Women in advertising
The U.S. advertising industry is shaping the way people think, act and perceive our society. In spite of everything they tell us, we are constantly bombarded with one idea: women are not in positions of power in this industry. However, the blog "Women in Advertising" has revealed that many women have been working behind the scenes to create powerful ads since the 1950s!
The goal of this blog is to prove that there are many more female advertisers than what we have been lead to believe. That is why a major part of this website will be dedicated to those women who have made an impact and pushed the boundaries of our industry.
You will find the usual "Celebrity" ads and campaigns, but they are not the norm in today's advertising world. Instead, you'll explore the ideas and characters behind these advertisements, which reveal a side of our society that far exceeds what we're told.
The stories on this blog are based primarily on personal interviews with these women, so many details will be provided as to how they approached their careers, how they rose to success along with all their personal moments. You will hear the stories of how they were able to achieve success in their early careers, how their ideas came to life and why they are so important to our society today.
My name is Sophie Humpfner and I am a recent graduate of the Master of Arts in Communicare at Hofstra University. After graduating, I immediately began my career as a Researcher for the Women's Leadership Institute (WLI) with a grant from the AuD Foundation. The WLI administers various initiatives that focus on educational efforts, media initiatives and leadership development for females within advertising. Since then, I have been working with other female professionals in advertising and media to bring more attention to the work that women do behind-the-scenes.
In addition to my work with WLI, I have also completed a freelance writing project for the J. Walter Thompson College of Advertising and Marketing, which aims to increase diversity within advertising. I have also worked as a Research Assistant for the International Council of Women working on re-evaluating women's history in television.
A huge part of my motivation behind starting this blog comes from the knowledge that there are many more funding opportunities available for women coming from research and education rather than media exposure - something that will greatly benefit our society as a whole. For example, almost 90% of working mothers give up their careers because they either choose to work at home or because they cannot find enough child care options in their region.
Women who seek funding for research, education and leadership positions will be greatly encouraged by this blog. I believe that as women continue to push the boundaries of our industry, we will help to improve our society as a whole.
- Sophie Humpfner, April 2011
The U.S. Advertising Council ("AC") was established in 1954 as a private non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the advertising and marketing industry. The purpose of the AC is to "facilitate a more creative and effective use of advertising resources to achieve long-term goals critical to America's economy." In addition, they "advocate on behalf of advertisers who are responsible citizens and are committed to public enlightenment and understanding. They represent all media that are used to advertise products and services."
The AC is a professional membership organization, with members including both national advertisers and agencies and regional media organizations. The members of the AC are both national and regional members of the American Advertising Federation ("AAF"), which was formed in 1946 as a private, non-profit organization with an international scope. The AAF is charged with improving the quality of advertising by fostering a more positive attitude toward it; educating consumers about advertising's role in their lives; fostering a better understanding of advertising issues through education programs; encouraging young people to enter the field; advancing the role of women in advertising; and advocating on behalf of advertisers who are responsible citizens.
"You'll find the usual "Celebrity" ads and campaigns, but they are not the norm in today's advertising world."
"Instead, you'll explore the ideas and characters behind these advertisements, which reveal a side of our society that far exceeds what we're told."
For the purposes of this blog, I will be exploring women who have made an impact on their industry in all areas: politics, economics, social legislation and culture. Going beyond television commercials to find women who have become icons in their respective fields is very challenging. Unlike many other bloggers who spend years researching before beginning to write, I began this blog when I was only halfway through my Master's degree.
I have spent the better part of my time building a network of women with whom I can interview. It is also important to note that I am not able to explore many women who are currently working in advertising on a high level. As a result, my blog will be more focused on those who have had all their work published before, meaning that it can be accessed and read by the public.
To avoid confusion, I will list each woman's occupation and specify whether they are an advertiser or a researcher. This is an important distinction because it denotes the extent of their involvement in the industry.
"We'd like to thank Biletnikoff for her careful and thoughtful review of our book."
"Her Review is excellent, as is the book. It's also important to note that this book has a cover that's worth a thousand words."
In publication history, this book was released in 2005 by Portfolio Press, an imprint of the independent publishing house, Simon & Schuster. The purpose of this book is "to provide women "a practical guide to leadership skills and attitudes they can draw upon in both business and personal situations." The author, Alice Sternberg spent considerable time interviewing successful women throughout various fields including advertising agencies and companies. We are pleased to have been included in her book and her review and look forward to working with her in the future.
"For those of you who have not had the chance to read Women of Ad: A History (2005), I would highly recommend it."
This book was published 2000 by Simon & Schuster, part of the independent publishing division. The purpose of this publication is "to offer an historical perspective on the role of women in advertising over the last one hundred years." The author, Barbara Lippert spent more than three years reviewing stories from newspapers and magazines. She also conducted individual interviews with many women who had worked in the industry. We were honored to be chosen as a representative for those interviewed for this project.
Conclusion
"I was surprised at how many female and minority names I recognized in the pages of this book. Women who had their own agency, worked in-house, or somewhere in between. From Lydia Hearst to Helen Gahagan. To Margaret Moser and Margaret Hamilton." -Barbara Lippert "Women of Ad" Cover
The purpose of this book was to provide a comprehensive overview of women in advertising over the period from 1900-2000. The author Jana Balyewicz interviewed over twenty women who were active during that time frame, including our Head Executive Ms. Kirsten Schreiber.
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Women in advertising