Unconscious bias: Tackling gender equality

Top industry leaders speak out on gender-equality strategies, in this video followup to the recent Campaign360 conference.

Gender diversity has become a hot-button marketing industry topic in recent years, with companies and agencies under increased pressure to promote greater inclusivity and equality within their teams. Though the reasoning behind this push could already be justified by common decency and a belief in the greater good, it's also simply smart business.

In this Campaign Asia-Pacific editorial video feature, we provide insights from several leaders in the marketing industry, about not only the importance of gender equality (in both ethical and economic terms) but the specific strategies that agencies and individuals can undertake in order to foster its improvement and acceptance.

Interviewees include Lynn Branigan (She Runs It), Kathryn Jacob (Pearl and Dean), Jane Lin-Baden (Isobar), Vishnu Mohan (Havas Group), and Mainardo de Nardis (OMD Worldwide). Our team was able to speak to them while they were in attendance at the March 2017 Campaign360 event in Hong Kong. During the day-long event, guests from agencies worldwide met to discuss the progress of gender equality so far, and a mandate for future intended policies was signed by several major company heads. 

The conclusions reached in the video mirror what is readily apparent from the research on hand. Recent studies have even shown that workplaces without a moderate gender balance can suffer from an unhealthy and overly aggressive atmosphere. Furthermore, companies without mixed teams also run the very real risk of creative stagnation. Lacking a diverse pool of minds to draw upon could lead to agencies failing to reflect or understand the diverse needs and mindsets of prospective audiences.

Despite these obvious benefits and several major leaps forward made in the last 20 years, full gender equality still has a long way to go. Contrary to some rather dubious statements from more skeptical industry figures (Kevin Roberts' gaffe in August 2016 comes to mind), women in the marketing world are still fighting to be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. Hopefully, the guidance and cooperation of a more enlightened leadership can mean that one day that fight will be able to end.

See more Campaign360 coverage.

Source:
Campaign Asia

Related Articles

Just Published

6 hours ago

Asia-Pacific Power List 2024: Robin Liu, Miniso

Through strategic co-branding and localisation, Liu is steering Miniso towards global super-brand status with innovative marketing strategies and leveraging relevant IP.

7 hours ago

Creative Minds: Koji Kanzaki on turning childhood ...

From aspiring comedian to comic fan and now creative director, Dentsu China’s ECD Koji Kanzaki loves uncovering beauty in the mundane, dreams of dining with Banksy, and keeps his inner child alive.

8 hours ago

Wieden+Kennedy retreats from India, shuttering its ...

The agency's leadership in India including Ayesha Ghosh, Santosh Padhi and Shreekant Srinivasan have resigned.

9 hours ago

Exit player zero: A creative director’s brush with ...

When a dream role at a gaming startup pulled in Robert Gaxiola, the veteran creative director and Playbook XP managing partner, quickly realised the cost to play was far too steep. Now, he’s urging fellow creatives to be wary of the same traps.