The IPG/WLN-sponsored Cannes panel covered more than the original focus of women in creative roles, mostly because the majority of participants weren’t even from creative departments. Nice job, IPG.
Regardless, the event did highlight—intentionally and unintentionally—the challenges women face in mounting the charge for greater representation in leadership positions.
First, no one can decide on the real issue. That is, are women poorly represented in the industry overall? Or is it just in leadership roles? Or is it just in leadership roles within the creative functions? Hey. It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, but come on.
Others have pointed to figures that show women are well represented in certain areas—like account services and media—and actually outnumber their male counterparts. Does this mean we must protest the imbalances that favor females?
The Advertising Age story stated, “The panel also revealed stark differences in how women are valued around the world.” Hence, it will be tough to build international unity.
Additionally, executives on the advertiser side admitted dealing with a dearth of qualified candidates in their own ranks. So don’t expect the clients to demand that agencies work harder to reach gender equality.
Finally, consider the press examples illustrating this post, which were collected over the past few weeks. Women are regularly being hired, promoted and lauded for their leadership achievements. It will be hard to expose a problem when the PR wonks are painting a rosy picture.
BTW, did anyone tally the number of females that picked up Cannes Lions?
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