Cramer-Krasselt partners with Braven to provide underrepresented college students exposure to advertising careers.

Cramer-Krasselt (C-K), one of the largest independent advertising and marketing communication agencies in the country, has announced its partnership with Braven, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering promising, underrepresented young people, including first-generation college students, by helping students transition from college to strong first jobs.

“At C-K, we believe in actions versus words. Which is why we have always had strong community involvement and participation in industry diversity, equity and inclusion programs,” noted Peter Krivkovich, chairman and CEO of C-K.  “But what matters is how we actually change representation in the industry. Through Braven, we get to work directly with students on the cusp of making education and career decisions. Exposing them to the possibilities within advertising now will help the industry grow a deeper pipeline of talent and make real change.”

C-K has already begun its involvement with the Braven program. In March the agency participated in two Braven events. Early in the month, they volunteered their time to conduct mock interviews with the college students. At the end of March, C-K participated in a “Career Trek” program that exposes students more deeply to various career paths in advertising and marketing.

Jonathan Chaparro, Braven’s Head of Chicago and Executive Director of Innovation Implementation, said, “At its core, Cramer-Krasselt’s focus on making friends, not ads resonated with Braven’s efforts to increase the social capital of promising First-Gen, Pell-Eligible college students of color. We were thrilled to engage employees as volunteer interview coaches to introduce students to the world of advertising and to provide critical interview feedback to our students and look forward to a long partnership with C-K.”

In the future, the agency will sponsor Braven fellows, further exposing them to advertising careers and developing their business skills through mentorship. These combined experiences support Braven’s mission and is one way in which C-K can make an impact on students’ lives and build a diverse talent pipeline within the industry.