A Good Month for Equality – But Only a Start

It’s been a great month or so for both diversity and equality within the industry. First of all it’s been great that there have now been agencies who are certified by 3%. 72andSunny and VML have become the first 3% Certified Agencies. In 2015, 3% announced the development of the Certification program which would help to further promote gender equality and inclusion at advertising/creative agencies. After conducting extensive research and surveying dozens of agencies of varying sizes, 3% developed a benchmarking platform which identified the current state of the industry and helps to inform the criteria and standards for where agencies should be to achieve certified status.

VML and 72andSunny have met 3%’s proprietary FORE standards around: Female leadership; Opportunity for advancement; Respectful depictions in work; and Equality of work, wage and policies. The 3% Certified program is an independent assessment that supports agencies in their efforts to create inclusive cultures in which both women and men can thrive.

More needs to be done throughout the industry to encourage diversity and equality and the 3% iniative is a good star, and along with Campaigns such as the #sowhiteproject, The So White Project was founded to raise awareness of the lack of diverse imagery in marketing and advertising. 

As well as that we’ve also seen the launch of Female Tribes Consulting.  J. Walter Thompson London launched the  industry first business consultancy called Female Tribes Consulting, out of its leading global Female Tribes Initiative.

Female Tribes Consulting takes the insights and understanding from the global Female Tribes Women’s Index study (8,000 Women in 19 countries) and helps clients re-design their businesses through a female lens by delivering a full set of bespoke consultancy products and services.

As well as this we were so pleased to get the new head of Female Tribes Consulting, Rachel Pashley to do an interview with us, she was kind enough to tell us a bit about the new company and on her thoughts on Ethical Marketing.

Last week also saw the launch of “16 days of activism”. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence is an international campaign which takes place each year and runs from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day. It was originated by activists at the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and is coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership.

One of the first iniatives was the #Drawaline Campaign for UN Women UK by JWT. JWT are placing a physical orange line through Covent Garden – starting at the Apple store and weaving around the main arcade.  The line has examples of the type of Violence they are trying to wipe out written on it. This is a powerful campaign to raise awareness of domestic abuse and violence against women.  JWT were chosen for this because of their Female Tribes iniative, this again showcases that embracing diversity and equality within the industry will lead to more jobs.

Things are changing in the industry but as an industry we do need to do more to create the right environment for these changes. It’s been a good month for equality and women in advertising, but it’s still only a start.

Links

https://www.72andsunny.com/

https://www.vml.com/

https://jwt.co.uk/

https://www.jwt.com/femaletribes/

72andSunny and VML become the first 3% Certified Agencies

J. Walter Thompson London launches Female Tribes Consulting

Interview with Rachel Pashley from Female Tribes Consulting.

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