We’re celebrating Women’s History Month by highlighting recent monumental milestones for females in advertising.

Every year, the month of March is dedicated to honoring women’s contributions in society. What started as a week-long observance in 1980 has evolved into an annual, month-long, celebration of women around the world. Each year adopts a relevant theme, with the 2019 Women’s History Month theme being: “Visionary Women: Champions of Peace & Nonviolence.” According to the National Women’s History Museum, this year’s theme honors “women who have led efforts to end war, violence, and injustice and pioneered the use of nonviolence to change society.”

Notable publications and media outlets are using this opportunity to highlight recent milestones for women in business. Adweek published the early-March article, How Agencies Are Celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, which commemorates the positive efforts that have been taken to empower women in the advertising industry.

To encourage the advancement of women in advertising and recognize female leaders and creatives, we, too, are taking a closer look at agencies across the globe and how they are uniquely celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month.

Huge unveils first smart tampon dispenser at SXSW

At South by Southwest (SXSW) on Friday, March 8, which also happened to be International Women’s Day, global digital agency Huge unveiled the smart tampon dispenser, fittingly named the “Hooha.” The dispenser hangs on the walls in the Female Quotient’s FQ Lounge at SXSW and requires a simple text to release a tampon.

“We’re so excited to be unveiling Hooha at SXSW on International Women’s Day, where we can rectify the decades-old tampon dispenser problem–and, at the same time, communicate the need for more women in tech,” Steph Loffredo, Senior Social Marketing Manager at Huge, told Adweek.

“That Lady Thing” installation returns

“That Lady Thing,” the gender equality art installation that debuted in San Fransisco last year, returned to the city’s Phoenix Hotel on March 8, with a fresh lineup of female-friendly activations and artists. Dublin-based experiential agency Cogs & Marvel and their Creative Director, Jamie Shaw, spearheaded the project, which was filled with interactive experiences, performances, and Instagramable photo-ops.

That Lady Thing: Rising Like a Phoenix offered over a dozen unique experiences, including:

• The Lady Tarot: a life-sized tarot card-themed photo-op with new feminist archetypes
• Smells Like Toxic Masculinity: a custom scratch & sniff wallpaper
• The Sea of Objectification: a breast-themed ball pit

R/GA celebrates Barbie’s 60th birthday

The world’s most famous doll turned 60 this year. To celebrate this milestone, Barbie’s brand partnered with international innovation agency R/GA to highlight women who have “shattered the plastic ceiling” in a social and experiential campaign titled Generation of Firsts. According to Adweek, “the campaign includes a multi-platform AR experience on Facebook and Snapchat that allows people to see themselves as a plastic-ceiling-shattering Barbie with Camera IQ.”

The campaign kicked off March 8 and lasted through Barbie’s actual birthday, which was March 9. Barbie’s brand celebrated the big 6-0 by hosting a 60th anniversary pop-up shop in New York, where fans were able to literally step inside a life-sized doll box.

“Change Pays” installation in the World Trade Center

S&P Global and Publicis New York displayed the “Change Pays” public art installation in the World Trade Center from March 8, International Women’s Day, until March 12. Hanging 17 feet from the ribs of the Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center were global currencies and banknotes featuring female portraits. The typographical illusion, which spelled out “change,” was meant to spotlight the positive effects of having a greater female presence in the workplace, particularly in the finance industry. The installation also included a corresponding interactive, AR experience portion.

“This week we invite all of our employees, as well as the broader business community to support the common goal of increasing inclusivity now and in the years ahead,” said Douglas L. Peterson, President and Chief Executive Officer of S&P Global.

Wunderman U.K. initiates “Fund Female”

Beginning on International Women’s Day and lasting into the following week, digital agency Wunderman U.K. ran the week-long initiative, “Fund Female,” to encourage people to shop exclusively at female-owned businesses and take part in a more equal economy. Wunderman created a #BalanceforBetter campaign microsite, challenging visitors to enroll in the week-long action and spend only at women-owned businesses. The microsite also maps out a list of physical and digital businesses that are in participation, making it easier for visitors to take part in the initiative.

“While we talk about equal representation, to date, very little has been [said] about joining up support for female entrepreneurs with our spending habits,” said Wunderman U.K. CEO Pip Hulbert. “Only 27 percent of U.K. business owners are women. We hope that by supporting them with our custom, it will help this number grow.”

Victionary celebrates women in design

Publishing house Victionary recently released DESIGN{H}ERS, a showcase book that features and praises emerging female talent in the design industry. These compelling and diverse women share their stories of growth, their approach to life, and their creative processes. It is a brilliantly written and designed publication filled with inspiring visuals and anecdotes, meant to embolden future and established creatives — regardless of their gender.

“With the amount of progress humankind has made in attitudes and achievements to date, the time cannot be more apt than now to celebrate how far women have come in the creative industry today.” Source: Victionary

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