor, Mirm Kriegel, who briefed me on the current projects as well as upcoming ones that will be on my radar for the summer. My first two tasks involve brainstorming recommendations for a rebrand of Nuru, a renewable energy company in Africa, and working on a marketing launch-strategy for a community college re-branding.
On Thursday, BBMG held its on-boarding (orientation) session for office newcomers, including myself and the other summer associates, as well as a few full-time employees who had recently joined the office. BBMG Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Raphael Bemporad, led the introduction, providing background on the philosophy and history behind the agency’s mission. He presented us with the “sacred vessel”, which houses inspirations and aspirations written by BBMG employees, to serve as a physical reminder of the company’s culture and mission. He encouraged us newbies to participate in filling the vessel with our own ideas. As I thought about what I could offer (both in terms of vessel contribution as well as to the agency itself) I realized that this physical vase represented BBMG to its core: passion and social purpose are inherent in the agency’s sustainable marketing and branding processes, which help clients attain new levels of corporate social responsibility, sustainable thinking, and consumer insight. The on-boarding continued with presentations by other senior members of the BBMG team, who walked us through the agency’s marketing and branding phases and projects.
By the end of my third week at BBMG, I felt as though I had seen a glimpse of agency life full-throttle (or something close, at least). I had helped our team brainstorm, hone, and deliver re-branding recommendations for Nuru, and also worked on creating a brand brief for the client. It was great to meet with Sameer Hajee, Founder and CEO of Nuru, when our team presented the recommendations to him in person. (Mirm will also be interviewing Sameer for an upcoming blog, which will be featured on BBMG’s website, and will tap into trends and issues that social enterprises face today.) Additionally, I’ve been active in several other aspects of the branding process —competitive research, vetting, naming/tagline discussions — for my team’s various clients, and have learned an immense amount so far. I’m looking forward to gaining even more experience as the weeks go by and as I delve further into the process.
Journal #2
At the beginning of my third week at BBMG, I accompanied Raphael, Mirm, and Barrie to a client kick-off meeting. With 30 participants, this three-and-a-half hour meeting was tightly condensed to capture as much insight and internal feedback as possible. We walked the participants through branding exercises, pushing each person to dig deeper into the meaning behind their current brand, and where we could potentially take it. As the meeting participants voiced their opinions, concerns, and feedback, I marveled at the influence this group would have on the direction of the re-brand. Their thoughts were truly going to be instrumental in the discovery phase, and onward into the actual branding and messaging of their organization. It was exciting to sit in on this meeting and observe how Raphael, Mirm, and Barrie worked their magic with the branding exercises to glean the deepest, most subtle insights. Knowing that all this feedback would eventually be the kickoff to a transformative moment for the client was inspiring.
By the sixth week of my internship, the office had celebrated five birthdays and one send-off over a multitude of baked goods and the occasional happy hour. The supportive culture at BBMG is clearly embedded in the work environment, and makes the agency’s tribe feeling all that more pronounced. Additionally, the office continued to grow its finished look; a new door was assembled onto the phone booth room and, by the end of my sixth week, the conference-room table finally arrived, providing enough room for us to sit in a rectangular fashion rather than a happy, haphazard circle for staff meetings.
Week six also gave me the opportunity to work on messaging deliverables as well as some deep dive research for one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the city, prior to the storytelling/positioning workshop we will hold for them on July 21. I was also assigned to be on BBMG blog duty, and wrote my first blog post about the notion of tribes and tribal benefits in marketing. Finally, the other summer associates and I learned that we will be engaging in a group project at the end of the summer, and will deliver both a proposal and 10-minute presentation to the agency principals regarding BBMG’s online community, The Collective. This project should be both stimulating and challenging, and will be sure to make the next few weeks busy.
Journal #3
In week seven, I was able to help Mirm and Barrie prepare for the storytelling/positioning workshop of one of the largest philanthropies in New York City. Our focus was to draw out the story and heart of the brand, and thus, we gave the workshop participants several exercises to get their minds working in that framework. The passion and excitement generated throughout the room that day was extraordinary — these people really cared about their mission, their organization, and their brand.
In week eight, our pod touched base with the senior team at Nuru, who we helped with brand brief-positioning earlier on in my internship. The phone meeting included a diverse geographic spread, with callers from South Africa, Rwanda, Canada, and, of course, Brooklyn (BBMG). We discussed the ideas behind our branding recommendations, as well as the implications of the various changes, and consulted on the next steps.
Towards the end of my internship, I also got a chance to be photographed for the BBMG co-creativity booklet (select photos from the shoot in photo journal). It was fun to roam the streets of Dumbo taking photos with Molly Conley, BBMG’s Senior Designer. Since the purpose of the photo shoot was to showcase self-expression, we integrated some dance poses as a fun little nod to my previous profession and life-long passion.
During my final week at BBMG, the summer associate cohort presented our findings on The Collective, BBMG’s private, online community of conscious consumers, to BBMG founders Raphael and Mitch, as well as Nicole and Ian, Community Manager for the Collective. The presentation was a culmination of fast-paced, deep-dive research, plus, a divide-and-conquer strategy among the summer associates. Additionally, we worked on the business strategy plan for the collective, focusing on further areas of development. I also had a chance to observe one last storytelling/positioning workshop before I left, helping with the workshop re-cap as well. Finally, we had a fun farewell happy hour towards the end of the week to say our goodbyes, and it dawned on me how quickly the 10 weeks had passed. I was grateful for the opportunity to learn from such an innovative branding firm, and to contribute my skills over the summer as well. I look forward to keeping in touch with everyone there, and hearing how things progress with the firm and their clients.
