Background

Publicis Media and Publicis Communications have been gender-agnostic organisations, with women heading crucial departments across the system. Our objective with this campaign was to reaffirm the faith of talented young women, who were choosing other fields because the advertising industry had made them feel less than equal. When an independent audit by KPMG revealed that we were an Equal Pay organisation, we wanted to walk the talk in every way possible, not just for us, but to set the tone for rest of our industry as well.

Describe the cultural/social/political climate in your region and the significance of your campaign within this context

This campaign came at a time when the #MeToo movement had just brought to light the inequality in the Indian advertising industry, revealing all the ways in which women were made to feel uncomfortable, unsafe, outnumbered. Made to feel less than equal. It was also a time when young talent was increasingly looking at career avenues other than advertising. An environment like this threatened to drive young, talented women further away, putting the very future of advertising at stake. This campaign wanted to reassure them that a big player in this industry had paid heed to all that happened, reflected upon it and taken a crucial step towards an equal future.

Describe the creative idea

The campaign intended to showcase that even if any individual in the Publicis system been another gender, they would still have had an equal status in the organisation, as revealed in an independent KPMG audit. A simple yet bold way of demonstrating the same, was for our people to step into the shoes of the opposite sex, and tell the world that male or female- Saurabh or Sheryl, Raj or Rajalakshmi, Anupriya or Anurag, at Publicis, they were all equal.

Describe the strategy

In an independent audit conducted by management consultancy KPMG, it was discovered that not only were we moving towards equal representation- with women heading crucial departments across the organisation, we also had equal pay, an outcome of our gender-neutral, performance-based appraisal system. We realised that it was an important time for us to share this victory with the world, and catch the attention of talented young women for the right reasons. The visuals were so striking and the topic so resonant, that we decided against a traditional media release. We relied solely on the power of the creative to create conversation.

Describe the execution

The campaign was showcased everywhere that young talent could look and see a bright future in advertising. It was launched on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram through the handles of the various companies under Publicis Media and Publicis Communications. We showcased it on billboards in areas concentrated with agencies and colleges, and even spread this message in colleges and at career fairs, as a promise to young women that advertising was ready to do better by them. While it had been planned as a week-long campaign, it garnered so much positive attention, that it organically continued for weeks.

Describe the results/impact

The most important result of this campaign, one that trumped the global media coverage and the applause from clients, was the spike we saw in the number of women applicants at Publicis agencies across India, since the campaign launched. That’s when we knew we had done it right. This campaign got massive earned media coverage, not just from Indian trade outfits but from global publications like Mumbrella and Campaigns of the World. We reached more than 1.6 million people, created more than 600 thousand impressions and a 200 thousand engagements- even within the advertising and media industry that we targeted. All organically. It benefited not just us, but helped create positive sentiment for the advertising industry as a whole, and politely nudged everyone to take a step in the right direction.