Polski
Why are women in marketing still afraid to come out of the shadows? In the 19th century, an emancipation movement arose in Poland. Women not only demanded their rights and equal treatment with men. Above all, they wanted to be noticed and heard. It worked, and in 1922 eight Polish women were admitted to parliament and were able to speak with the voice of all women. Today, according to a study, as many as 53% of Polish companies on the list of the 200 largest advertisers also have this voice. They are the ones who manage the marketing department in them, and thus reach potential customers through their actions. However, there is one “but.” Most of them, although they head powerful teams, are afraid of public appearances. That’s why the editors of GentleWoman POLAND decided to ask the owner of one of the first content marketing agencies in Poland what this was due to. Barbara Stawarz-Garcia tells us how women in marketing function.
Woman in marketing
According to a study conducted by GroupM, WPP’s media agency platform (MediaCom, Wavemaker, Mindshare), it is mostly women who are at the forefront of marketing activities at large companies in various areas: cosmetics, food, technology or finance.
However, that’s not all. As statistics show, it is women who overwhelmingly occupy positions dealing with content marketing, PR or copywriting. This means that they are primarily responsible for the idea, as well as the execution of advertising.
Great ads with women behind them
They are the ones who create advertising campaigns that can be seen every day on television or on the Internet. Among them is the famous YES jewelry brand’s Christmas campaign, where Aleksandra Zebrowska breastfeeds her son in a museum. Standing behind it is Justyna Lach, who took the position of marketing director just a few months earlier.
In February of this year, the position of marketing manager was also filled by a woman, Marta Górecka, who replaced Damian Zalewski in this position. However, women in marketing are not only involved in products aimed strictly at women. Last year, the position of Vice President for Business Affairs. Carlsberg’s marketing director Izabela Glodek has taken over. Thus, the company’s board of directors includes mostly women.
Why are women still discriminated against?
Although women are responsible for creating most of the advertising we see, they are still discriminated against. Most of the responsible tasks are entrusted to men and they are given the credit. Only 20% of women working in the marketing industry believe they are not discriminated against on the basis of gender.
Earlier this year there was a special #ForWomenreport on equality in advertising and marketing. Its results leave no illusions. 73% of the women surveyed believe that men in the same positions as them earn more. Earnings, however, are not everything. Many of them report that their physical boundaries have been violated at work, and they have been repeatedly silenced or shamed.
I love marketing conference
We can also learn from the report that only 43% of women attend significant company meetings or give presentations. Also, twice as many men appear in public. The data in the #ForWomen report seems to be confirmed by our interviewee, Barbara Stawarz-Garcia, owner and founder of one of the first content marketing agencies in Poland.
She herself has spoken at numerous conferences, including TEDx Lublin, Internet Beta, Mail My Day and the Online Marketing Congress. She is also among the 20 highest rated speakers from all editions of the I Love Marketing Conference. However, she herself mentions that this is a rarity. Most of the women performing during its course are not invited back.
The voice of women in the 21st century
Our history shows that women have always had to fight for the right to vote. This year marks exactly 200 years since it was successful. Perhaps this is just the moment to show that we have not forgotten. Studies show that in Poland we have only 10% of fulfilled Professional Women. The editors of GentleWoman POLAND hope to see more of them each year.
