Diageo has released a short film about gender balance in advertising to mark International Women’s Day.
The film discusses the role of advertising in shaping culture, the historic misrepresentation of women in advertising and strategies and partnerships to support more progressive gender portrayal in content, the drinks giant said in a statement.
The Baileys maker said that the film also focuses on the importance of diversity in the advertising industry itself – highlighting the organisations working to address imbalances behind the camera and in creative departments.
“Through the millennia, culture has been shaped by the stories we tell and if you think about it advertising is telling stories that are backed by billions of dollars to have them heard," said Syl Saller, Diageo, CMO.
“I am convinced we can normalize gender equality with what we choose to show in our ads, and who we choose to make them."
#CreativeComeback
The film is released as 50 women take part in the Creative Equals ‘Returners’ scheme called #CreativeComeback.
Speaking in the film, Ali Hanan, founder of Creative Equals said: “In the creative sector one of the big challenges is that only 12% of creative directors are women. Just as women are stepping up into leadership roles, motherhood, or perhaps caring responsibilities come along and women drop out of the industry.
According to the group its ultimate aim is to place female art directors, producers, copywriters, data analysts, designers and concept creators back into work.
“Our programme is all about upskilling women and all the things that they need to get back into the industry, that includes digital skills, that includes getting some fresh work in their book," Hanan added.
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
