DDB's "Talent Has No Gender" campaign – an example of why we still need an International Women's Day

If you’re looking for a reason why we still need an International Women’s Day in western societies, in 2016, you need look no further than the male dominated advertising industry. From the same industry that has reinforced male dominance for generations, comes “Talent Has No Gender”, a social media campaign promoting gender equality at DDB and throughout the advertising industry.

With “Talent Has No Gender,” DDB Worldwide is encouraging everyone in its its 2,000+ employee network to change their profile pictures and abbreviate their gender-defining first names on LinkedIn to appear genderless. When people upload the new image and name, their account will post an update to the timeline of every one of their connections, encouraging others to get involved by visiting TalentHasNoGender.com.

The “Talent Has No Gender” campaign also appears on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The “Talent Has No Gender” website also includes a YouTube video featuring male and female leaders, clients and partners across the DDB Network discussing and defining what talent looks like, how talented people thrive, and lessons learned on inspiring talented people.

“At DDB our highest metric of success is recruitment and retention of talented people who, in turn, fuel our clients’ businesses with their thinking and work,” said Wendy Clark, President and Chief Executive Officer of DDB North America. “Today, on International Women’s Day, we have the opportunity to further that belief across the DDB network and the industry at large. Our goal is to recognize pure talent in our industry and take gender out of the equation.”

The website will include a “Talent Has No Gender” profile image and upload instructions, as well as a link to purchase “Talent Has No Gender” T-shirts. In addition, the site was streaming IWD events across the network on 8 March, including the OmniWomen CEO panel. A social stream will capture inspirational messages across DDB’s channels and the industry at large using the #TalentHasNoGender hashtag.

DDB also used the occasion of International Women’s Day to kick off an “Unconscious Bias” training program with an initial focus on its most senior leaders and those in a position to hire across North America. Serving as a foundational pillar for its diversity and inclusion strategy, DDB has plans to offer all employees in-person training opportunities supported by e-learning tools to mitigate bias and raise awareness.

If for no other reason, we need International Women’s Day in western societies in 2016 to motivate male dominated industries in particular, to stop and think about how they are contributing to gender inequality. DDB’s #TalentHasNoGender is a perfect example.