Hey Kevin Roberts, squeeze this!
An unscientific guide for female creatives – by Helen Morgan (left), freelance copywriter and co-director of scooterack.co.nz
Kevin Roberts’ largely glowing tenure at Saatchis has been felled by one controversial article in Business Insider. Bugger! Tricky territory at the best of times is gender equality, but saying that other sectors are ‘way worse’ when said sectors happen to be some of your company’s biggest clients possibly wasn’t the smartest of moves. He bit the hand that feeds the machine and the machine bit him back.
Say what you like about his comments (and oh my haven’t you just in the media and online, sparking some timely and interesting discussions in the process) it was inevitable the board would make him fall on the sword to keep their clients sweet. That and my guess that this was part of a bigger agenda, a memo reading something along the lines of ‘cut him loose, he’s old anyway’. Ouch – too soon, or too close to the truth? Or maybe I should just be careful about making sweeping generalisations because those things can really bite you on the bum, right Mr Lovemarks?
So, I’m going to try and steer away from speaking on behalf of other groups I know nothing about and instead describe my reality as an older female creative. No, that’s not an oxymoron. Almost though. Why do I feel the need to do this? Well, for a long time I’ve had an inkling that my experience isn’t unique, and recent posts do seem to back my instinct up, so deep breath, here we go:
Actually no, wait, let’s get a little housekeeping out of the way first. The loos are over there. The bit where you get to tell me your story, opinion, or anonymously bag me you’ll find below. Knock yourselves out, I have nothing to lose, but this industry, one that I genuinely adore, has everything to gain from women like me discussing stuff like this.
Okay, back to me and my creative sisters. In the aforementioned article, which ultimately became his professional kryptonite, Kevin stated that roughly half the staff in his agencies were female. Now, with this statistic in mind let’s close our eyes and visualize most agencies. Hi welcoming receptionists, hello planners and account management – my what a somewhat diverse bunch you are. Hey creative services, thanks for all you tolerate. And here we are with the creatives. Suddenly you wake up clammy and confused. That department was way off 50:50! Must be a bad dream. Rolls over, falls back to sleep.
Well no, sorry, I’m not going to let you get off that easy. I’ve just stolen your duvet and you’re going to sit up and listen or you’re not getting it back.
Following on from the 50% call Kevin surmised that most of us women, along with those nouveaux hippie Millennials, are a freestyling bunch, all happy working munchkins with nil desire to progress their careers beyond a certain level. Like or loathe what he said, as with most things somewhere in the middle lies the truth. Yes, there are people who shirk climbing to the top because that is not their life’s ambition. I don’t think that anyone should get shot down for saying this. But, for a smart guy, gee his grasp of maths and biology is decidedly average! You see, one of his comments went along the lines that after ten years many women simply back off.
Do the sums Kevin. A female copywriter or art director enters the industry all fired up in her 20s, she hones her craft, picks up a few awards and really hits her stride, but then she hits her 30s too, and if you’re going to have a family then you best get on with it girl, tick-tock. Yes, children are a choice, but lots of male creatives want a family by now too, problem is only one half of the equation can actually have them.
Now, from what I’ve seen the 30s is also when male creatives bag the most yellow pencils, land more briefs that secure them more accolades, and get promoted to group head or CD. A few of us try and hang in there, cracked nipples and all, but it isn’t easy. Many take a break/freelance (me) and then find their one time peers have charged ahead and now both you and your work are considered too old and your once promising career is up the proverbial creek – and her canoe hasn’t sprung a leak, it’s postpartum LBL. What a bloody shame, because we did and still do harbour ambitions to produce great work. You will never truly understand any of this Kevin Roberts, because you don’t know what you don’t know, right? (But just so you do know, urinary incontinence visits most of us in the end apparently).
Am I bitter that my old co-workers have gone gang-busters? Hell no! These guys are my friends. I’ve had a ball working with many brilliant, witty, open-minded, gracious male creatives, and I would never begrudge any of you your well-earned successes. Just please understand how much it guts your one time female counterparts as it slowly dawns upon us that we’ll probably never play catch-up with all those little statues you’ve amassed. You know, the things that ensure a creative’s career path, Mr Roberts?
The question is, other than being frustratingly disappointing for said female creatives, does this attrition really matter? The work’s getting done, so the clients are happy. Would they be any happier if they saw more female creatives presenting their work to them? I dunno, got a crystal ball? Although, just for the record, if I see another ad featuring a thirty-something white hipster male getting shown up for being a drop-kick in relation to banking/insurance/grocery shopping etc by his smug, usually white, other half again, I’m going to lob my wine at the telly. WE KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO DO AND YOU’RE NOT DOING EITHER SEX ANY FAVOURS!!!
Besides this is real life, not an episode of Sesame Street. A charter to cover every gender, race, religion and sexual orientation on the creative floor over qualifications and innate talent is silly. However, given that agencies pride themselves on being the masters of change wouldn’t it be on brand to at least attempt to mix things up a bit more by making it easier for female creatives to stay on, or re-enter the department? They were good once, and you never know, their recent life experiences outside of the agency might just result in some great insights, award-winning even.
I guess if the powers that be see any value in this then the answer lies in taking a good look at the current set-up of a creative department to allow for a little more flexibility. I know that a number of you will have just snorted with derision at this lofty ideal, citing it as impractical, but I’m calling bullshit on that. Industries that truly want to evolve can and do. Part of me also wonders if some male creatives would like the ability to have a little more balance in their lives too.
I wonder, I wonder, I wander. You know, when I was in my late 20s working in agencies here and in London I had numerous junior female creatives ask me what they should ‘do’ as a female creative amongst so many males. I’d tell them not to think about it, and concentrate on working their arses off and producing great work instead. Today my older and wiser self would now add that if they wanted to keep doing what they love and have a family, then to start planning now. Push your current agency to help make it work and if they can’t, or won’t, then leave and give your passion and ideas to an agency that will. Trust me, the thrill of a new brief and that blank sheet of paper never goes away, so don’t give it up lightly.
OK, it’s getting on, time to call it a night. May I just ask that a few of you sleep on this please? And if you, like me, can see the merit of a few more female creatives on the floor then let me whisper one final thought in your ear as I tuck you in, three words that this writer used to step over every day on her way into work: ‘Nothing Is Impossible’.
Helen Morgan is a freelance copywriter and co-director of scooterack.co.nz. She kicked off her advertising career at Ogilvy, Wellington, in the days when the Kevin Roberts of this world made it an industry she wanted in on – and for that she thanks him. Stints at big agencies like Ogilvy and Saatchi’s (and a bunch of smaller ones) in London followed, before she returned to NZ with her family ten years ago. Today she often finds herself working on briefs at the arse-end of negligible, or dubious strategies. This often results in her re-writing them at midnight. But that’s cool, because she still loves this business, even if she and big agencies mostly sleep in separate beds now. Oh, and her headline is a nod to Luke Sullivan’s, ‘Hey Whipple, squeeze this!’ Read it some time. And she nearly didn’t send this off to the media at all by the way, but then she heard the voice of her first CD, a Ducati riding Yorkshireman whisper ‘Go on, fookin’ do it, Helster!’. So she d
id. RIP Andy Firth xx.
17 Comments
Male or female, career advancement generally stems from doing your job well. May I suggest that, as a copywriter, you might consider correcting the myriad of typos above.
A wonderful read that hits the nail on the head. Bravo.
Great piece Helen and well done for having the courage to say it. I have been following the fallout on this with interest. It was the pillorying of Cindy Gallop I object most to – why attack the messenger instead of engaging in a sensible discussion?!. I like your statement “Industries that truly want to evolve can and do”. I’m in the legal profession. ‘Nuff said.
Most modern agencies will take any opportunity to relieve themselves of experienced (read expensive) creatives, bun in the oven or not.
Amen.
Nice work Helen. A great read. Well done.
Can someone point out where/who these male dominated agencies are?
Who are the men that keep women down?
Who are the people that keep senior women locked out of advertising?
Other than that, you go gal! You’ve got a captive audience. Seize the moment and promote yourself, Gallop style.
Or write a better ad.
Amen.
Bloody great article.
I believe female creative mothers come back from maternity leave with a fire in their belly and in fact, work harder than their male buddies. Their workload remains the same when they get back to work, yet I have seen they are more efficient than most, still making it home for witching hour while producing great work.
Love it ! Many industries and roles this applies to, fabulous to hear you voice this so delightfully
Why the insistence or longing for working for a large holding company owned advertising agency when you get past the age of 40 baffles me.
Even if you are still young at heart, ambitious and talented, why would you want to work in an agency structure that is so culturally out of date? At least you, Helen, have a legitimate out with your scooter rack business (which is a great idea, wish I had it!). Working in a ‘big’ agency shouldn’t be the dream – far from it. It’s a place where you learn your craft and start your dreams.
In truth, there aren’t many ‘big’ agencies in Auckland or Wellington, maybe five at best. So this mysterious notion that there’s a world of males running agencies whom all get together to keep females out is downright hilarious. Have you actually met the men at these agencies? I have. They’ve all worked their butts off to get where they are today. Furthermore, they’re the least likely to be the sorts of people who keep females out. Boy’s Club? Are you kidding me?
I read somewhere that only 5% of agency workforce is over 45. So why are you hitting your head against a brick wall about getting into a world that doesn’t want people over a certain age? This issue, Helen, is a gender-neutral issue, not a female only one. The sooner you see this the sooner you’ll realise how bitter and misguided many of your assertions are.
Which makes me wonder whether your article is more of a whine about getting older and not being able to get a full-time gig in a ‘big’ agency while under the guise of (yet another) rant against white men.
The whole ‘white men are the reason for everything being bad’ theme has to end, because it’s ludicrous generalisation that is plainly untrue and does more harm that good. If white men are so very bad, then ask yourself this: why did white heterosexual men fight for gay rights? Why did white men fight for equal rights? Why do white men fight for the environment? Why do white men argue against war? Why do white men fight for gender balance? A lot of the white men who do so are your Facebook friends, Helen.
You also talk about the frustration of re-entering the ad world after motherhood. I think that you need to have a reality check and be told another harsh truth that you’ve conveniently taken the time to forget. Even taking 5 years out of advertising and then trying to re-enter with a book full of ads that are 5-12 years old, is a commercially dangerous situation. You could have done that 10-15 years ago, but not now. Technology is moving so quickly that even the ads that won Cannes/One Show two/three years ago now look hopelessly out of date. The demise of TV/print has made many portfolios untouchable to many employers and freelance reps. Earlier this year I saw a job posted on another NZ advertising site for a creative with ‘awards from this decade’. That’s a tough pre-requisite, I hope they found someone amazing.
Finally, Helen, imagine that you own an agency. You’re up to your eyeballs in debt – the house if mortgaged, you’re stressed and your clients have you on 90-day terms (common for most clients). You have to employ a new creative to service your largest accounts. Without those accounts, your agency would cease to exist and you’d loose your home and probably your marriage. This is a crucial hire. Do you:
(a) Employ the person with the best portfolio and best personality fit, or (b) a female creative whose book is unremarkable but you’re going to give in to social media pressure and employ that person because everyone told you to.
I know which one I’d do. I think you do too.
I get where your coming from with your perspective that Kevin RobertS and all the males in our industry don’t have vaginas so can’t feel your pain, don’t get your perspective.
Well same goes for you lot, you don’t have dicks, you don’t have our lives, you don’t know anything about it, because your just not us. You are you, and you think you can some how are our perspective.
But frankly I’d like my wife to go to work and let me raise the kids and work part time, but she didn’t choose a career that would get the mortgage paid. So I’m stuck at being a CD for the next 30 years. Frankly it’s boring but I don’t have a choice. Hopefully ageism doesn’t get me too soon. But not likely.
Anyway I don’t have a vagina. And you don’t have dick, brilliant insight.
So maybe stop telling men you know how it is. On the basis I don’t have a vagina so don’t know shit, neither do you and neither does Cindy Gallop.
I think ageism (excuse spelling) is more the problem in NZ and Aust. It’s the assumption that the younger crowd are somehow “hungrier” and better is a joke. Look at architects – many are starting to do their best work in the 50s and 60s.
Brilliant! Love your work.
Wow, this comment thread. Classic NZ advertising commentary.
Leaving the country and working in the USA has opened my eyes to how behind NZ agencies are on the issue of diversity in the creative department. Not in the suit department, not in the strategy department, in the creative department. It is a issue. Going into full defense mode isn’t a very forward-thinking way to deal with things is it? This is exactly why this issue is so hard to talk about – because guys loose their shit over it. What is the problem with admitting it’s an issue? Chill out. Let’s make steps together to diversity the industry, what’s the problem with that? Let’s aim to have a creative department that more closely reflects the masses we’re selling to, what’s the problem with that?
Now, how we reach a more diverse creative department is a different discussion (a hotly contested one). But for fuck’s sake let’s all agree it is something we should be aiming towards at the very least.
Beth, so you’re working in the USA? Hot-bed of gender and race issue resulting in people getting fired and lawsuits?
And now, like generations of other kiwis, you feel an arrogant obligation to pass judgement on a workplace that put you where you are.
The bigger issue is age discrimination. I imagine that you’re about to hit 30. Good luck in 10 years. You might have kids. Probably not. But in 10 years you’ll see that gender is not the big issue, it’s age discrimination.
“The myriad of typos”? Have a word; better still, take one out.
And ‘lose’ and ‘loose’? No wonder I’m no longer cool and trendy.