Regina Stroombergen has put out an open invitation for all mums working in creative departments to meet for a drink, to “start an exclusive club,” she says.
In a letter titled ‘M.I.A – Where are all the Mums in ads?’, Stroombergen, a mother of two, says having a mother’s perspective in the creative industry “would be advertising agency’s greatest asset”.
However, despite mothers controlling “85 per cent of household spending”, mothers in creative departments appear to be “few and far between,” she says.
If you’re a mum working in a creative department, Stroomberg would like to meet you for a drink (her shout) at Melbourne’s The Corner Hotel from 6–8pm on Thursday, 6 May.
Who knows, you may even start an exclusive club.
You can check out Stroombergen’s open letter, in full, below:
M.I.A – Where are all the Mums in ads?
By Regina Stroombergen
After working in my first advertising job for about a year I left to take a break and do something else. I’d just won a couple of awards and I remember my creative director at the time saying that I had “One year to get back into ads”—I’m guessing that after one year he assumed I would be out-dated, replaced by someone younger and for the most part, obsolete.
I remembered the phrase “one year to get back into ads” 7 years later when I was pregnant and about to go on maternity leave. Maternity leave in Australia is generally a whole year, that’s a whole year not working. (Being on maternity leave is most definitely working. It’s hard.)
Would I become obsolete and out-dated? Replaced by someone younger? Completely out of touch? The short answer is of course not.
But now, two kids, two maternity leaves and nearly five years later I ask myself, where are the other mums in the creative department?
Given that mothers control 85 per cent of household spending you would think that having a mother’s perspective on brands would be an advertising agency’s greatest asset. But it seems that we’re few and far between.
Is it because creative departments are dominated by men and late nights? Or maybe working anything less than five days a week is seen as undedicated or inconvenient. Who knows?
If you’re a mum working in a creative department I’d like to meet you. Come and join me, Regina Stroombergen for a drink, my shout. We’ll start an exclusive club.
Event details:
Location: The Corner Hotel (57 Swan St, Richmond, Melbourne)
Time: Thursday, 6 May, 6–8pm
