The first International Women’s Day gathering was held in 1911. Back then women were demanding the right to vote, to work, hold public office and even to have control over their own property.
Nowadays, while we (thankfully) have more purchasing power than ever before, and make up a huge number of the most educated people in our country, adland and, indeed, wider society still has a long way to go. Timely evidence of this surfaced earlier this week, when the FKA Twigs and Calvin Klein fiasco reminded us that women’s bodies in ads are still scrutinised far more than their male counterparts.
Marketing Beat spoke to a selection of women across the industry about how their voices drive the industry forward, and the work they do to support fellow women across adland and marketing at large.
Lucky Generals CEO, Cressida Holmes-Smith: “Women need to be heard full stop”
“I would argue that women’s voices don’t particularly need to be heard when creating female-focused campaigns, such as period products. We need to be heard across the marketing sector full stop because we’re highly talented, intelligent, brilliant people who have so much to offer.
Yes, we may have more insight into certain things, but it’s also important for male voices to support and care about these issues too, and vice versa for male issues.
It is vital to have lived experiences feeding into your work, but these can be found in many ways. At Lucky Generals, we allocate our teams on the basis of passions and interests, past experience and expertise, tone and style, rather than gender. Anyone working in marketing is well-versed at getting under the skin of an audience or product quickly and competently, they just need to have the right tools and right partnerships. We regularly consult with the Diversity Standards Collective and sometimes, an outside or objective viewpoint can be just as fertile as lived experience or being of the affected gender.
Through our founder Helen Calcraft, we have also carried out a lot of work for the brilliant industry body timeTo, which was set up to tackle sexual harassment in marketing. As part of this, we conducted research into the issue to understand how those who had experienced it felt. Even though it’s a predominantly female issue, we also made sure to include the male perspective to ensure it was an inclusive view of the vile invidious problem. ”
Pablo managing directors, Hannah Penn and Harriet Knight: “As a leader you have to make sure you’re setting an example”
“If the success of the Barbie movie last Summer shows anything, it’s how hungry female audiences are for content which speaks to and really understands them. And how much benefit there is for businesses in taking the time to understand females in a way which truly digs beyond and challenges stereotype. Of course, it’s important to ensure female focussed products and campaigns are heard – but even more important to us is that the female stories are celebrated.”
“When you work within an agency which has strong female leadership across every discipline and brilliant male allies – these stories surface very naturally and people feel empowered to share them.”
“We are very open about our experiences as women, as sisters, as daughters, and Hannah as a mother. Very simply, to help others find their voices, as a leader, you have to make sure you’re setting the example and using yours to throw light on the unique joys and challenges faced by women today.”
Little Dot Sport strategy director, Fiona Wood: “Without female voices at the table, there’s a risk of perpetuating stereotypes”
“Women make up a significant portion of the sports consumer market and underpinning the rise of women’s sports, especially football, is the players themselves. Without female voices at the table, there’s a risk of perpetuating stereotypes, missing the mark, or failing to address the nuanced needs of women.
When devising social strategy for female sports and brands, it’s important to acknowledge that a one size fits all approach won’t effectively engage audiences.
One approach we take with our partners is leveraging female athletes as the focal point of content to authentically connect with their audience, providing fans with a sense of behind-the-scenes access.”
Brandwidth growth director, Ella Kersey: “Women have immense purchasing power”
“It’s crucial to have more women’s voices in marketing for a number of reasons.
Firstly, having different perspectives leads to more creative and innovative campaigns. This isn’t just about gender; it’s about benefiting from diverse life experiences which lead to discovering new insights, approaches and points of view.
Secondly, women have immense purchasing power, so it makes sense to represent their preferences and experiences in marketing messages accurately. Campaigns should connect with a wide range of people from different backgrounds – customers come from all walks of life and marketing campaigns, and the people creating them should also represent that.
Lastly, it’s smart for business. One McKinsey study showed that businesses with more gender diversity are 25% more likely to experience above-average profitability. So, having more women in marketing isn’t just about being fair; it helps businesses thrive by bringing in different ideas and perspectives, enabling them to make stronger connections with their customers.”
WACL executive committee member and CEO of The Others & Me, Lori Meakin: “Women rate humour and intelligence as their most defining qualities”
“Women themselves tell us that advertisers must better understand and represent women’s real lives, desires and experiences – and this needs to happen way beyond areas like menopause or periods.
For instance, women rate sense of humour and intelligence as their most defining qualities, but we rarely see women being funny or doing things that demand intelligence in ads.
And considering women account for over 80% of consumer purchase decisions, including in categories we tend think of as more male-dominated, it’s not a smart business decision to keep overlooking and misrepresenting women.
The Others & Me helps creatives and strategists – whatever their gender – put insight and understanding of this huge, powerful but overlooked audience at the heart of their thinking. Because listening to female consumers and amplifying their voices needs to happen much more across all brands and categories. And this work doesn’t need to only be done by women.”
Bloom UK president, Elizabeth Anyaegbuna: “Authentic representation truly matters”
“I can’t overstate the importance of amplifying female voices. From period care to menopause support, female-focused charities to athletic apparel – these are spaces where authentic representation truly matters.
At 16x9media we prioritise listening to the real stories and perspectives of diverse women. We apply ongoing human-centred research focusing on underrepresented segments like women of colour dealing with menopause, or needs of new mums re-entering the workforce. We also have an equal female/male split as founding directors, which allows us to apply gender-balanced creative leadership.
This intentional centring of female narratives allows us to avoid stereotypes and empty ‘pinkwashing.’ The latest research project from Bloom UK, entitled The Juggle, reports on work-life balance through an intersectional lens. It underscores how women feel in our industry; current marketing should speak to their lived experiences. We’re committed to being part of the solution.
Real progress happens when we don’t just invite women’s voices to the table – but clear the table entirely and rebuild it together, lock-arms.
