BBDO New York is taking the conversation on gender equality a step further. The agency has launched a new public awareness campaign to encourage cities and corporations to put women on the map by naming streets, statues and buildings after influential female figures.
“The issue of gender equality is one that is especially important to BBDO,” Kirsten Flanik, President, BBDO New York, told DIVERGE. “We are storytellers and the fact that 50% of the population is women, but most streets, landmarks and monuments are named after men, is a story that we believed needed to be told more broadly.”
Andrew Robertson, President and CEO of BBDO Worldwide unveiled the “Put Her on the Map” campaign at the MAKERS Conference. The MAKERS Conference and Niantic, creators of mobile apps Ingress and Pokémon GO, are both partners of this campaign.
“MAKERS is one of the most preeminent women’s leadership events. As a proud sponsor of MAKERS, we were inspired by the theme this year of #bebold,” explained Flanik. “We wanted to announce a bold idea that could leverage the power and influence of the people in the room to help create change.
“The incredibly well connected Makers organization introduced us to Niantic and people like Megan Smith who want to do their part to make sure that women are more visibly recognized and honored in our country,” she added.
The “Put Her on the Map” campaign hosts a website, where people can learn more about the mission and what it stands for. It also shows how they can take action contacting their local state representatives. The website also encourages website visitors to share their videos on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #PutHerOnTheMap to spread the word.
Niantic, Inc. noted in a release that, “Storytelling has the power to positively impact and inspire the community. Putting women on the map and highlighting the stories and history of locations is something that Niantic cares about. We will work with the MAKERS and BBDO teams to help put on a walk that highlights the history, art and culture behind impactful women, using our apps to guide people to unique, real-life locations.”
“By honoring leading females across the U.S., we help to inspire the next generation of trailblazing MAKERS,” added MAKERS Founder and Executive Producer Dyllan McGee, in a statement.
The campaign also features a short film in which young girls are asked to describe things named after women and what these girls want to be when they grow up.
Their answers reference superficial items such as the “Lazy Susan,” a “Bloody Mary” and “Mary Jane” shoes. The film ends with a call to action: “Let’s inspire girls by honoring great women.”
And there is no better time to press the issue of gender equality, according to Flanik.
She explained: “Gloria Steinem reminded us at the Makers Conference this week that, “women have always been a part of the past, we just haven’t been a part of history. For young women, a lack of visible role-models weakens their perception of their own potential.”
“To the world, a lack of visibility of successful women leads to women not being called upon or thought of as leaders and change makers,” Flanik concluded. “By changing the map, we change the face of our cities, communities and future leaders.”
BBDO New York also released a new campaign or GE that also focuses on gender equality.
“What if we treated great female scientists like they were stars,” a girl asks in GE’s new spot, created by BBDO New York. “What if lived in a world like that?”
