In a survey which included some 375 of its female members, the 4A’s (American Association of Advertising Agencies) reported that more than half of those respondents had experienced sexual harassment at least once.
The women also shared that there have been at least a few times when they have not received desired assignments or promotions because of discrimination (33%) and that there have been times when they were not included in making decisions that they should have been included in because of discrimination (42%).
When asked to what extent they feel potentially vulnerable to discrimination at work in the advertising industry, more than half of the respondents said their gender made them feel either somewhat vulnerable (39%) or very vulnerable (15%), higher than any other attribute in the survey.
And almost two-thirds of respondents either agree somewhat (40%) or agree totally (19%) that there were times when they personally experienced discrimination without recognizing it–only now do they see it was discrimination.
Nancy Hill, president and CEO of the 4A’s, said that to properly address these issues, she challenges agencies to do the following for starters:
•”As I mentioned at this year’s Transformation conference,” related Hill, “we must start at the top, with each CEO appointing himself or herself the chief diversity officer. Until there’s better representation of gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation in an organization’s upper echelon, awareness and change are going to be harder to come by.”
•”Take a cue from Kate Stanners at Saatchi & Saatchi, and encourage young women to pursue leadership positions.”
• And "follow the example of several IPG agencies and begin unconscious bias training, and perhaps implement a blind résumé practice to eliminate any gender or ethnicity identifiers from résumés; this will help level set our hiring practices.”
Hill added that the 4A’s would release more data from its research during Advertising Week (Sept. 26-30) in New York. This additional info will center on how women are portrayed in advertising and the impact it has on our society.
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowers’ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, “His artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.”
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, “Kris first caught my attention when he released his record ‘Heroes + Misfits’ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More