International Women’s Day (IWD) may seem like a regular fixture of the 21st century calendar, but not too long ago it was still considered a revolutionary and borderline seditious concept.
Borne out of the universal female suffrage movement of the early 20th century, International Women’s Day has been celebrated on 8 March as far back as 1917 and has its roots in radical, counter-cuItural movements. Despite this; it took the United Nations (UN) another 60 years to officially recognise the holiday, now in its 47th ‘official’ edition.
With the growth and propagation of feminism throughout the Western world, women have achieved near-parity in many Occidental societies – although as many International Women’s Day campaigns released this year note – there remains much ground to be covered until true equality is reached.
Covering everything from the continuing struggle for women to receive fair and equitable maternity leave, the orgasm gap, the stigmatisation of menstruation and the marginalisation of BAME women, this year’s IWD lays bare the long strides we still have to take to truly honour what the Suffragettes began all those years ago.
Durex – ‘The Orgasm Gap’
To mark International Women’s Day, sexual health brand Durex is interrupting a high-pressure game at key moments to highlight the anti-climactic nature of the orgasm gap.
The idea was sparked after a report found that sexually active women in the UK are four times less likely to say they always orgasm during a sexual encounter than a sexually active man.
By partnering up with sex expert and broadcaster Alix Fox, Durex is offering tips and advice to help the public narrow the gap and achieve ‘orgasm equity’.
“Durex’s research underlines the fact that women are frequently experiencing less pleasure and less satisfaction than men during partnered sexual encounters – so it’s time to concentrate on giving them the extra stimulation, time, and focus on their needs and desires that can help make the action in the bedroom more fairly balanced,” Fox said.
Flo – No More Period Dramas
Organic period care brand Flo has launched an extensive new campaign to end period shame and celebrate menstruation as one of life’s funny, messy moments.
The Bridgerton-themed spot encourages women to talk openly and candidly about their periods in an effort to de-stigmatise conversations around the menstruation process.
To support the campaign Flo has also created an interactive out-of-home activation in partnership with Whole Foods’ Kensington store which will feature a range of giant period-related items until the end of March.
The film was commissioned after YouGov research released in January revealed that 1 in 4 people feel awkward about discussing periods, with half of all surveyed admitting that they had ‘made a noise’ to cover the sound of a tampon being unwrapped.
She Says – Why Has She Gone?
Careers and mentorship creative network for women and non-binary people, SheSays, has unveiled an honest social campaign to uncover the real reasons people are resigning from roles within the marketing industry.
Answering the question, ‘why has she gone?’, the visual campaign contains a series of six resignation letters created from insights shared by over 100 women and non-binary people within the advertising, marketing, and media industries.
According to SheSays, 55% of women and non-binary people have stated that they have left jobs due to the experiences increasing their mental health issues around stress, anxiety and depression.
“We want people who identify as Women or non-binary to know they are seen and heard,” SheSays UK president Amy Dick said. “We want creative industry leaders and colleagues to use the campaign to get a better understanding of what’s happening in our industry. You have the power to stop resignations and negative experiences from happening daily.”
Havas SO – Women in Innovation Fund
Havas SO – the ‘big six’ agency’s purpose-built healthcare communications agency – has partnered with Reckitt on its ‘Women in Innovation Fund’ (WiNFUND).
WiNFUND is a 100% not-for-profit project and community-built initiative that intends to advance women-led innovations.
In partnership with the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Eco Bank Foundation, WiNFUND will invest in women entrepreneurs who lead healthcare companies, help to create economic resilience in communities and improve access to healthcare. The scheme will raise capital through donors, corporate partners and HNIs, as well as the sale of WiNFUND NFTs.
“Women-led companies are already achieving amazing things: improving access to healthcare and saving lives,” Reckitt global head of external affairs and co-founder of WiNFUND, Patricia O’Hayer, said. “WiNFUND is an innovative model that will help entrepreneurs grow by building an engaged, global community that will provide business support and financing through the sale of unique NFTs.
Häagen-Dazs – The Rose Project
Ice cream brand Häagen-Dazs is honouring its unsung female co-founder Rose Mattus this International Women’s Day by launching ‘the Rose Project’ to protect her legacy.
In support of the IWD ‘Embrace Equity’ theme, Häagen-Dazs is shining a light on the pioneering role that Rose played within the business that she built alongside her husband, Reuben.
Through ‘the Rose Project’, the US firm has pledged to provide US$100,000 in bursaries to support ‘trailblazing’ women around the world, with members of the public able to nominate unsung women who have made exceptional contributions to society.
A shortlist of 50 ‘Women Who Don’t Hold Back’ will be announced, with the five winning entrant securing $20,000 grants each to unleash their potential.
“In 2021, we launched our Women Who Don’t Hold Back campaign shining a light on female trailblazers around the globe, but now it’s time to recognise our own remarkable female founder,” Häagen-Dazs global brand experience director, Clare Brosnan said.
“Reuben Mattus made our flavours but Rose Mattus made us famous! By telling Rose’s untold story as a marketing pioneer who built our brand as a true partner to her inventor husband and helped create our Shops business with her daughter Doris, we hope to use this year’s IWD celebration as a beacon for #EmbraceEquity
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