Kevin Roberts assertions that there isn’t a gender issue within the industry demonstrated that there are still examples of prehistoric advertising networks that are still led by dinosaurs and ruled by perceptions that there isn’t really a problem.
He's offended many, and rightly so, and brought the issue back into the headlines for the umpteenth time. It's a good jump off to talk about some positive action and I’m massively proud to be able to finally talk about the creation of The Agency Circle, which will officially launch in September.
It’s something that the entire industry should be excited about. The Communications Council did dome great work a few years back with an industry-wide survey and it continues to offer guidance and best practice to set up diversity framework within agencies. SheSays does great work on a networking and development level for women in the industry, MediaScopes Peggy's List does a good job at getting more women on the speaker circuit, and there has been good progress made by individuals, but there has been no real galvanising force for change.
I personally feel a great deal of pride at having played a part in kick starting this movement and bringing together the foundation agencies and I hope that it will prompt more agencies to get involved and take some action.
Roberts is just the latest to push the topic back into the headlines. The rest of the industry has been quick to condemn his comments and Maurice Levy's response was refreshingly prompt. The lawsuit filed against JWT’s former CEO Gustavo Martinez is another. Closer to home, Leo Burnett’s seven white men and the debate surrounding M&C Saatchi’s 21st birthday party were the catalysts for holding a roundtable discussion to address the issue in the Australian market. Both Leos and M&C were happy to engage.
I was repeatedly having conversations about whether there is or isn’t a problem, what agencies could do to address it and how to really start shifting things. There seemed to be a lot of conversation but not much action so I hand-picked a group of people who I knew had an interest and were concerned, but who also had the power to make something happen both within their own organisations but also more broadly in the industry. Michele O'Neill at VCCP had been doing some work in the background on a similar pathway and had presented on the theme at the Agency Symposium six months earlier. Emily Perrett at Clemenger had set up a diversity group internally and Mark Green, CEO of The Monkeys, was a vocal supporter.
Spotify, which had recently announced its progressive flexible working program for new parents, hosted us and things took shape from there.
While so much of what Kevin Roberts said is inappropriate and shows that old-school views do still exist, some of what he says has credibility. He’s right that not all women want the top job – neither do all men. And that’s OK. But what’s not OK is an industry that systemically makes it difficult for women to succeed beyond a certain point, that hamstrings progress and puts hurdles in the way of women that simply do not exist for most men.
The important thing is making it a realistic possibility for everyone to have an equal shot at progressing and succeeding, rather than accepting the status quo, shrugging it off and saying ‘women aren’t ambitious’.
Cindy Gallop, former global boss of BBH and a vocal champion for diversity in the industry, has today spoken to The Guardian in the UK and said that Roberts is not alone in his views. That sadly is true. She talks about the levels of senior management that pay “lip service” to diversity in the media but behind the scenes do much less than they say.
That’s why it’s so refreshing and inspiring to see a group of senior agency leaders in the Australian market standing up and saying ‘this is something I care about, and it’s something I want to change’.
The industry can do a lot more and I hope The Agency Circle helps that happen. It’s fair to say that the advertising industry is not alone in having a gender and diversity problem. There are fundamental challenges at a government, social and infrastructure level that make certain elements difficult for all industries, but there are things that agencies can and should be doing.
Agencies like The Works, which implemented a scheme to cover childcare costs to make it easier for its new parents to come back to work, are great examples of how agencies can make decisions that change the environment. Let’s have more of these. Not everything has to be a big step, those small, incremental steps are important.
The group of 10 foundation agencies are just the beginning. All creative, digital and media agencies should be jumping to sign up and be part of a movement that has genuine ambitions to make positive change. As I said back at the start of the year – the time for talking is over – let’s take some action.
AdNews has covered the issue of gender in the industry from a number of perspectives. Here's a few articles you should read: