When it comes to the marketing world, the gender gap is astonishing. Only 0.1 percent of creative agencies are founded by women,¹ and only 3 percent of agencies have female creative directors.² You read that right. For every 1,000 agencies, just one of them is owned by a woman.
At Hunter, it gives me immense pride to say that we are woman-owned and -led (and that includes our extraordinary creative director). But to be honest, it makes my heart heavy to know that places like Hunter are so few and far between in the creative world. Not only is it inequitable, it’s also illogical because women drive the world economy.³
Women make the decision for 94% of home furnishing purchases; 92% of vacation purchases; 91% of home purchases; 60% of automobile purchases; and 51% of consumer electronics!³
And yet, the intelligence, intuition and perspectives of women and gender non-conforming people have been systemically excluded from the proverbial table. We run the world, and it’s time for the advertising industry to acknowledge it.
To me, this is a battle cry. My entire career has led me to be the founder and leader of the Hunter team. I believe that being a woman business owner is about more than just ownership. It means putting your best foot forward and getting the job done just as well, if not better, than anyone else. I don’t just want our work to be good — I want it to be extraordinary.
That’s why I’m not slowing down anytime soon. There is so much opportunity to create a better experience for creatives, strategists and consumers. Together, I know we can move the needle and actively foster a culture that respects and values women in advertising.
I often joke that our goal is world domination. But look out world, because Hunter’s future is no laughing matter. Our continued success isn’t just about me. It’s about my generation, my daughter’s generation and the very fabric of the advertising industry. This is just the beginning.
Sources
[4] NPR, 2020
[5] Forbes, 2019