Women in Advertising

From Advertising Age: 

In the "Mad Men" view of the world, women were just beginning to make headway in the industry in the 1960s and Peggy Olson was an anomaly for a gender stuck in the steno pool. While it may be true that women's presence was limited in the ad world during that era, it's also true that they played a huge part in the development of the U.S. industry far earlier.

"Nothing is more proof that women are important in advertising than the plain fact that they have been in advertising, in one capacity or another, almost from the very beginning of the profession," said Christine Frederick, the founder of Advertising Women of New York.

That was in a speech Ms. Frederick gave in 1938.

In fact, though AWNY was founded a century ago, the first female-owned agency predates the organization by decades. Mathilde C. Weil opened the M.C. Weil agency in New York in 1880. She divided her clients into three categories: entertainment, education and profitable proprietary medicines.

Egyptian Women

Excerpts from Marlene Phillip's article in the Phoenix Liberal Examiner: Egyptian Women - Image vs Reality

"According to an article in the March 30 issue of Time, more than 80% of Egyptian women wear the hijab, loosely defined as a head covering or modest dress. Based on my observations during a recent visit to Egypt, I would not agree with that figure; it is too low. Virtually every Egyptian women I saw covered her hair completely, most wore loose fitting clothes, and a smaller but surprisingly significant number donned a full burqa.

When seen in person, the difference between the woman on the Egyptian street and what is portrayed by the Egyptian media and marketers is so dramatic it leads to many questions."

Tampon Ad "Most Hated"

I had a bit of a chuckle when I read that a tampon ad, here in Australia, topped the 2008 "most hated" list.

Women have been subjected to years and years of tampons ads - many of the earlier "works" not even made by women. But this ad, which I personally found quite humourous, has offended - wait for it - 185 people!

Here's a little snippet from the Daily Telegraph:
"A list released by the Advertising Standards Bureau found the hotly debated Kotex U tampon ad showing a woman going about daily activities with a beaver in tow was the most complained about ad in 2008."

So - how do you make a tampon ad that offends no-one, especially women. Then again, what about all those ads for panty liners, and incontinence pads / pants (always directed at older women) - I mean, lets be reasonable.

I'd like to see the creative boffins come up with an ad for male "personal hygiene" products - and lets see how many double entendre's they come up with then. It would probably star Sid James and Hattie Jacques, and feature the lines "oh nurse....."

Think I'll file this one in the top draw with my knickers ..... and assorted feminine hygiene products ...