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Maddever: Research has shown
companies that have a very diverse
and balanced group [at the senior
management level] do better. In the
areas of advertising and marketing,
where people are charged with
coming up with insights, there
are really good business reasons
to make sure that the teams have
all of the knowledge and deep
cultural understanding that they
need to talk to the many ethnic
communities in Canada. On the
brand side, there is great diversity
with programs that are welcoming.
On the agency side, there are some
that are good, some that are not.
In areas such as creative, it seems
to still be very male-dominated. It
is important for everyone to see
senior roles as something they
can shoot for. I think when we’re
looking at diversity at agencies,
it’s an issue when all the senior
creative directors are white guys.
Logue: In my direct experience it has
not been an issue. I work at a small
agency, we have representation
from multiple ethnicities and
there’s a female partner, male
partner, different sexualities.
When I look at the brands I work
with, certainly there’s not an issue
at those companies. I work with
an organization on their hockey
program, and all the senior leads
are female.
diverse. And all the bright stars
we have now – all the juniors – are
women. But there’s a point in their
career where they’re doing so well
and boom! They’re gone.
Vonk: I had a late realization in
life that gender is a problem. Just
because I haven’t had a problem
with it doesn’t mean there isn’t
something going on. The problem
is certainly not evident in schools
– there are probably more women
graduating than men going into
our ield and tons of women in the
industry – but there is undeniably
a mass eodus at the point where
[women] should be stepping into
get to the high schools and create
conditions of success for people
who are a bit more marginalized.
We are a creative industry. We
should be able to igure out a
creative solution to stem the tide.
Logue: But why is it an issue? I think
a group full of men could market to
women and a group of women could
market to men. I don’t think it has to
do with sex. As a marketer, it’s your
job to market to your demo.
Maddever: On a practical level there
are things you’re going to miss. If
you don’t have the same inherent
knowledge, you’re not going to get
12%: ESTIMATED INCREASE IN PRODUCTION ACCORDING TO THE AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT, IF THE BOARDROOM GENDER GAP WERE ELIMINATED.
SUCCESSFUL START-UPS LAUNCHED BETWEEN 1997 AND 2011 IN NORTH AMERICA
HAD TWICE AS MANY WOMEN IN SENIOR MANAGEMENT POSITIONS THAN
THEIR UNSUCCESSFUL COUNTERPARTS (DOW JONES).
BUSINESSES IN EUROPE AND ASIA WITH HIGHER THAN AVERAGE FEMALE EXECS
WERE 47% MORE PROFITABLE THAN THEIR COMPETITORS (MCKINSEY).
DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS CREATE “CONSTRUCTIVE
CONFLICT,” WHICH LEADS TO A “MORE THOROUGH STRATEGIC DECISION-
MAKING PROCESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL OVERSIGHT” (DIVERSECITY).
Cundari: When I hire, my biggest
criteria is I don’t hire stupid
people. I’m not going to force a
mandate. Eighty percent of my
ofice is now women. Even in
our creative group, we’ve found
a pretty even balance. I would
say the senior guys are still male,
but ethnically we’re completely
the more senior roles. It bears a
lot of consideration because it’s a
brain drain.
When I was CCO, I know how
hard it was to ind any black people.
I think it’s dangerous to make
sweeping generalizations, of course.
I know it’s such a crisis in the U.S.
that ad organizations are trying to
to the same place as quickly.
Leung: But to support Matt’s point,
the creative team that worked on
OB tampons are men. I don’t think
we can generalize to say that men
can’t market tampons, or women
can’t market cars, [but] it’s easier if
you get your period.
March 2013
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