One of Australia’s all-female led advertising agencies, Oranje Creative, is calling on the industry to step up and employ more women.
Given in senior creative roles only one per cent of creative agencies founders globally are female and only 11 per cent are creative directors.
This shocking statistic demonstrates how massively underrepresented women are in creative roles, especially given that women make up 89 per cent of household consumer spending decisions worldwide and were predicted to spend more than $40 trillion this year.
Oranje, creative director, Melinda Parent, (main photo) said: “While there are many women in creative roles, this data shows very few are at the top. Meaning those making the final creative decisions are fundamentally different to the end decision-maker.
“Polls and focus groups regularly show that consumers find advertising sexist which affects their spending habits. Brands are missing out on a huge opportunity for greater connection and relevance to their target market.
“Australia is also moving backwards in regards to the gender gap, with the Global Gender Gap Index this year ranking Australia 50 out of 156 countries.”
Fifteen years ago, it was ranked in the top twenty, so clearly, there’s been a change and not for the better.
Parent added, “The result is that the industry is missing an informed view on how to talk to women and missing a huge opportunity.”
Oranje Creative has seen great success with an all-female team. Recently being named as the South Australian finalist in the 2022 Telstra Best of Business Awards in the Accelerating Women category.
Parent said: “Oranje campaigns are designed to talk in a way that reflects how women see themselves, not how men perceive us.
“We’ve seen the results, and we know it works.”
Oranje Creative works with a team of seven females and has been in business since 2000, working with clients across Australia including National Pharmacies, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, The Australian Ballet, and the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, Flinders University and TAFE.
