In the 1950s, David Ogilvy uttered the now well-known quote, “The customer is not a moron. She’s your wife”. Though the ideas behind his statement still stand, the phrasing no longer fits. In North America, for instance, 60% of marketing roles are occupied by women.[i]
Since I joined the industry in 2013, I have mostly worked with women. It’s hard to say why women are more attracted to this sector, since experiences vary across companies and geographies.
It may be because education and background only have a bearing to a certain extent. Marketing is best learnt on the ground, and the most successful marketers are good communicators and problem solvers (skills that many women I know have in abundance). Clients come to us with different pain points, and it’s our job to think creatively to resolve them.
This is also a great industry for flexible working. As long as you have a laptop and a good connection, you can generally work from anywhere. When I joined Lindsell Marketing (now ThoughtSpark) in 2013, my first director was already working from Italy, and one of my current co-directors moved to Berlin in 2019. However, we were among the first – it took a pandemic to make flexible working more widespread and accepted in business.
Sadly, the fact that women outnumber men doesn’t mean treatment and opportunities are always equal. In one global survey of advertising and marketing professionals, the ratio of male to female starts at 35:65 at Junior Executive level, narrowing to 53:47 at C-suite level.[ii] While women may be paid better than their male counterparts at junior or entry level, the report concludes that there is evidence of a gender pay gap in nearly all markets at more senior levels.
Women still tend to play a bigger role in the family, and there continues to be a lack of support for mothers in the workplace. In fact, nearly half (47%) of women with children under 16 agreed that their family status hindered their career compared to 22% of men with children under 16.
As a female-led company, we are relishing the opportunity to make fair decisions for employees and build a company where every individual is able to balance their professional and personal lives. We also work with impressive women marketers at our client companies who set a great example of what it means to be a successful marketing leader.
Get to know our team here: https://www.thoughtsparkagency.com/about-us/
Considering a career in marketing? Download our free guide here: https://www.thoughtsparkagency.com/2022/04/07/how-to-get-a-job-in-marketing/
[i] LinkedIn, How Women in Marketing Are Advancing in the New World of Work, 29 June 2021 https://www.linkedin.com/business/marketing/blog/diversity/gender-diversity-in-the-new-world-of-work
[ii] World Federation of Advertisers, The Global DEI Census Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Global Marketing Industry, December 2021 https://wfanet.org/knowledge/diversity-and-inclusion/the-global-dei-census/about
