Since advertising agency Arteaga & Arteaga’s (A&A) B-Creative Internship Program was established more than 15 years ago, the project has exerted a positive impact on 250 students, some 70% of whom are now working in the field of communications while also pursuing further studies in the area.
That success hasn’t gone unnoticed by Puerto Rico educational institutions, which in recent years have been participating more proactively in a symbiotic relation with A&A, as was witnessed in a meeting Sept. 3 between the agency and schools of communications and business, such as the Río Piedras, Arecibo and Bayamón campuses of University of Puerto Rico; Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez’s Universidad Metropolitana and Universidad del Este; Columbia Centro Universitario; and Universidad Interamericana’s Metro Campus. For these institutions, the project has meant more than an opportunity to develop students, but has also resulted in their exposure to practices in the real world of communications.
However, the program, which is known as “an agency within the agency,” has not only made a difference in the realm of education but has also made some clients look directly for B-Creative’s services, some not even part of A&A’s roster.
“Around 2000, we realized the importance that youngsters who master technology have in the decision-making process, in terms of the acquisition of products and services by those with purchasing power,” said Juan Alberto Arteaga, A&A strategy-planning director. “So we decided to form a group of young people to reach their peers, and that was the original concept behind B-Creative,” he added.
The executive said A&A started to recruit students interested in advertising and marketing, creating a mini-agency in which the students participate within a team. “From this step, we began to plan campaigns and creative strategies, and started presenting them to clients, with the competitive edge of having the perspective of that generation to better get the message across.”
“Youngsters 16 to 18 years of age are the ones who dictate the market today and on whose recommendations the financial decisions of a family are made,” said Juan Arteaga, president of A&A. “B-Creative is closer to that window of opportunity in the market.”
Arteaga also underlined the importance of the educational component, which he said is as vital as the commercial one. “We also see B-Creative as a way to act responsibly and contribute to society. One of the main reasons for school desertion is the idea of the ‘worthlessness’ of studying eight years, for what, for not finding a job, or to find one that has nothing to do with what I studied?’ When we interview youngsters, the lack of hope is always the main problem. We can’t fix all problems, but we can do something about this one. We could bring hope back to those kids. To convince them they have the potential to be successful and that they could find a line of work that would fit in with their educational background.”
He said that to reinforce the employability aspect, the company includes additional resources, such as idea-engineering consulting firm Seriously Creative, and HR organizations Careers Inc. and the Society for Human Resource Management.
B-Creative is an eight-week-long program held once each semester.
