In a time when gender equality dominates the zeitgeist—particularly in the United States—female empowerment is gathering more and more momentum. Within this larger cultural context has come a movement to re-examine how women are portrayed in the media. Studies prove that the objectification of women in advertising has greatly increased since the ‘80s. Over the years, society has become desensitized to objectification and the widespread harm it causes, an epidemic that is harming women physically, mentally and emotionally. Our #WomenNotObjects campaign highlights this issue in order to empower women to stand up against objectification and to change the way advertisers and marketers speak to women.

On January 11, our agency released our video on YouTube. The message took not just the ad industry, but also the public, by storm, resonating broadly and quickly going viral. In just over two weeks, we reached over 1 million views. The wave of earned media followed as our chief creative officer was invited to promote the message on major broadcast shows, including an exclusive appearance on the Today Show with Matt Lauer as well as a feature by the Wall Street Journal. The message continued to spread as key influencers started to engage in conversation on their own, amongst them: Ashton Kutcher, Alanis Morissette, World Economic Forum, UN Women, George Takei, and Ashley Judd. Publications in over 40 countries also picked up on our campaign, furthering disseminating our movement globally.

Over 31 million views

Over 1 billion media impressions

Reached over 175 countries

Generated $17 million in earned media value

When we originally released #WomenNotObjects on YouTube, we did so anonymously because we believed the provocative and breakthrough content needed to stand on its own without the context of its creator. Our goal was to connect with and enlist passionate advocates to spread our message, including everyone from young students to the older generation. Once we revealed that our agency was the creator, we leveraged native advertising and social media boosting to further promote awareness and authenticity. We were also able to leverage high-profile media exclusives and subsequently enlist ambassadors and alliances.

As one of the few female-led creative agencies, we deeply understand and appreciate the value that women bring to society and the global economy. Women account for nearly 85% of all consumer purchases, yet advertisers and marketers continue to speak to them in a degrading way. In January 2016, we made it our purpose as an agency to never create any work that objectifies women. With this renewed purpose, we released our #WomenNotObjects campaign in order to expose to the public the harm created by objectifying ads. Our ultimate goal was—and is—to change the paradigm of how women are represented in advertising.