‘Women in adland these days have no idea how good they’ve got it’
Some women in advertising may not realise how far the industry has actually come from its filthy Mad Men-esque heyday in the 1990s. In this guest post, senior creative and copywriter Katrina Mercer argues it’s time for women to move on and take charge.
The advertising girls’ club. Sounds like an oxymoron – but from what I can tell, there are now plenty of females in advertising; and this is a genius move. We’ve all heard the statement that 80% of household purchases are made by women. So why has it taken so long for our industry to reflect this?
Back when I started as a creative in 2002, there were only a handful of female creatives across Australia, and I can literally name all of them. Rebecca Carasco, Jane Caro, Justine Armour, Ruth Belotti, Jules Webster, Mel Coenen, Carolyn Diamond, Bettina Clark, Sian Binder, Emma Hill, Georgia Arnott, Bec Brideson, Marianne Little, Samira Ansari, Lisa Fedyszyn, Ane Lynau, Laura Hunter, Sarah Machell, Nicole Mandill, Brooke Lucas, Melissa Turkington, Pic Andrews, Jen Barnett, Julia Elton Bott, Rita Hannan, Sandy McGilvray, Natalie Harvey, Denise Hallam, Ingrid Mason and of course, myself.
There was a kind of knowing between us, if we didn’t already work in the same office, we’d see each other at industry functions and there was no need to speak a word of what we’d been going through – we just knew we were all experiencing it. Forget about the glass ceiling, at least when it’s made from glass you can see through to the other side. This was a goddamn cement boulder hanging over our heads, preventing us from seeing where we could go.
Justine Gallagher, Sassy Havyatt…
Goodness me, someone here thinks the Mad Men “heyday” was in the 1990s!
Susan Dearne, Sue Carey. And did you mean Rita Kanaan?
This article is unhelpful, misguided and confused. Also lacks any real data (should I be surprised coming from Adland?). Not impressed, particularly on IWD.
Agree – I’m not quite sure what she’s saying, or trying to say…
Thanks Kane. Sorry to disappoint you.
At the risk of sounding ‘like a bitch’ it’s not about you.
How is it not Jen? I’m a woman and this article made me super disappointed.
My mistake. I assumed Kane was a male name.
In hindsight I could’ve picked a more appropriate nom de plume considering the subject matter.
Mel Harvey, Sylvianne Heim, Jo Meadows, Therese Leuvre, Jen Speirs, Madeleine Smith, Kay Shirmann, Kylie Suttor, Justine Metcalfe…
It was a tough call just to get your foot in the door, that’s for sure. But surely the real point is, have these women had the career trajectory, the opportunities, or the agency support their male counterparts have had (and still get)? The answer is ‘no’. We’ve still got a long way to go.
Bee Bowen
Emma Hill, Tara Ford, Kaye Schirrman, Christine Isaac, June Laffey, Sylvianne Heim, Sarah Barclay, Linda Knight, Lynda Thompson, Kieran Flanagan,
Jennifer Harrison, Liz Montgomery, Di Walker, Lynette Chiang, Marsha Meredith, Sally Overheu, Jessica Watts, Linda Honan
An awesome article Kat. Sadly, you’ve just proven your point; the only response on here is about the women you left out (from a lot of women).
Even Keep Going just repeated some of the names you’d mentioned like you left them out.
Fiona Caird MD GPYR, Kathleen Banks, Lynley Welsh CLEMS, Simone Ledingham BRANDSTORM, Soma Naidu, CJ, Leisa Kay, Clara Zawawi, Samantha Brooks…
…This was a terrible article that fails to land on a point. Kat, what is your argument exactly? Apart from “woe is me”? Yes the past was shit (and I can say that because I was there) but just because things have gotten mildly better doesn’t mean that what we have right now is good. You might be happy with where things are at, but there are plenty of us that still aren’t.
This is exactly my thought.
Just because we now have it a bit better than we used to, doesn’t mean there isn’t still a huge problem that needs addressing.
The ‘but we’ve still got a long way to go’ part needs to be the second paragraph in this article, not the last. We should be focused on creating a better future, not a miserable past.
To all those naming names, I don’t think Kat’s point was to demonstrate an exhaustive list / she knew everyone, but rather in a sea of men, there weren’t many visible women in comparison.
Yes.
The phrase “I can literally name all of them” indicates that is exactly what the author means.
Chrissie Feagins ??
I don’t think this was meant to be an argument. Naming names… I think is a tribute to the fact that there were other women out there. All too often not noticed, but doing a fucking great job.
Thanks Kat for a good, brave, thought provoking article. But the fact remains there’s a long way to go. At least on International Women’s Day we can talk about it.
Jen Barnett (aka… but wait there’s more)
Maybe because you’re now closer to the top. I still get talked over in meetings and called a bitch when I’m assertive. It’s still alive, and so is the boys club.
Dear Not Convinced, you’re right. It is still happening. It still happens to me 20+ years later. But hopefully there can and will be some progress. From little things big things grow. Hang in there. x
You’re not wrong – it’s so important for women to feel empowered and know they can and should take control of their own destiny.
I don’t think that takes away from the fact that institutionally men often (knowingly or not) hold them down. That still needs to change.
Ah, Kat, you stand up for women in advertising and look…what happened to me & any other women who did the same 30 years ago, 20 years ago, 10 years ago…happens to you.
Dear advertising, you have some really, really serious catching up to do if you want to regain some relevance. From where I sit these days, you hardly rate a mention. For your own sake, stop being defensive and listen to what those in your industry who are not white blokes are trying to tell you. Seriously, it’s time. (Actually, it’s way past time.)
Love
Jane
Hi Jane and Kat
I know you both, and really respect (and like) you both.
Jane I agree with your comments – adland is so backwards it’s laughable and undermines us in every way.
But…
Kat’s article isn’t very constructive. Kat you undermine your argument by missing so many good names who were working with you, and the point of the article is missing.
We need to both empower and support women and get true equality – but at the same time be open to genuinely critiquing all of us if we screw up a bit. Right???
Well done Kat….
To all you other annonomus names out there that are too shit scared to put your name out there, stand up, grow up and have something relevant to say.. you guys are the reason this industry is loosing its gloss…
Let’s support instead of ripping people apart…
If your article says you can literally name all of the female creatives working at that time and then you don’t name all of them, your article loses authority.
The problem is the article title and tone suggests that things are great, instead of the reality that is better, but stil a long way off equal.
Saying ‘ you don’t know how good you have it ‘ suggests a need to be greatful that there is only SOME discrimination. When really we should strive for none.
I am happy to see the success of a number of great female creatives over the last few years though.
Kat has made a great point about there being many more women in the creative departments today than there were 15 years ago. It was a great gesture to give a shout out to all those women she recalled from 2002 and I don’t believe anyone was having a go at her when they piled on extra (or missing) names.
What we as an industry need to do is make sure we have more mentors and more pathways for more women. Period.
Thanks Kat.
OPINION
‘Men in adland these days have no idea how good they’ve got it’
Some men in advertising may not realise how far the industry has actually come from its filthy Lucille Ball-esque heyday in the 1990s.
In this guest post, senior creative and copywriter John Mercer argues it’s time for men to move on and take charge.
nope, not ridiculous at all.
Usless chatter. All jobs should be on merit and also take into account the cost and loss of contribution to an organsiation of the probability of child bearing absences. The agency that employs on merit will beat the agency that that has gender based overlay on selection.
The question of gender abilities is therefore irrelevent. If gender based abilities are an input for filtering candidates, history says , other than in PR, take the male.
Equality may therefore be productivity negative.
And there it is. Wow Roger. “other than in PR, take the male”
WHAT? What does that actually mean? In your mind are women only good at PR?
The ‘probability of child bearing absences’. Again… WHAT? Modern fathers have “child related absences too”. Believe it or not, some women don’t have children at all!!
This is one of the most ignorant, misogynistic and utterly ridiculous comments on gender equality I’ve ever read.
I suppose you think men deserve more money because they are the ‘breadwinner’ of the family.
Hopefully this “useless chatter” will one day have dinosaurs like you out the door.
Too right Jen.
Holy crap Roger, did you proofread this comment or was it just stream of thought? Gender is irrelevant, but don’t hire women because they might have babies?? Get off the internet.
This article is pretentious and reeks of the Monty Python sketch…”We WERE poor…we lived in a cardboard box.” In Katrina’s opinion, gender equality has improved in the workplace compared to when she started, therefor the implication it women should stop moaning. Well, 1) women are striving for equal rights, opportunists and pay, not moaning, 2) the pay gap in the advertising arena is 18% and more for senior roles, 3) progression for women is still impeded by perceived lifestyle, and 4) many roles actively seek men…which is of course illegal, but happens. “We can’t have a girl, it’s a car account.” or “we need a bloke, it’s a tough account.” These are quotes BTW. Very little has progress for equality in last 15-20, in fact, looking at the no of senior women in creative, account service and media roles, it’s gone backwards.
Women dominate senior roles in client service ans media.
and
Nice one Kat for pulling this conversation away from the prevalent victimhood narrative. This way is how we shall make further progress.
Annie Price, Jacqui Paterson, Sarah Hatherley, Hillary Badjar….
Yes, I see and hear clearly, but this message is illuminated by a false sun. What is it that the women should be taking over? The male dominated position? should it be a female dominated one?
If Feminism means equal opportunity then fine, but does it mean that for all, so called, Feminists?
The so called Mad Men heyday, is a notion extracted from a fictional series based upon the loose truth of the time; a time way before the 1990s, when men in suits reigned supreme, simply because we had all (men and women) inherited a belief that the world was, and should be, run by men, and that these men were backed and supported by child bearing and home making women, without whose help we could not possibly survive, as what was then called, the human race. Neither position was thought superior to the other, it was just that the times coincided with post war rebuilding and rampant capitalism.
Times have changed, they have changed for the better, so let us work together to enjoy the freshness and the ever changing future. Many feminists today, are harping on about, and using as a comparison, a world that is well out of date, even older than me. I had a female teacher a female Head Mistress, not a principal, but a “Head Mistress” (which was the recognised female form of Master) and a female doctor when I was a kid, and that was in the late 1950s. We called male police officers Policemen, we called female police officers Policewomen, and we respected both equally, the fact that they were gendered differently was obvious, and was accounted for in their titles. It is not the men or the people who have it wrong, it is the philosophical base beneath and behind us all that needs to change.
I wonder how many men are reading this?
Let’s face it, whether you agree with the construct of Kat’s article or not, white men in positions of relative power are at the root of the issues here and in the wider world.
So how does that happen? Are all men deliberately sexist? I think the answer is no. Are they unconsciously sexist? Almost certainly yes.
We still live in a society and culture that places barriers on females reaching their full potential in a way that it does not with men.
Many of these barriers are played out at a quite subtle social level, rather than say the obvious repression of women in some more hardline religious environments.
And because it’s subtle, many modern men who would otherwise consider themselves progressive and open minded, play their part in perpetuating these barriers.
I know, because I’ve done it. My unconscious biases and cultural baggage have certainly led me to make mistakes. Not necessarily big obvious ones, it might just be engaging in ‘ironic’ sexist humour. But it contributes.
I’m probably preaching to the converted here, but there are so few male voices in this debate and many of them are depressingly defensive.
Articles like Kat’s are important because they help expose those biases, and hopefully help a few more men – who are at heart good men – try and be a little more aware, and take responsibility for the part they play.
It’s certainly not unique to advertising. Some of the great icons of human progression – Ghandi or Martin Luther king for example – were also shockingly blind to their sexism.
And they were great men. We’re just lowly ad men. We can do better.
Ghandi and Martin Luther King? You mean the 78 year old man assassinated in 1948, and the Brilliant philanthropic womaniser assassinated only 20 years later?
How could they be expected to have aligned themselves with the thinking of 2017?
Of course these men were sexist compared to the standards and expectations of today, but the expectations and standards of today are many and various.
Many assume that there is a great general sexist and anti female drive, but that can’t be true. Perhaps you perceive that men are being defensive, because they are, perhaps they are replying to attack, and to what they see as the accusation of irrelevance. The world is populated by men and women, and an indefinite number who identify with neither, either, or both. the human rights concerns of the world should be for all humans, not just one group.
Articles like this always pop up around International Women’s Day. Another one yesterday “It’s a great time to be a woman in radio”. Hmmm. I LOVE to celebrate women, and we should always pay tribute to those who came before us, but I can’t help thinking some of these articles are less about celebrating women and more about reaffirming the misconception that equality has already been reached. Which is dangerous, because it reaffirms commnts like Eon’s – “Nice one Kat for pulling this conversation away from the prevalent victimhood narrative. This way is how we shall make further progress.” Wow, ok, message received. Women should stop whinging and be grateful. If we want to continue on this road to
Beth, That is exactly NOT what I meant, and you know it.
Great article Kat! We do have it good 😉
This article is a little meandering and doesn’t really have a clear out take. But it’s at least refreshing to read something optimistic on a topic which is usually loaded with vitriol and the blind identity policitcs of social justice warriors. Yes there’s a ways to go, but the playing field is positively balanced next to advertising’s heyday.
Good article Kat it’s good to hear a positive spin. It is changing, it’s even changed in the past year that I’ve seen. Good people and good businesses take a look at themselves and make changes and it’s great to see that happening in a lot of places, I appreciate it like you do. I’m seeing amazing young female talent coming through and the men are stepping up to help and I’m so happy to see it. We still need to make changes but I’m happy this train is moving forward. Thanks for your article Kat x
One reason men are afraid to hre or promote women is the boo hoo card. Advertisng requires ‘robust’ debate at times – you win some and you lose some – highs and lows. A male gets shitted off and yells at another male, fine. But if he yells at a female, and god forbid she cries, the shit hits the fan.
Lets be honest – ambitious advertising creatives of both sexes are an agressive competitive breed will pull just about anything to make their way up the ladder – including the Boo Hoo card.
I think we just found the guy feminism needs to exist for :/
What are you doing yelling at people? Do you think that’s professional and acceptable in the workplace? Your attitude and aggression needs some serious reflection.
Here I am again! Every time I read an article about how women “need to take charge” or “need to fight back”, I like to write in say I’ve been in Advertising for years and have a wonderful time! Worked with fabulous men, worked with fabulous women. Made it to great positions.
“80% of household purchases are made by women.” Get a grip! Get your ideas in and no-one cares what your dress code is.
Yes! If more (all) women had your positive attitude, we could abolish feminism. Women should win on their merits just like men and any gender in between. Has anyone ever stopped to wonder whether maybe there is another reason women don’t make it to the boardroom as often as men? Maybe, just maybe it’s because we’re different both biologically and neurologically; and maybe, just maybe, we don’t cut it as well as men. Take a breath, I know I just knocked a bunch of you to your knees with shock, but open your mind to the possibility. Then go out there with a positive, determined attitude and damn well show the world what you can do. Spend less time feeling oppressed and more time just achieving.
In a fundamentally conformist industry like advertising, it’s always interesting to see how buzzwords filter down, from actual scientists to pseudo-academia like gender studies via women’s magazines to manifest itself in threads like this. At the bottom of the barrel lies the Dunning-Kruger effect waiting, turning the ignorant into a herd of useful idiots.
When one can’t control one’s own emotions, one starts controlling other people’s behaviour. “Unconscious bias” has proven itself particularly useful as a catch-all explanation for everything that is felt to be wrong. Like a three-year old, it allows you to blame all of your mistakes and failures on white men. But isn’t that actual sexism and racism? Clementine Ford and Cindy Gallop say no, so you go girl!
This handy little phrase allows you to tell men we’re racist and sexist no matter how hard we try to be decent people. It’s our original sin. No matter how kind and considerate and altruistic our actions, deep down we’re monsters. If we deny it that just proves your theory. See what you did there, very clever.
Imagine. Just imagine, men using such dishonest and cowardly rhetoric against women (we don’t of course, we fight fair).
If you really cared about anyone else than yourself, if you really were as compassionate as you tell yourself, you’d be a little less worried about imaginary pay-gaps and glass ceilings and perceived insults and other first world problems.
Here’s a fun fact: your real cause is your own status within the feminist tribe. In your twisted world, divisive vitriol signals virtue. Ironically, this really is unconscious. If it wasn’t for cognitive dissonance you wouldn’t sleep very well at night, knowing how horrible you really are.
A couple of tips:
1. Stop seeing yourself as victims – it limits you to ask for special treatment and blame your failures on others.
2. Take responsibility for your actions and choices
3. Rely a little less on the sisterhood – they’ll throw you under the bus at the first opportunity
4. Oh, and read a book every now and then.
And cue outrage in 5…4….3….2 (btw, there’s a special award for “Original Critical Thinking”, which goes to the first person who doesn’t refer to my comment as ‘mansplaining’)
I’ll take this debate seriously when someone also seeks to redress the disproportionate number of women in account service, HR, PR, TV production, strategy, media and marketing.
In fact across our industry, the number is 62% female and 38% male.
It feels that for some girls this isn’t enough. Until they control and dominate every facet, department and decision within the marketing and advertising business they will constantly pull the ‘sexist’ card.
I started around the same time as Kat. Most male graduates I knew had to be twice as good to get their position in the creative department.
It was much easier to get a job with a female creative partner, which I did. They help with diversity quotas. Quotas that have existed for a long time.
Playing the sex card in this day and age is weak and ultimately self defeating.
If you’re of equal or slightly less skill and female I can guarantee you will be picked ahead of a male candidate. If a male is picked, perhaps look at how many awards they have won, their portfolio, relevant experience and their attitude towards hard work because that has been the only way to get ahead in the creative department.
As my first Creative Director, a female, said to me, “In a creative department there’s nowhere to hide. Politics can only get you so far.”
Concentrate on the work and the rest will follow.
I’m looking forward to hearing more about the amazing kick arse work women are making or featuring women who have done kick arse work than this ultimately distracting debate.
Good and timely comment amongst the poor me wailing.
Talent bubbles to the top.
I’m sure female representation is a lot better than it used to be, but let me tell you – the Adland boy’s club is still rife! I experience it everyday, watching male, less exprienced counterparts repeatedly get ahead just because they can chat about football. It’s a disgrace.
The devil’s advocate proves what you are saying.
My agency has one female creative team, one female in a management position, across APAC we have zero creative directors and I know for a fact I earn 10% less than my male counterparts doing the same job. The primitive industry we work in is good for nobody.
Ever thought about negotiating a pay rise instead of complaining?
Talent is rushed with money and opportunity by smart management. Effective talent is an early step to retaining the business in any enterprise.
Not talking self adulation or back scratching, am talking performance. No room for quotas, Emily’s list etc when the work is to be done.
If you were good enough you would be paid , talent outs everytime
Pity party?! Haha. Guess you weren’t a copywriter
I was in the Australian and international ad agency business for 25 years from the late 60’s to early 90’s
Lots of women as creatives including heads, account directors, media, research, direct marketing etc not sure of the point of the article. Also I was never aware of any bias one way or the other when candidates culled. The business was too competitive for anything but a meritocracy and those who could ‘sort of’ ‘get on with others.