This Campaign Reimagines Renowned Advertising Men as Women

AnalogFolk, the global independent digitally native creative agency whose mission is to use digital to make the analogue world better, is proud to announce the launch of an exciting and ambitious campaign to address the critical issue of declining diversity and inclusion and lack of visibility of female creative leadership in the industry.

Despite women comprising 54.7% of the creative industry, the pool of diverse and female creative talent remains strikingly small. This scarcity is further exacerbated by the fact that many talented leaders are not always the most visible. As AnalogFolk embarked on its search for a head of creative, it became clear that the current talent pool is neither diverse nor balanced.

AnalogFolk’s social media campaign, titled Changing the Face of Creative Leadership, seeks to spotlight this issue and encourage the industry to recommend outstanding diverse and female creative talent. By building the most diverse talent pool ever, AnalogFolk aims to create an Open Source pool of talent that all agencies can share and utilise to help meet their DEI targets and drive the industry forward.

The campaign employs AI technology to reimagine the most renowned men in advertising as women, underscoring the disparity in leadership roles. For example, the campaign features an AI-generated image of John Hegarty as 'Jane Hegarty' with the provocative headline, "Would Jane Hegarty have been allowed to zag?"

The full campaign features:

• John Hegarty reimagined as Jane Hegarty: "Would Jane Hegarty have been allowed to zag?"
• Trevor Beattie reimagined as Trina Beattie: "Trina Beatttie, would adland give a FCUK about her?"
• Dave Droga reimagined as Davina Droga: "Would Davina Droga ever get her name above the door?"
• Charles Saatchi reimagined as Charlotte Saatchi: "For Charlotte Saatchi, everything was impossible."
• Dave Trott reimagined as Denise Trott: "Would Denise Trott have had the chance to say ‘Ello Tosh?'"
• Graham Fink reimagined as Gracie Fink: "What challenges would Gracie Fink ‘Face’?"
• Nils Leonard reimagined as Nelly Leonard: "Nelly Leonard, why is she so Uncommon?"
• David Wigglesworth reimagined as Davina Wigglesworth: "Davina Wigglesworth. Would she be an ECD, or an NPC?"
• Rory Sutherland reimagined as Aurora Sutherland: "Would anyone listen to Aurora Sutherland?"
• Mark Denton reimagined as Martina Denton: “Martina Denton, would she have to play it ‘coy’?

The campaign’s tagline; “Only 17% of ECDs and creative leaders are women. If you’re ready to help change the face of creative leadership, then apply for the role here.” Latest figures from D&AD Festival 2024, calls for industry-wide participation in identifying and elevating senior female creative talent. 

This initiative marks a pivotal moment in AnalogFolk's evolution, as it has reimagined its studio from a traditional agency model into a dynamic, inclusive space driven by a diverse mix of creatives, creators, and makers. This new direction necessitates a fresh kind of creative leader who has the skills and experience aligned with AnalogFolk’s new studio of talent and the type of strategy and creative it is delivering that is proving successful for its clients.

The ideal candidate for its head of creative will be poised to lead a team that is adaptive to the pace of culture, collaborative, and empowered to create exceptional content and experiences for clients that help brands grow through cultural vibrancy. 

Anna-Louise Gladwell, managing director, AnalogFolk says, “Our goal is to kick the door open wider for societal success by ensuring diverse leadership in the creative industry. We’re pushing this campaign to help drive a solution to the lack of visibility and representation of female creative leaders in advertising. We’re not specifically looking to hire a woman for this role, but right now the pool of talent we’re seeing is neither diverse nor balanced. Where are all the women? I'm incredibly proud of the new model we are creating around our future of work. AnalogFolk is composed of diverse talent, bringing a breadth of experience and fresh perspectives that are essential for innovation. The only way to predict the future is to create it, and through this campaign, we are taking a step towards shaping a more inclusive and dynamic future for the creative industry."

Ways to nominate and help build the Open Source talent pool:

AnalogFolk invites everyone in the industry to participate in this transformative initiative. By highlighting the problem and actively seeking recommendations, AnalogFolk aims to empower the next generation of creative leaders who will drive the industry forward. It encourages everyone to contribute to and share the rich pool of female creative talent with peers in the industry so that they too can build balanced and representative teams.

For more information and to apply or nominate, visit here or comment on AnalogFolk’s LinkedIn / Instagram posts