Industry movement Fck The Cupcakes (FTC) is launching its first major campaign to help drive gender equality.
The ‘Be the Change’ initiative targets men to help women drive industry and wider community change. The decision to invite men to take part in the conversation comes after a recent report from shEqual found that more than half, 54%, of men believed that gender equality is prioritised, while only 29% of women agreed.
FTC, led by Innocean Australia CEO Jasmin Bedir, and a team within the agency, has brought together communications professionals to help develop and implement the campaign. The FTC committee includes Innocean on creative, Hearts & Science on media, Edelman on PR, and Performics Mercerbell on digital. Supporting organisations include Never Not Creative, shEqual, and Impact.com.
“As a collective, we recognised that our industry has created campaigns that put the solution to equality in the hands of one gender - hint: it’s the same gender attending equality talks,” Bedir says.
“The truth is many men have disengaged from the conversation. For the vast majority of men, they do not relate to the stories of extreme sexual assault, unfair dismissal or domestic violence so often covered in mainstream media.
“They have no lived experience of what the average woman goes through in their daily workday, nor their unconscious contribution to it.”
‘Be the Change’ is also calling on brands to join the campaign with a consumer and trade teaser campaign launching in February to help encourage more brands and media owners to get involved.
The multi-media campaign already has support from the production industry and media partners, including 10 ViacomCBS, JCDecaux, ARN, Hoyts, and Val Morgan. FTC is also in discussions with men’s groups, including Man Cave, Line and Length, and Our Watch, to provide feedback on the campaign.
“We want to acknowledge that many men want to help and be responsible for positive change, but in such a nuanced conversation, many don’t know how,” says 10 ViacomCBS chief sales officer Rod Prosser.
“We’re on a mission to help people recognise the problem and then create a safe space to learn the tools to listen, ultimately giving permission to contribute to the fight for gender equality 365 days a year.”
ARN chief commercial officer Pete Whitehead says the radio network will help deliver the campaign’s message to its audiences.
“ARN will play a critical role in driving awareness around the unconscious gender bias that exists in our industry and beyond,” Whitehead says.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the campaign come to life and even more importantly, the results of the efforts.”
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