Creative Skirts

the_girl_effect

New work from W+K.
Pretty darn good new work from W+K.

Thumbs up all around. The work is crazy good:

ECD: Jelly Helm, Steve Luker
AD: Julia Blackburn (12.3) 
CW: Jessica Vacek & Ginger Robinson

Finally. Here are the answers:

"What do girls want anyway?"

Girls want advertising that is:
cute
funny
really smart
not super clever
deep and meaningful
girl-smart
original
new
inspiring
depicting interesting models
true
insightful
ringing true for girls

Graciously provided by your friends at 3iying.com

CAN OF WORMS

As I sift through the archives of this blog, there seems to be one glaring question at the root of many, many posts:

Why aren't there more women in advertising?

There are variations such as, "Why are there more guys than gals in advertising," or "Why don't more women get hired into the industry?" It's all the same.

It's a good question.
More of a riddle really.

Here are some stabs at an answer, pulled from the Boards Questioning the Status Quo panel, posted here on Sept. 27, 2006:

While Janet Kestin stuck her neck out to firmly state “I think fewer [women] are getting hired in the first place, and I don’t think it has to do with the portfolios. It’s a case of like hiring like. Odds are stacked against [women] because there are fewer women doing the hiring.”

Nancy Axthelm offered that there’s a possibility “people are compartmentalized and then foster and  create like-minded people.” Perhaps this is not an issue of who’s to blame, but how to change the silo-ing.

Ethel Rubinstein added that “as far as agencies go, I think until they realize they aren’t getting the best talent – if & when it becomes in their self-interest – then they’ll start taking notice.” 

Rubinstein's quote stings a bit. "Until they realize they aren't getting the best talent..." Let's talk about that later.

The question remains: Why aren't there more women in advertising?

Let's clarify a bit.

There seems to be plenty of women in advertising.
In some agencies, there are even more women than men.
More in design.
More in account.
More in traffic.
More in planning.
More in print production.
More in production.

Less in the creative department.

Ahhh.

Instead of "Why aren't there more women in advertising," the actual question is "Why aren't there more women in the creative department?"

It could be like hiring like, as Kestin points out.

Can it be boiled down to one answer, where a gender is clearly hiring against the other gender based only on gender?

I hope not.

It seems odd though.
That if a CD were presented with equal caliber books, one a man's and one a woman's, the CD would hire based on gender? As in, I'm a man so I'll hire this guy because I'm comfortable talking to him about sports and big blocks. Or, I'm a woman so I'll hire the woman to give her a chance in the industry.

Maybe this is a question directed more towards the CD's that do the hiring.

I'll follow it up with this one:
Does your agency receive equal number of books from men and women?

Perhaps it is still a boy's club.
Who knows.

But if hiring really has nothing to do with a person's book or character, then damn.

Italian fashion vs Anorexia

Italian Designer, Nolita, is taking a stand against anorexia. These billboard and newspaper ads debuted during Milan's fashion week.
See article here.

Calling All Women

This year's Good, Bad and Ugly Awards (brought to you by the lovely Advertising Women of New York) is fast approaching us.  They've apparently signed New York's own Grand Dame of Dish, Liz Smith, to host the evening.  The show's in its 10th year of raising awareness for advertising that depicts both positive and negative images of women - this year they're broadening the scope to highlight depictions of women in other influential media as well. 

The show began with a simple judging criteria, "Would you show this ad to your son or daughter?"  We'll see what stands up this year.

 
Deadline for Submissions: March 19th 
Save the Date: April 24th at B.B. King Blues Club in NYC

Last year's Grand Ugly?

Women = Elephants

Exposing the Elephant in the room: The view from Australia
Bec Brideson - Principal - Venus Advertising Melbourne



Once again, how is it that women ... consumers & creatives ... are invisible? Mind boggling.
Here's what some of the stats mentioned in the article look like: (Red=Women, Grey = Men).

The Production Landscape

Going through my first production process and experiencing Hollywood for the first time have been interesting to say the least. Going into it, we got stacks and stacks of photographers' books and directors' reels-- but the ratio of males to females was startling. Far from the ratio you'd see on an agency creative recruiter's desk these days, I imagine.

For all the art directors and writers who go on to become directors, I'd love to hear of any women who have done so.

Only 7% of directors in Hollywood are women. Will it change? For those interested in pursuing direction and production, here's a place to start learning about the landscape...

moviesbywomen.com
a grassroots collective that has grown out of the passions of women directors who are working towards increasing the awareness of women's contributions to film and television history.

Shelly Lazarus 'exclusive'

Smart lady.
Love her take on new business.
She's also gung-ho for media planning taking place alongside creative from the start--which is no new strategy, but quite a task for a huge and compartmentalized global agency to actually see through. Think Ogilvy can succeed? The Chicago office has already made moves along these lines, hiring VCU's one and only Ms. Kerry O'Connell as Strategic Contact Planner... and while she's been there for several months, the office is definitely still adjusting and trying to figure out who the heck she is. For a business that tries so hard to stay hip with the times, people can get really stuck in their ways.

From AdAge:
In a rare and exclusive interview, Ms. Lazarus told Advertising Age's Matthew Creamer that the media-planning function pulled out of creative agencies in late 1990s needs to go back to its original home, a statement, coming from the head of an agency owned by one of the most aggressive and successful unbundlers of media services, sure to resonate throughout the business. She also touched on her future, the role of marketing in the business world and Ogilvy's involvement in the recent Wal-Mart pitch.

Shelly Lazarus Wants Media Back at the Table 

Copycat consumers

A new Web site launched this week that takes the world of product placement one step further.

Called SeenON, it connects TV viewers with the products they've seen on shows. Designers and stylists from programs such as "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives" will provide SeenON with information about the wardrobes, housewares, and sets shown on their programs. Users can search for products by show, movie, actor, or product type. The site directs users to websites where they can purchase the products mentioned. In addition, the site will offer shop-able video content that the company is calling Shopisodes.

The blog on the site keeps people informed and up-to-date with what's appeared on the latest episodes of, say, Desperate Housewives:

"If you caught last night’s episode of Desperate Housewives then surely you didn’t miss Gabrielle in her undies. The revealing set was from the “Fifi” line of notoriously sexy lingerie house, Agent Provocateur."

If the site gets its name out there, I'm sure this will blow up in our celeb-obsessed culture. But does it compromise the entertainment value of TV shows in the name of peddling products?

via Fast Company Now

Snippets

from the Boards “Questioning the Status Quo” panel.

Panel Members:

Nancy Vonk; Co-Chief Creative Officer – Ogilvy Toronto
Ethel Rubinstein; Owner, President, COO – Bluerock NY
Jules Daly; President – RSA USA
Nancy Axthelm; EVP, Director of Broadcast Production – Grey NY
Janet Kestin; Co-Chief Creative Officer – Ogilvy Toronto

ON WHY HAVE A PANEL …

Nancy Vonk responded that “a lot of successful senior women don’t reflect on [the issue of women in advertising] because they’re doing fine.”

ON THE ISSUE OF HIRING …

While Janet Kestin stuck her neck out to firmly state “I think fewer [women] are getting hired in the first place, and I don’t think it has to do with the portfolios. It’s a case of like hiring like. Odds are stacked against [women] because there are fewer women doing the hiring.”

Nancy Axthelm offered that there’s a possibility “people are compartmentalized and then foster and create like-minded people.” Perhaps this is not an issue of who’s to blame, but how to change the silo-ing.

Ethel Rubinstein added that “as far as agencies go, I think until they realize they aren’t getting the best talent – if & when it becomes in their self-interest – then they’ll start taking notice.”

ON THE BOYS’ CLUB …

Ethel Rubinstein: “They’ve been doing the Boy’s Club much longer, and frankly, much better than we’ve been doing the Girl’s Club. I think we would do well to take a page from their book and help one another.”

This point came up again by a member of the audience later in the conversation. Do women stand in the way of one another? While no one took a clear stand on it, the general response tended to be yes, we do allow ourselves to revert back to 4th grade cattiness often enough to push one another down, as opposed to rallying for the cause.

ON HAVIN’ THE BABIES …

Janet Kestin: “The system was made by men, for men. There is very little accommodation made for women, and it’s hard to get back in. Once you’re out, people forget about you. And the idea that the time spent at home with a child dries up your brain? Well, maybe it’s being mega-stimulated instead. Who knows?”

PARTING WISDOM …

In Jules Daly’s words: “Don’t try to be one of the boys, strap on heels and work the room.”