Creative Women in Advertising Agencies: Why So Few “Babes in Boyland”?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore reasons why there are so few women in creative departments of advertising agencies and to discuss what impact that might have on the work environment of those creative departments and advertising messages they create. Design/methodology/approach – Provides a review of published research and plus opinions of professionals who cover the advertising industry or work in agency creative departments. Personal observations from the authors’ time working in the advertising industry are also included. Findings – Themes gleaned from the literature look at the gender gap, the creative department of advertising agencies as an “old-boys network,” reasons why women leave creative jobs, and why advertising targeting women as consumers is so bad. Practical implications – Women opt out of advertising agencies for any number of reasons – more than just having babies. Keeping women’s voices in creative departments would give a better balance to the messages agencies create. Originality/value – Changing creative departments to be more accommodating and flexible to women’s needs might not only make them better for women, but also better for men and for families. In addition, the messages from those creative departments may be more compelling to consumers

Vanishing Acts: Creative Women in Spain and the United States

This exploratory cross-cultural study examines the experiences of women in advertising creative departments in Spain and the United States. The study, an exploration of the creative environment and its impact on female creatives, is framed by Hofstede’s dimensional model of national culture (Hofstede 2001; de Mooij & Hofstede 2010) and signalling theory (Spence 1974). Interviews with 35 top female creatives suggest that the challenges women face are rooted in the ‘fraternity culture’ or ‘territorio de chicos’ of creative departments in both countries. The data further suggest that the gender-bound cultural environment of advertising creative departments may be a global phenomenon, one that may adversely affect the creative process and impact women’s upward mobility

Per què no hi ha dones creatives treballant en publicitat?

Un investigador del GRP (Grup de Recerca en Publicitat i Relacions Públiques de la UAB i l'ICTA) ha dut a terme, conjuntament amb la Marquette University i la University of North Texas, les dues dels Estats Units, un estudi sobre l'absència de dones creatives a les agències de publicitat. Els resultats mostren l'existència d'una cultura masculina als departaments creatius de les agències de publicitat, tant a Espanya com als Estats Units. Les dades també suggereixen que aquest entorn, vinculat a la cultura del gènere, pot ser un fenomen global, i que pot afectar negativament al procés creatiu i a la mobilitat laboral de les dones. Aquest estudi posa de manifest la conveniència d'implantar polítiques que promoguin la presència de nou talent femení als departaments creatius de les agències de publicitat.Un investigador del GRP (Grupo de Investigación en Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas de la UAB y del ICTA) ha llevado a cabo, conjuntamente con la Marquette University y la University of North Texas, las dos de los Estados Unidos, un estudio sobre la ausencia de mujeres creativas en las agencias de publicidad. Los resultados muestran la existencia de una cultura masculina en los departamentos creativos de las agencias de publicidad, tanto en España como en Estados Unidos. Los datos también sugieren que este entorno, vinculado a la cultura del género, puede ser un fenómeno global, y que puede afectar negativamente al proceso creativo y a la movilidad laboral de las mujeres. Este estudio pone de manifiesto la conveniencia de implantar políticas que promuevan la presencia de nuevo talento femenino en los departamentos creativos de las agencias de publicidad

Unspoken Rules of the Creative Game: Insights to Shape the Next Generation from Top Advertising Creative Women

This study addresses gender issues in advertising creative departments and defines some of the unspoken rules in the creative game. Based on the interviews of twenty top creative women from the United States and Canada, the study focuses on the work creative women do, how they do it, and the environment in which they work. Content analysis of in-depth interviews led to the emergence of four thematic categories: the business, about personality, the work, and being female. Ultimately, knowing the unspoken rules will help prepare future generations of advertising creatives for the challenges that lie ahead. For women, knowledge of these rules is of paramount importance, as the highly masculine creative environment influences all aspects of a creative\u27s career trajectory from hiring to promotion. Developing and sustaining a successful career in advertising creative is at the very least a challenge. A complex set of issues, including gender imbalance within creative departments, plays a role in shaping future generations of advertising creatives. Adapting to the rapidly changing advertising world, while navigating the gender-bound environment of creative departments, is difficult for most junior creatives. It is particularly demanding for women. The objective of this study is to share what we have learned after interviewing twenty top creative women from across the United States and Canada. In short, our goal is to learn from women at the top—to find out why there are so few women at the top—thereby helping prepare junior creatives, particularly women, as they learn to adapt to this demanding environment. With so few women at the top within advertising creative departments, tapping into the experiences of those who have made it has the potential to shed new light on the complex issues that prevent many women from rising to the top. Along the way we hope to contribute to improving the environment within creative departments for everyone

Vanishing acts : creative women in Spain and in the United States

This exploratory cross-cultural study examines the experiences of women in advertising creative departments in Spain and the United States. The study, an exploration of the creative environment and its impact on female creatives, is framed by Hofstede's dimensional model of national culture (Hofstede 2001; de Mooij & Hofstede 2010) and signalling theory (Spence 1974). Interviews with 35 top female creatives suggest that the challenges women face are rooted in the 'fraternity culture' or 'territorio de chicos' of creative departments in both countries. The data further suggest that the gender-bound cultural environment of advertising creative departments may be a global phenomenon, one that may adversely affect the creative process and impact women's upward mobilit

Vanishing acts : creative women in Spain and in the United States

This exploratory cross-cultural study examines the experiences of women in advertising creative departments in Spain and the United States. The study, an exploration of the creative environment and its impact on female creatives, is framed by Hofstede's dimensional model of national culture (Hofstede 2001; de Mooij & Hofstede 2010) and signalling theory (Spence 1974). Interviews with 35 top female creatives suggest that the challenges women face are rooted in the 'fraternity culture' or 'territorio de chicos' of creative departments in both countries. The data further suggest that the gender-bound cultural environment of advertising creative departments may be a global phenomenon, one that may adversely affect the creative process and impact women's upward mobilit

Per què no hi ha dones creatives treballant en publicitat?

Un investigador del GRP (Grup de Recerca en Publicitat i Relacions Públiques de la UAB i l'ICTA) ha dut a terme, conjuntament amb la Marquette University i la University of North Texas, les dues dels Estats Units, un estudi sobre l'absència de dones creatives a les agències de publicitat. Els resultats mostren l'existència d'una cultura masculina als departaments creatius de les agències de publicitat, tant a Espanya com als Estats Units. Les dades també suggereixen que aquest entorn, vinculat a la cultura del gènere, pot ser un fenomen global, i que pot afectar negativament al procés creatiu i a la mobilitat laboral de les dones. Aquest estudi posa de manifest la conveniència d'implantar polítiques que promoguin la presència de nou talent femení als departaments creatius de les agències de publicitat.Un investigador del GRP (Grupo de Investigación en Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas de la UAB y del ICTA) ha llevado a cabo, conjuntamente con la Marquette University y la University of North Texas, las dos de los Estados Unidos, un estudio sobre la ausencia de mujeres creativas en las agencias de publicidad. Los resultados muestran la existencia de una cultura masculina en los departamentos creativos de las agencias de publicidad, tanto en España como en Estados Unidos. Los datos también sugieren que este entorno, vinculado a la cultura del género, puede ser un fenómeno global, y que puede afectar negativamente al proceso creativo y a la movilidad laboral de las mujeres. Este estudio pone de manifiesto la conveniencia de implantar políticas que promuevan la presencia de nuevo talento femenino en los departamentos creativos de las agencias de publicidad