Adland Joins Forces for Women’s Association Campaign ‘For The Women’

Today, The Women’s Association has launched their ‘For The Woman’ campaign, joining forces with eight companies operating in the creative communications industry, McCann London, Craft London, Mother, Oliver, Taboola, Kekst CNC and Inkpact, alongside Buro Happold to spotlight and celebrate the diversity of roles available for women in the world of work.

The launch marks The Women’s Association’s second year of the campaign series ‘For The Woman’, which aims to raise visibility of women across the full spectrum of industry, to showcase that there is no one blueprint for success and no single ideal of a female role model.

Deborah Williams, founder of the Women’s Association says: “I’m a strong believer in the mantra that seeing is believing. For years women have been fighting for our right to dream freely, and whilst the prevailing narrative of a woman’s role has over time evolved from household duties to industry leaders, there’s still a limited image of what constitutes female success in our society, and what women can aspire to do or be”

The ‘For The Woman’ series sets out to widen this perspective for women today and the next generation. Starting in 2021, Series 1 saw participants from Museum of London, The British Army, Paragon Bank, The WOW Foundation, Alfa, Savanta, and Columbia Threadneedle. This year, 80 women from eight companies across the advertising, communications, engineering & consultancy sectors have taken part to create an inspiring portraiture campaign, spotlighting each woman’s individual role.

Deborah Williams: “From this campaign I want girls to know that your dreams should not be dependent upon what society seems to dictate a woman’s role should be, because that’s all we ever see. I started this work because of a focus group I had with girls back in 2018 where they spoke about the pressures of needing to be a CEO or a boss someday, and if they didn't aspire to become that then they weren't dreaming big or being truly ambitious. Celebrating relatable & diverse role models is the first step to change that perception”

The campaign and teaser film, photographed by five women, Bella Neale, Leonie Isaac, Victoria Adeyinka, Stony Johnson & Laurie Fletcher and filmed by Nathan Theys respectively, with production & design support from McCann London & Craft, launches this week across social channels.

The campaign marks the beginning of The Women’s Association’s partnership with McCann London and McCann Worldgroup, who are taking part in this year’s Executive Challenge – a mentorship programme that gives girls between the ages of 12 and 17 the opportunity to learn about life as an Executive and gain access into the corporate world – and supporting the organisation with ongoing creative, production and strategic collaboration.

Jessica Tamsedge, chief client officer McCann UK & Europe, and: The Women’s Association Steering Committee member says: “This partnership is close to all of our hearts at McCann. We all talk about investing in the next generation of female talent but that starts well before recruitment. We have to work with girls and young women to understand what they want out of a career today and how we as business leaders can build an environment that is safe and inspiring for all. It is a privilege to be working with The Women’s Association. Exciting times ahead.”

Annabelle Walters, head of people, EMEA and global clients at Oliver says: “It’s important that we spotlight the talented females within our male-dominated industry, which is why we are so proud to be part of this campaign. Our core ambition at Oliver is to achieve equity for all, and we can only do that by working together to create an inclusive culture that allows women to show up and do their best work. No female at any stage in their career should feel the need to ‘fight’ for equity.”

Stacey Delaney, regional director for Northern Europe at Taboola: "I’m incredibly proud to be part of the “For The Woman Campaign”, along with a fantastic mix of women from companies across the communications space and beyond. This campaign will shed a much needed spotlight on the amazing work that women do across an enormous variety of different roles, inspiring future generations of women and girls to pursue their dreams and be whoever they want to be."