BRITISH COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
BCIT cybersecurity campaign honoured at national awards

A BCIT marketing campaign designed to help employees recognize cyber-phishing attempts has been honoured at the 2025 Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Awards of Excellence. The BCIT "Don't Get Hooked" campaign was awarded a silver designation in the Employee Engagement / Internal Communications Campaign of the Year category. BCIT is in good company amongst the roster of CPRS winners this year - including IKEA, University of Toronto, McDonald's, and large international agencies like ReThink and Porter Novelli. 

Engaging the community

As one of BC's largest post-secondary institutions with 40,000+ students enrolled annually and 4,350+ employees, BCIT must maintain a robust cybersecurity framework to safeguard the privacy and security of institute data. Achieving this requires a culture of cyber awareness, where responsibility is shared across all levels.

Since 2018, BCIT has actively participated in National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, running an annual campaign primarily through in-person workshops to educate employees. However, after five years, an internal assessment revealed declining engagement, with many employees unaware of the campaign or no longer participating.

In response, the BCIT Cybersecurity department partnered with the Marketing and Communications department to develop a new campaign "Don't Get Hooked" focused on educating employees on how to spot phishing scams while increasing overall cybersecurity engagement and awareness. The Marketing and Communications team developed a playful yet impactful visual identity for the campaign featuring a cartoon fish swimming through fishhooks.  

"National recognition of the Don't Get Hooked' campaign underscores the strength of the BCIT brand and the power of cross-Institute collaboration," says Lara Johnson, BCIT Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications. "By uniting expertise from our Marketing and Communications and IT Services teams, we've crafted a campaign that not only raises awareness about cyber-threats but also exemplifies our commitment to applied learning and innovation. This initiative aligns with our strategic commitment to catalyze digital transformation, enhancing cybersecurity awareness and fostering a culture of shared responsibility across the Institute."

Enhancing cybersecurity and fostering cyber culture

Ultimately, the campaign successfully heightened awareness and improved cybersecurity behaviors among faculty and staff. By leveraging engaging visuals, interactive training, and incentive-driven learning, the campaign exceeded engagement goals, leading to measurable improvements in phishing reporting, employee participation, and cybersecurity knowledge retention. 

"The Don't Get Hooked' campaign meaningfully advances our strategic commitment to strengthening cybersecurity across the Institute," says Sunny Jassal, BCIT Chief Information Security Officer. "It exemplifies our broader goal of fostering a cyber-aware culture - where our community is actively engaged, informed, and equipped to navigate evolving digital threats. Initiatives like this are essential in empowering our faculty, staff, and students to recognize risks and take confident, preventative action." 

The results of the campaign set a new benchmark for cybersecurity awareness efforts at BCIT and reinforce the Institute's proactive stance on information security. Congratulations all!