17472: WSJ On WPP—A Failure To Communicate.

 

The LinkedIn post depicted above called out Wall Street Journal content spotlighting WPP CEO Cindy Rose, questioning the article headline: Advertising’s First Female CEO Isn’t Afraid to Fail.

 

The post author felt the headline was misleading. While the article clarified Rose is the first female CEO of a holding company—or single White operating company—the author believed the net impression positions Rose as the first-ever female CEO in Adland.

 

The author asserts Mary Wells Lawrence earned the title of first female CEO of a White advertising agency by co-founding Wells Rich Greene in 1966, and the iconic leader has been followed by countless female CEOs in Adland over the years.

 

Initial comments ranged from White men in agreement to White women seemingly expressing passive offense with the author.

 

Of course, there’s no mention of Barbara Gardner Proctor, founder of the first advertising agency owned and operated by a Black woman—a feat achieved in 1970. Ditto snubbing for Caroline R. Jones of Zebra Associates and Mingo-Jones Advertising. Carol H. Williams is a living legend. And there are many other invisible women of color throughout the history of Adland—all of whom contributed waaaay more trailblazing accomplishments to the industry than Rose.

 

Yet the author and commentators arguably missed a bigger issue with the WSJ headline.

 

That is, over 98,000 WPP drones will see their leader isn’t afraid to fail—and will likely fire thousands of them to achieve resounding failure.

17420: FYI FQ Beach BS.

Adweek reported The Female Quotient will expand its presence at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, adding FQ Beach and Camp to the regular FQ Lounge setup.

 

Despite the anti-DEIBA+ vibe in Adland, it appears White women groups are not as adversely affected—in terms of indifference, disinterest, and disrespect—as racial and ethnic groups at Cannes.

 

Plus, White women at Cannes probably face waaaaay fewer perverted predatory perils than women of color. Or maybe not.

 

Expect extra Safe Zone precautions at FQ Beach and Camp.

 

Maybe they should change the name to FQ Beach and Bunker.

 

The Female Quotient Adds Beach Presence at Cannes Lions 

 

A larger beachside venue at Hôtel Martinez will host the organization’s content, while the penthouse shifts to private gatherings

 

By Richard Lowe

 

The Female Quotient is heading to the beach for Cannes Lions 2026.

 

The media and advisory company announced the launch of FQ Beach and Camp on Wednesday (March 25), an expansion of its FQ Lounge set-up on the rooftop of the Hôtel Martinez. 

 

The space, situated on the Croisette across from Hôtel Martinez, will host an outdoor stage with daily programming, brand activations, and gatherings that forward The FQ’s mission.

 

Meanwhile, the rooftop space will host private gatherings with industry leaders alongside a dedicated content studio for social-first storytelling.

 

“For over ten years, the FQ Lounge at Cannes Lions has been the destination for the conversations and connections that move business forward,” said Shelley Zalis, founder and CEO of The Female Quotient, in a statement. “Expanding to the beach allows us to build on that foundation, creating more space, more access, and more opportunity for our growing community to show up and have the conversations that drive what’s next.”

 

A growing community

 

Founded in 2015 by Zalis, The FQ has grown to a worldwide community of 7 million members across 30 industries in 100 countries. The company hosts events across the globe, including an AI summit, that draw over 50,000 attendees annually.

 

At Cannes Lions, FQ Beach is a natural expansion for the company. For more than ten years, the FQ Lounge has hosted business leaders on the penthouse rooftop of the Hôtel Martinez. This year, that content will move to the larger stage at FQ Beach.

 

“[FQ’s] expansion allows us to scale that experience, creating more opportunities for the connection, visibility, and storytelling that our community of leaders has come to expect from The FQ,” said Talia Bender Small, President of The Female Quotient, in a statement.

 

The FQ’s growth comes at a time when McKinsey & Company released their Women in the Workplace report that shows women receive less career support and fewer advancement opportunities in the workplace.

 

Cannes for kids

 

The FQ also announced Camp @ Cannes, in association with home improvement retailer Lowe’s, to provide programming for children with supervision from credentialed childcare providers. 

 

“You can do it all, but not all at once, and definitely not alone,” Zalis said in a statement. “Camp @ Cannes is an experience that reflects real life, where work and family can coexist, and therefore more leaders can participate.”

 

Camp @ Cannes was inspired by Lowe’s revamp of MyLowe’s Rewards Kids Club, which inspires families to go on adventures together as they learn how to build via hands-on workshops and experiences. In-store workshops include building terrariums and garden baskets, while the club also offers projects that kids can do at home.

 

This partnership comes after Lowe’s rolled back DEI policies, but vowed to be a bigger part of its local communities by rebuilding parks, gardens, and even food pantries through a five-year, $100 million program.

 

“At Lowe’s, we’re always innovating to create new ways to connect with younger audiences and the next generation of homeowners,” said Jen Wilson, Lowe’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, in a statement. “Bringing that spirit to Camp @ Cannes allows us to support today’s leaders in a more holistic way, by creating space for their families, too, and showing that building a career and building memories don’t have to be separate pursuits.”

17411: On WPP CEO Cindy Rose Raise, Raising, And Reaching.

 

The Times reported WPP CEO Cindy Rose could collect a maximum payout of £14.2 million (roughly $19.1 million USD) if she manages to raise the White holding company’s share price by 50 percent.

 

If successful, Rose would earn more than her predecessor, Mark Read, whose 2024 salary was capped at £8.6 million.

 

It might sound like progress given the gender pay gap issues prevalent at WPP (and Adland overall). However, there are at least two critical points to consider:

 

1. Read took multiple pay cuts in recent years resulting from his failure to even slow WPP’s financial free fall.

 

2. The £14.2 million Rose deal is still dwarfed by former WPP Overlord Sir Martin Sorrell, who once pocketed almost £30 million.

 

In comparison, Omnicom Chairman and CEO John Wren received $21.67 million in 2024; Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun has a base salary of roughly $1.25 million with perks and bonuses that could bump total compensation to over $10.7 million; Havas CEO Yannick Bolloré reportedly received roughly $11.4 million in 2024; Former Dentsu CEO Hiroshi Igarashi could’ve received a package exceeding $14 million (no word yet on new CEO Takeshi Sano); Stagwell CEO Mark Penn received $8.4 million in 2023. In short, holding company CEO salaries are all over the global map—and obscenely high.

 

Keep in mind too that WPP has been on a death spiral since at least 2018, making the goal of boosting the current share price by 50 percent downright delusional.

 

In the end, Rose will probably raise a White flag vs raising the share price.

 

WPP boss Cindy Rose could make £14.2m if she gets things right

 

The payout for her predecessor, Mark Read, was capped at £8.6 million for 2024, but she will only get the maximum amount if the shares rise by 50%

 

By Isabella Fish, Retail Editor

 

The new chief executive of WPP is in line for a significantly higher pay reward than her predecessor after the advertising group overhauled its remuneration structure to align UK packages with those in the US. 

 

Cindy Rose could receive a maximum payout of £14.2 million if she lifts the company’s share price by 50 per cent, under a newly proposed remuneration policy set out in the annual report. 

 

By comparison, the maximum potential payout for her predecessor, Mark Read, was £8.6 million for 2024. 

 

The advertising company said it was overhauling its pay structure to address what it described as a “disparity in incentive arrangements” between employees based in the UK and those in the US. In 2023 and 2024, total compensation for about a third of its US-based executive committee members exceeded that of the group chief executive under the previous framework, it said.

 

WPP said it “believes it is appropriate to narrow this disparity and alleviate some of the challenges of pay compression, creating a fair and sustainable framework across the global executive team”.

 

British companies have warned of a transatlantic pay gap and restrictive UK corporate governance frameworks. Unilever, the consumer goods giant, recently said it had missed out on high-calibre American candidates whose existing compensation packages far exceeded what the group could offer under its current structure. 

 

Rose, 60, is an American-British dual national who splits her time between the UK and the US. The former Microsoft executive, who took over at WPP in September, was appointed on a base salary of £1.25 million, with additional incentives paid in cash and shares depending on performance. 

 

Under the proposed policy, her maximum payout includes £5.9 million in bonuses and stock awards to compensate for those she forfeited by leaving Microsoft, as well as salary, benefits, pension, maximum annual bonus, and the combined value of long-term share awards, including a new restricted share plan.

 

The company is hoping to introduce a restricted share award worth 100 per cent of salary for the chief executive and chief financial officer, alongside existing long-term incentive plans. These awards would run over five years, with a three-year vesting period followed by a two-year holding period, and would be subject to performance conditions.

 

A 50 per cent share price increase might seem like a steep target for Rose to hit, but the stock is currently at a particularly low point. The group was ejected from the FTSE 100 in December after its shares fell to a near 30-year low. The stock is down 75 per cent over the past five years and about 63 per cent over the past 12 months.

 

Rose is seeking to stabilise the business through cost savings and having a simpler structure following a series of client losses and a downturn in advertising spending.

 

In February, she set out a plan aimed at cutting £500 million in costs, including removing duplication and combining human resources and back-office functions across parts of the group.

 

According to the company’s latest report, WPP employed 98,655 workers at the end of last year, 6,500 fewer than the year before. WPP declined to comment.

17396: No Flowers For International Women’s Day…?

 

International Women’s Day 2026 campaign theme reads: Give To Gain

 

Here’s the hype from the official IWD website:

 

When we give, we gain.

 

Together, let’s help forge gender equality through abundant giving.

 

The IWD 2026 Give To Gain Campaign encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration.

 

Give To Gain emphasizes the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organizations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase. Giving is not a subtraction, it's intentional multiplication. When women thrive, we all rise.

 

Whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring, or time, contributing to women's advancement helps create a more supportive and interconnected world.

 

What will you Give to Gain gender equality?

 

Okay, but the campaign imagery looks like women are begging for handouts.

 

Since celebrating International Women’s Day could be considered a DEIBA+ stunt, it appears Adland diminished performative propaganda for IWD this year.

 

For White women, Adland continues to present a diversity of disrespect—including gender pay gaps, sexual harassment, unequal opportunities, indifference for maternity and menopause, and much more.

 

For women of color, things get even worse.

 

The global industry presents unfair challenges to women on International Women’s Day—and all year long.

17395: Disempowerment Disembowelment.

 

Advertising Age published a perspective from a White woman advocating for fighting in Adland’s “new era of disempowerment.”

 

Technically, it should be labeled renewed era of disempowerment—as it’s really the revivals of gender inequality and systemic racism.

 

Hey, you know the DEIBA+ dream is being deferred, disrespected, and denied when even White women are feeling the abandonment of faux commitment to the cause.

 

How to keep fighting in advertising’s new era of disempowerment

 

By Mindy Goldberg

 

Let’s just say it: advertising is in a new era of disempowerment, and if you’re a woman, a person of color or someone who actually cares about the creative work, you’re feeling it.

 

This isn’t subtle anymore. It’s about wielding financial power, and nobody’s pretending otherwise. Business ethics and respect have left the building at the corporate level, and the rest of us are in survival mode—watching a political climate shift in ways that will cost people jobs, benefits and ground that took decades to gain. And yes, it will land hardest on the people who can least afford it. It always does.

 

I started a production company in 1989. I’ve been a woman in this industry for over 30 years, and I want to be clear: it was never easy. There was always some version of the same deal on the table: stroke the right egos, do the work, learn the craft, be capable and warm and non-threatening all at once—and maybe, maybe you’d advance. The business was 99% white, and women were largely expected to support the men in charge.

 

In the last decade, you could feel momentum building toward change. Initiatives like Free the Bid opened doors and created real opportunity for women and other underrepresented voices. For a moment, it felt like history was bending in a new direction. But the progress didn’t stick.

 

We knew the prejudice was there. It knew we knew. There was an unspoken arrangement: keep your head down, and it would keep its voice down.

 

That arrangement is over.

 

What’s shifted isn’t just policy. It’s permission. The disrespect that once operated in whispers no longer bothers to whisper. Look at who is still at the top. It’s familiar. A lot of what passed for progress didn’t run very deep.

 

For those of us on the creative production side, there’s another layer.

 

The actual craft, the whole thing this industry claims to value, is being financially and ethically gutted by people who see it as a line item. As budgets tighten and timelines compress, risk is pushed downstream. “Efficiency” at the top is made possible by uncompensated labor further down the chain. We’re not talking about a few extra hours. It’s weeks of unbillable work—bidding cities, holding vendors, calling crews, building schedules—before a job is awarded, before a director is recommended, sometimes before it’s killed altogether.

 

Business practices have never been less efficient.

 

Efficiency is easy when someone else absorbs the cost.

 

Production companies like mine—built over decades on talent, relationships and creative commitment—are watching decision-making shift away from creative leadership and toward the bottom line. Ethical business practices are seen as old-fashioned. The soul of the work is an inconvenience.

 

So. What do we do with that?

 

Here’s what I know after 30-plus years of building something on my own terms: you cannot outsource your values. Not to a company. Not to a movement. Not to a political moment that may look completely different in 18 months. What holds is what you actually do.

 

The hiring decision.

 

The pushback against unfair business practices.

 

The moment in the room where you could stay quiet—and don’t.

 

That’s the work.

 

Toni Morrison said it simply: “If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”

 

That’s still the job.

 

Mindy Goldberg founded Epoch Films in 1989 with a mission to introduce filmmakers with a unique perspective to the advertising world.

17129: Diverse Advertising Agency Ownership Thwarted By White Advertising Agency Ownership.

 

Advertising Age published a perspective advocating for diverse advertising agency ownership—which is an oxymoron of sorts. And a pipe dream for sure.

 

The author opened by stating, “Diverse ownership in advertising isn’t just a moral imperative; it’s a business necessity.”

 

Sorry, but that pronouncement has historically and consistently failed to initiate even performative progress.

 

Diverse ownership—and diversity in general—will unlikely happen unless it becomes a legal mandate enforced with significant financial penalties.

 

Diverse agency ownership is essential to advertising’s future

 

By Samantha Choi

 

Diverse ownership in advertising isn’t just a moral imperative; it’s a business necessity.

 

At a moment of cultural upheaval, shifting consumer values and rapid technological disruption, the industry cannot afford to keep running on the same playbook that has long excluded women, nonbinary creatives and people of color from positions of real power.

 

Representation in the ownership suite drives better results through inclusive strategy, deeper resonance and long-term relevance. Yet, even today, the people at the top making the decisions that shape our culture through creative work rarely look like the audiences they serve.

 

Less than 1% of advertising agencies in North America are owned by women or nonbinary individuals, according to the 4A’s and the Ownit initiative. A woman of color, especially Asian-American, in an ownership role? The percentage shrinks to a fraction of a fraction.

 

Despite making up more than 60% of the advertising workforce, women hold only 37.5% of leadership positions and an even smaller share of ownership. This isn’t just an oversight, but a structural failure.

 

Diversity in advertising can’t begin and end with the faces we see in front of the camera. It has to include the people shaping the narrative: those writing the briefs, approving the budgets, directing the creative and steering the ship. Real inclusion means the redistribution of power across creative, finance and strategy.

 

Getting there requires hurdling many barriers. Lack of access to capital. A deficit of mentorship. Industry norms that reward the loudest voices, the longest hours and the most “traditional” leadership styles. Women, especially women of color, often face a double bind: expected to be collaborative, empathetic and flexible, but penalized when those same qualities are perceived as soft or indecisive. The emotional intelligence, lived experience and cultural nuance that should be seen as leadership strengths are instead treated as liabilities.

 

But when diverse creatives are empowered to lead, they build differently. They challenge assumptions. They identify blind spots. They connect with audiences who’ve long been misunderstood or ignored. When you’ve grown up feeling like the “other,” you learn to see what others overlook. That ability to read between the lines and understand the unsaid? That’s not just empathy, but strategy, vision and the heart of great storytelling.

 

Good creative work begins with listening and asking better questions. Notice the gaps in the narrative and fill them with honesty, complexity and care. And the data backs it up: Companies with more diverse leadership teams consistently outperform their peers on innovation, problem-solving and financial returns.

 

But change won’t happen if we keep waiting for permission. It happens when new voices take the mic and when those already in power make space at the table.

 

Visibility, access, mentorship and funding matter. And so does the courage to build something even when the odds aren’t in your favor. When others won’t bet on you, bet on yourself.

 

At a recent industry event, a young Asian-American woman approached me to say how much it meant to see a Korean name on the lineup—my name. That simple moment of recognition, especially when I never saw it growing up, hit me hard. It served as a reminder that while representation alone doesn’t fix broken systems, it signals what’s possible. It reminds those starting out that they belong in the room.

 

Right now, the ad industry is being forced to rethink itself. AI is reshaping how we work. Audiences are demanding more authenticity and honesty. Brands are struggling to maintain trust. And at every level, we’re reckoning with who gets to lead, who gets heard, and who gets left out.

 

I used to keep my head down. It’s in our culture. Korean families often teach us to show up by working harder than everyone else. No complaints or shortcuts, just relentless hustle, and people will see it. For years, that was my default setting. But I’ve come to realize that staying silent in the face of inequity doesn’t help those coming next. If anything, it makes the climb harder for them.

 

Now is the time to make room for new voices, not just at the table, but at the head of it. Here’s how we start to fix what’s broken:

 

• Build infrastructure, not just for visibility. Pair representation with real support, including mentorship and sponsorship for layers of long-term growth. 

 

• Redefine leadership. Champion collaborative, empathetic leadership styles, not just the loudest, homogenous voices in the room.

 

• Introduce reverse mentorships. The way we continue to grow is from the bottom up. Listening and learning from fresh young minds brings a different frame of reference. 

 

• Fund diverse ownership. Direct budgets and investment toward agencies/projects led by women, nonbinary creatives, and people of color. Money talks, so use it to shift power.

 

Change doesn’t come from good intentions. It comes from where we place our bets. Let’s start betting on a future that actually looks like the world we want to live in.

16922: Overreaction Of The Week.

 

Digiday published a lead-in for the WorkLife report on Adland responses to the WPP RTO policy titled: Industry clutches pearls after WPP returns to office four days a week.

 

Industry clutches pearls?

 

While the phrase has gained cross-cultural and gender-neutral status, Wiktionary states its origin as follows: From the stereotype of a woman who wears pearls and is easily offended.

 

Given Adland’s gender inequality issues—as well as intersectionality exposed via the privileges enjoyed by White women in the field—surely Digiday editors could have hatched a better headline.

 

Cast not pearls before swine…?

 

Industry clutches pearls after WPP returns to office four days a week

 

By Tony Case

 

WPP’s announcement requiring employees to return to the office four days a week has sent shockwaves through the advertising industry, spotlighting a deepening divide between corporate-owned and independent agencies on workplace flexibility. While some leaders argue in-person collaboration fuels creativity, critics view the move as outdated and morale-crushing.

 

Employees have voiced frustration over the abrupt policy from the agency holding group, citing poor communication and personal challenges, with some questioning whether “creative collaboration” outweighs childcare needs or two-hour commutes. Meanwhile, independents see an opportunity to attract disillusioned talent championing flexible models that balance productivity with personal well-being.

 

As WPP braces for potential backlash — including a petition with over 15,000 signatures — the industry grapples with a critical question: can rigid mandates coexist with the evolving expectations of the modern workforce? For now, the battle lines are drawn, with the future of talent and agency hanging in the balance.

 

Read the fully story.

16888: Reporting Advertising Representation & Underrepresentation.

 

MediaPost spotlighted the 2024 Global Advertising Representation Report from XR Extreme Reach and The Female Quotient. Referring to the results, an XR executive declared, “Gaps in inclusivity remain significant, but they are solvable.”

 

Hey, solvable is a very subjective term, rarely attached to measurable goals in Adland.

 

It’s always amazing that anyone feels the need to spend money on surveys revealing the obvious. Then again, advocacy organizations must justify their existence somehow—as well as generate performative PR to appear relevant.

 

No special report is necessary to conclude gaps in advertising inclusivity are directly tied to White advertising agencies’ exclusivity.

 

Study Finds Big Gaps In Advertising Inclusivity

 

By Steve McClellan

 

Video ad platform XR Extreme Reach has issued a new report that finds significant gaps in advertising inclusivity. The study assessed more than one million ads that were distributed in more than 100 countries. 

 

The company’s 2024 Global Advertising Representation Report utilizes the Representation Index (RX), introduced earlier this year by XR and The Female Quotient.  

 

In addition to gender, RX currently measures representation across age, body type and skin tone expression. The RX Score measures the diversity of each ad on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher scores reflecting a broader range of representation. 

 

Findings Include:

 

• The 2024 global average RX score is trending at 32, peaking as high as 42 for Charity/Non-profit and as low as 28 for Sports. 

 

• 70% of countries analyzed are trending above the global average 

 

• 12% of talent detected in ads have dark skin tones 

 

• 44% of faces detected have feminine gender expression, compared to 56% masculine. 

 

• 15% of screen time features people with larger body types 

 

• RX score for the Super Bowl 2024 was 41, 28% higher than the global average   

 

Shelley Zalis, Founder and CEO of The Female Quotient, stated that “Media shapes how we see ourselves and others and by adopting this new metric (RX), brands don’t just close representation gaps—they lead the charge in shaping a more inclusive and profitable future.”

 

According to the company brands can use RX to audit their advertising and media content, identify representation gaps, track progress, and ensure their campaigns reflect their audiences.

 

Jo Kinsella, Global President and Chief Operating Officer at XR, stated, “Gaps in inclusivity remain significant, but they are solvable.”

 

The 2024 Global Advertising Representation Report can be accessed here.

16832: New DEIBA+ Study Reveals Nothing New.

 

MediaPost reported on a new DEIBA+ study that resembles every old DEIBA+ study, essentially regurgitating the same data and insights, ultimately exposing a lack of true DEIBA+ progress.

 

Oh look! Blacks are allegedly being hired at decent rates; however, retention sucks, prompting an imperative for more inclusive engagement and mentorship programs. Um, this has been the sorry situation for at least 50 years.

 

Conducting useless surveys seems to be a standard stunt in DEIBA+ playbooks for nonprofit advocacy groups.

 

In this case, the spotlighted enterprise should be renamed She Reruns It.

 

New DEI Study Finds Industry Progress And Shortfalls

 

By Steve McClellan

 

She Runs It and DEI consultant Seramount have released the results of an industry survey that found that while Black professionals are being hired at rates consistent with the broader population (14%), they are not being promoted at a comparable pace and are leaving their roles at a disproportionately high rate (13%).   

 

The takeaway, per the firms: A need for better career progression strategies and more inclusive pathways to leadership for Black employees.  

 

Per the report, women continue to comprise half of the broader media/marketing workforce (53%), “disproving earlier indications that women had left the industry in large numbers.” Previous, post-pandemic surveys suggested that women had dropped from approximately 50% to 37% of our workforce.  

 

The study also found that marketers/clients are making gender and race/ethnicity representation a crucial requirement in RFP processes for agencies and other vendors stewarding their businesses (86%). And companies are responding by providing more diversity training to their client-facing staff (71%).  

 

The survey also addressed so-called “DEI fatigue,” and found that it “appears to be less prominent” than media reports would suggest. The survey shows that employee and corporate commitment to DEI “remains strong at companies who view it as critical to their business strategy for talent, clients/customers, and suppliers.”  

 

And DEI team size has held steady (44%) or increased overall (44%), and budgets are holding steady (42%) and/or improving (22%) more than they are decreasing.  

 

“This Index allows us to highlight not only those who are excelling but also provide key insights into areas of opportunity for the entire industry,” said Barbara Frankel, Managing Director, Head of Insights at Seramount.  

 

The full report can be downloaded here.