Leading global movement for gender equality in advertising and media commemorates key milestone
SeeHer Unites Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and The Female Quotient (The FQ) to achieve goal of 80% gender-bias-free media ecosystem by 2030
NEW YORK (October 8, 2020) — In just five years, SeeHer has become the leading global movement to eliminate gender bias in content. Its mission is to accurately portray all women and girls in marketing, advertising, media, and entertainment, so they see themselves as they truly are and in all their potential.
As SeeHer celebrates its fifth anniversary, the movement is uniting two powerhouse organizations to propel its goal of a media ecosystem which is 80% free of gender bias by 2030. Effective immediately, the SeeHer movement will unite the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and The Female Quotient (The FQ).
The ANA, the largest marketing trade association in the world, excels in driving growth for marketing professionals, brands, businesses, and the industry for the benefit of humanity. Collectively, ANA member companies represent over 20,000 brands, engage 50,000 industry professionals, and invest more than $400 billion in marketing and advertising annually. It effectively utilizes its unparalleled scale to influence change.
The FQ focuses on changing the equation and closing the gaps. Its diverse mix of live events, online forums, custom research, and corporate advisory services identifies challenges, surfaces effective strategies, forges powerful networks, and ultimately sparks measurable progress.
Through its “inside out” approach, The FQ will ensure gender equality and the SeeHer mission is embedded in the workplace. From the “outside in” SeeHer, powered by the ANA and The FQ, will utilize the industry’s scale to increase the visibility and accurate portrayal of women and girls in advertising and media. Data shows that images and narratives have the power to change the way people see themselves and each other: as the organization says, “If you can see her, you can be her.”
“This powerful combination reflects the deep sentiment our companies have had since the launch of SeeHer,” said Bob Liodice, CEO at the ANA. “As leaders in scope and influence, the time was right to fully collaborate to advance gender equality.”
“United we stand,” said Shelley Zalis, CEO at The Female Quotient and co-founder of SeeHer. “Our one voice will create a future in which inaccurate portrayals of women and girls in media are history.”
“Gender equality is an imperative for society and for business,” added Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer at P&G and SeeHer co-chair. “We’re proud of the progress made so far through SeeHer, which is clearly the leading global movement for gender quality in advertising and media. With the united power and passion of the ANA and The FQ, we will significantly accelerate toward our goal of a gender-bias-free media ecosystem by 2030.”
As part of the structure:
- The ANA and The FQ will co-brand appropriate SeeHer marketing materials and align strategy and execution on communications regarding media.
- The FQ CEO, SeeHer Co-Founder Shelley Zalis, will co-develop product extensions for GEM®, the global gold standard for measuring gender equality in advertising and media, and co-lead live and virtual SeeHer Bootcamps with SeeHer executives.
- SeeHer will have a presence at The FQ Equality Lounges globally (CES, Davos, Cannes Lions, etc.), including a “SeeHer Corner,” to amplify the awareness of the movement.
- SeeHer will amplify its extensive media activations with powerful conversations (virtually or live) with The FQ.
SeeHer co-founders Gail Tifford and Patty Kerr will remain actively involved in consulting on strategy and the path forward. Kerr will also guide communications and media. Pritchard and Fiona Carter, CMO at Goldman Sachs, will continue as SeeHer co-chairs. SeeHer President Jeannine Shao Collins will oversee the SeeHer business operating system, financials, and membership, reporting to Bob Liodice.
“From the start, SeeHer’s effectiveness in the fight for a bias-free world has depended on strong partnerships. The ANA and The FQ have been critical advocates and accelerants and I am thrilled we are taking the next step to unify – when we speak with one voice we are stronger, ” concluded Carter
SeeHer, a coalition of leading national and global brands, media groups, agencies, and creators, has made significant progress since it launched at the White House in June 2016 in partnership with The FQ. SeeHer made history that day when it launched the Gender Equality Measure® (GEM®), the first methodology to quantify gender bias in ads and programming to help marketers track progress.
Since launch, GEM®, developed in partnership with ABX, has tested more than 180K ads, comprised of 640K+ individual evaluations, in major markets representing 87% of total global adspend. GEM® is widely considered the global industry standard.
Through GEM® tracking, less than two years after launch and two years ahead of schedule, SeeHer achieved its original goal of increasing accurate portrayals of women and girls in ads and media by 20%. Now, as the movement looks ahead, it is taking steps to ensure its goal of creating an 80% gender-bias-free media ecosystem by 2030 (45% by 2025), set by Pritchard.
To achieve its goals, SeeHer recognized that specific areas of the industry need specialized focus. In response, SeeHer launched vertical initiatives to increase gender equality in music (SeeHer Hear Her), sports (SeeHer In Sports) and storytelling (#WriteHerRight). In addition, SeeHer continued to deepen media partnerships and expand impactful activations with members, including A+E, Networks, AMC, Discovery, Disney, Facebook, FOX, Google, iHeart Media, Meredith, NBCUniversal, TikTok, Univision and ViacomCBS. All companies throughout the industry ecosystem are welcome to join the movement.
ABOUT SeeHer Despite strides made in recent years to accurately portray women and girls in media, unconscious bias persists throughout advertising and entertainment. The average age, race, body type, and other aspects of a woman’s identity depicted in media today still represent only a small fraction of the female population. A partnership between the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and The Female Quotient (The FQ), SeeHer is a collective of leading marketers, agencies, media, and technology companies committed to creating advertising and supporting content that portrays women and girls as they really are. It launched in June 2016 in Washington, D.C. at the United State of Women. To help marketers benchmark success, the group developed Gender Equality Measure® (GEM®), the first research methodology that quantifies gender bias in ads and programming. GEM® shows that content portraying women accurately dramatically increases purchase intent and brand reputation, increasing return on investment by as much as 30 percent. GEM® has become the global industry standard, which led to a global rollout in 2018. In 2019 the movement expanded into new verticals, including sports (SeeHer In Sports) and music (SeeHer Hear Her). Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @SeeHerOfficial, and visit www.seeher.com.
ABOUT THE ANA
The ANA’s (Association of National Advertisers) mission is to drive growth for marketing professionals, brands and businesses, the industry, and humanity. The ANA serves the marketing needs of 20,000 brands by leveraging the 12-point ANA Growth Agenda, which has been endorsed by the Global CMO Growth Council. The ANA’s membership consists of U.S. and international companies, including client-side marketers, nonprofits, fundraisers, and marketing solutions providers (data science and technology companies, ad agencies, publishers, media companies, suppliers, and vendors). The ANA creates Marketing Growth Champions by serving, educating, and advocating for more than 50,000 industry members that collectively invest more than $400 billion in marketing and advertising annually. For more information, visit www.ana.net.
ABOUT The Female Quotient (The FQ)
Changing the equation. Closing the gaps. Fueled by the ideas, ambitions, innovations, and empathy of a network of 50,000 working women around the world, The FQ is a collaborative global effort to eliminate the gender gap. While led by women, engaged and inspired leaders join this collective enterprise. The FQ’s diverse mix of live events, online forums, custom research, and corporate advisory services identifies challenges, surfaces effective strategies, forges powerful networks, and ultimately sparks measurable progress. For more information, visit www.thefemalequotient.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mary Zambri mzambri@ana.net
