Review/Preview Special: The Gender Trend

In 2015, shots ran a jaded eye over 25 years of women in advertising and concluded that gender bias was still prevalent, despite initiatives such as the Glass Lions opening up conversations. So, what of 2016? Did the promise offered by such initiatives bear fruit? And what of gender in a broader sense? Is adland catching up with culture’s increasing interest in transgender issues? Carol Cooper speaks to industry insiders, and reviews the year in terms of lads, lasses and everyone in between.

We live in a noisy age, the digital space a cacophony of opinions and counter opinions – conversations are easy to start. Looking over the last year, it’s heartening to see that conversations about gender have been trending – with brands and marketers eager to join the chat. But while there has been plenty of talk, has there been enough action?

Publicis were swift to take action in July, suspending Saatchi chairman Kevin Roberts following an interview with Business Insider about gender equality in the industry, in which he suggested women lacked ambition. “His views couldn't be further from the truth about our commitment and feelings about gender diversity,” thundered Publicis Worldwide CEO Arthur Sadoun.

In fact, 2016 was a vintage year for apologies from networks containing the word 'Saatchi'. Following a party at M&C Saatchi’s Sydney office last January that included a burlesque performance, the network issued a public apology: “The consideration that a burlesque routine may not have been appropriate in this context was overlooked. This has been a strong reminder to be more diligent about ensuring these sensitivities are always at the forefront. We are devastated this has caused offence. M&C Saatchi has made huge efforts to champion gender diversity within the Group.”

Which is true – 50 per cent of M&C Saatchi’s department heads are female and in the year leading up to the debacle, more than half their key senior hires were female and 72 per cent of employee promotions were women. And as for Saatchi & Saatchi, 65 per cent of the network’s staff are women, many of whom are in top roles.

Generally, across the industry though, stats are still not good. September 2016 saw the release of results from of a survey of 600 women in US advertising by the  3% Conference, the industry equality pressure group. Titled The Elephant on Madison Avenue, the survey revealed that only one in four felt they had the same opportunities as men in their profession.

A stonking 91per cent of women in the survey reported receiving demeaning comments from male colleagues, and 60 per cent reported the 'work wife' syndrome, i.e. being asked to perform lower-level tasks than their male peers, such as planning parties, taking notes and making coffee.

Even more worryingly, over half of respondents reported being subjected to unwanted sexual advances, among those, 88 per cent received an advance from a colleague, 70 per cent from a superior and 49 per cent from a client. Only one in three filed a complaint to their company, most citing reasons such as they thought it would negatively impact on their career, or that reporting it would make no difference.

Also, in an era when women are supposedly being encouraged to ‘lean in’, many are finding they aren't even invited into the room, with 58 per cent feeling they’ve been included from important business meetings. One respondent said, “I've been in many situations where I knew the male leaders were having an off-site without the female members of the leadership team. I would hear about parties, golf outings, poker nights, none of which I was ever invited to.”

Ana Balarin, ECD at Mother, believes that “the only way to credibly redraw the gender balance in communications is by diversifying the creative community. Free The Bid, Creative Equals, Women Who, She Says, 3% Conference, See It Be It – every initiative or network that helps to get more women into the industry, into leadership roles, is needed and welcome.”

2016 did see a host of drives that are attempt to affect change. Helen Weisinger, CCO of Outdoor Plus and managing partner of London agency Brave, has called Token Man, “a fantastic initiative.” Launched by Daniele Fiandaca [former head of innovation at Cheil], it aims to give men an understanding of the challenges women face in the industry by hosting events, such as round table debates, where men are in the minority. Token Man co-founder Emma Perkins, ECD of Lowe Open, also launched a mentoring programme, called She Says, to help with the advancement of women in the creative industries.

In 2015, Laurel Stark, CD and chief social advocate of the 3% Conference and The One Club, together launched Next Creative Leaders to promote female creatives. “It was so well received we brought it back this year,” she says. “The fact that organisations like The One Club are championing initiatives like this says a lot. But the fact that there's a growing army of talented women who are championing themselves says even more.”

Of most value though are the drives leading directly to affirmative actions, such as the Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CCDP), launched in the US last November. This collaboration between the AICP and the Directors Guild of America aims to increase the number of minority and female commercials directors signed to production companies by presenting showcases of unsigned directors to AICP members.

The equivalent in the UK is director Alma Har’el’s Free The Bid, which encourages agencies, brands and production companies to pledge to get one woman director bidding on every job. So far, BBDO Global, FCB Global, Pereira &O’Dell, Mother, JWT, 180LA, Joan, Phenomenon and DDB have all pledged support and the signs are encouraging.

One of the women on the Free the Bid database is award-winning commercials director Alison Maclean of Park Pictures. “I’ve noticed that I’m up for some jobs that I mightn’t have been considered for a few years ago,” says Maclean. “Of course, it’s one thing to be considered and it’s another to have the job awarded, but attitudes do seem to be shifting.”

A shift in attitude can also be seen in adverts that are now being produced. One example is the film for Smyths Toys, If I Were a Toy (below), in which a little boy imagines becoming a series of toys, including a princess. “It’s brilliant,” says Ana Balarin, “it challenges a category where gender stereotyping is the norm.”

Also challenging stereotypes is L’Oreal’s latest campaign for their true match foundation. Weisinger is a big fan of the campaign, “not just because it breaks down racial and diversity barriers amongst women, but because it also features a regular bloke wearing foundation. I love that the industry has embraced that beauty comes in many forms, colours, skin types and gender.”

Laurel Stark has noticed a trend toward rethinking of traditional family roles. “Honey Maid's This is Wholesome (below) and Dove Men+Care #RealDadMoments feature non-traditional families and men in more nurturing roles. When you challenge what family life should look like both men and women benefit from that.”

On the subject of gender, the Cannes Glass Lion category extended that debate by naming a transgender pop band the Grand Prix winner. Mindshare Mumbai’s campaign for Hindustan Unilever tea brand Brook Bond Red Label, saw the creation of the group, 6 Pack Band. Promoting the tea brand’s mantra to “bring people together, and de-stigmatise “the third gender”, the band’s videos, including a cover of Pharrel Williams’ Happy, rang out across Indian radio stations, social media platforms and music awards. As Glass Lions jury president Madeline Di Nonno said, “The Glass Lion winners reflect that gender inequality is not just a women's issue.”

While that may be true, should transgender/agender issues take precedence over  the representation of women in advertising and the role of women in the industry?  “How could anyone NOT agree with Madeline Di Nonno,” says Weisinger, “She’s categorically, without doubt, absolutely right. It’s simply not a gender issue, it’s a diversity one that must be addressed, not just in our industry but beyond.” Laura Jordan Bambach, creative partner at Mr President, concurs: “The more conversations around inclusion and representation we have, the better. I think it’s incredibly important that we keep women in the story, though. Its important not to forget how much the representation of women and girls in advertising impacts our choices and expected roles in later life.”

There can be no sector more crucial to how women are represented in our culture than the fashion and beauty industry, so it’s heartening to see big brands beginning to shake up the stereotypes. Kenzo caused a stir with its delicious Spike Jonze-helmed perfume spot starring a gurning, crazy-dancing Margaret Qualley, while H&M made headlines in September with the campaign, She’s a Lady, which presents an alternative view of ‘ladylike’ behaviour through diverse representations of womanhood.

The ad was set to Lion Babe’s cover of She’s A Lady. (Interestingly, the original of the song, sung by Tom Jones, was used in a notoriously sexist Pepsi ad in 1997, Soap on a Rope.) The ‘ladylike’ ladies featured included transgender actress Hari Nef, along with a septuagenarian, women sporting ample flesh, muscles, attitude and – joy of joys – hairy armpits. Jordan-Bambach says the ad “takes the power of This Girl Can and does something really edgy with it. A great example of showing the spirit of modern women.” 

However, though the H&M ad got the kudos, Selfridges had been there much earlier with its lingerie campaign film Incredible Machines (below) released in April. Similarly, this had stereotype-busting representations of women, including septuagenarian fashion muse Michèle Lamy, trans model Charlie Craggs, Thai boxing champ Rusqsana Begum, and plus-size model/activist Naomi Shimada.

In March, Selfridges also released He, She, Me, a campaign film for its Agender project, a gender-neutral pop up department. Both films were directed by Selfridges in-house content director Kathryn Ferguson, who believes that many brands are exploiting the gender issue trend without really trying to affect change. “You have campaigns that genuinely set out to portray real women, such as Kim Gehrig’s This Girl Can, but other brands are just jumping on the fourth-wave-feminist bandwagon. I think consumers are really conscious of what feels genuine and what doesn’t. And it’s a fine line. These messages about women, that they are tough and independant etc., can be equally as patronising as a size eight, 16-year-old girl trying to sell clothes to a grown woman. If brands are wanting to investigate a new way of advertising they have to do it from a genuine place. Today’s millennials are sharp as tacks; they are savvy about the fact they don’t have to watch these kinds of ads on the internet, they can just click off. If a brand really wants to engage consumers it has to be clever and it has to be real.”

Although she believes we have come a long way and there has been plenty of change, Ferguson says “there are still many adverts and fashion films that are so skewed through the male gaze, I’m amazed that it’s still happening in 2016. Brands have to be very careful about the messages they’re putting out, and the smart ones are picking up on that and trying to be a lot more inclusive, but there’s a long way to go.”

There sure is. A 2016 TV spot for slimming product Diet Chef featured the plight of poor, teary Cheryl meeting a slimmer shinier – albeit gruesomely patronising – version of her post-diet self. Happily it was banned by the ASA, who said it was offensive and irresponsible for exploiting women's insecurities about their bodies by implying that they needed to be slim to be attractive and happy. 

Jordan-Bambach is irked by the continuing tiresome representation of mothers. “Shallow caricatures and mundane stereotypes mean you end up speaking to no one. It’s as if we all turn into passive, humourless caregivers and nothing more as soon as we have kids!”  Laurel Stark is more worried about ads “that play into rape culture. Ads like the Bloomingdale's Christmas campaign that hinted at drugging and date rape. Or the awful Bayer Aspirin ad that rightly came under fire at Cannes for making light of a woman being filmed sexually without consent. When you think about the fact that this kind of creative was approved by multiple people who didn't find it offensive, it shouldn't be that surprising that we live in a society where rape victims have to defend themselves to judges who are more outwardly concerned with the well being of their rapists,” says Stark.

As 2016 crawled towards its shameful Brexity/Trumpy close, many of us might have felt that, certainly in the US and the UK, it’s been a year in which too many angry white men have had their say. How can conversations started about gender diversity be heard alongside the racket made by mysogenistic proselytisers and “pussy-grabbing” homophobes? But there is hope that voices are being heard and that the talk is turning into action, in the ad industry but also, most importantly, by brands – the paymasters.

Weisinger cites two heartening examples of corporate affirmative action: “I love the gauntlet that in America, General Mills and Hewlett Packard, have laid down to agencies. HP asked agencies to submit proposals outlining how they will improve on the number of women and people of colour within their creative departments. While General Mills demanded that agencies competing for its account must be staffed with at least 50 per cent women and 20 per cent people of colour within their creative departments. Let’s call on more clients to ask this of their agencies – and ultimately fire them if they don’t.” Tough words that need to be heard.