Maisie Lloyd
I'm passionate about recording the world, but most of all driven by creativity and collaborative environments. My experience revolves around the production of digital content, pertaining to graphic design, writing copy, and video and audio content.
Women in Marketing
Women have made significant headway in marketing, a once male-dominated industry. In a 2022 study by Statista, it demonstrated a shift with a strong figure of 58% of marketers being female, and 42% made up of men (UK).
Women have made significant contributions to marketing over the last century, with some female leaders championing for equality within the industry.
As of 2024, the gender pay gap still exists, with a 7% pay inequality from a woman’s wage to their male counterparts. Signalling that despite it now being a female-dominated industry, men in the field are still valued more with a higher figure salary. This is likely due to the roles by women being typically ‘lower’ in the marketing pecking order, with a larger volume of men working in seniority roles, i.e. CEO’s, CFO’s, department leaders and so forth.
Historic female figures in marketing
The first female copywriter – Helen Lansdowne Resor
Helen Lansdowne Resor was the first female copywriter, working at J. Walter Thompson Co before rapidly progressing through their ranks becoming their first female Vice President. Reason spearheaded campaigns like her first “A Skin You Love to Touch” for Woodbury’s facial soap.
It’s known that Resor was able to run such successful campaigns because she was able to think like the buyers of the products she was selling. Her “A Skin You Love to Touch” campaign was of its time. She spoke to the women in the household through the campaign, acknowledging women were most likely to be the one making the purchasing choices at the time. This approach earned her the titles she came to bestow, demonstrating that women were more than capable of major success within marketing.
The first female CEO – Mary Wells Lawrence
Mary Wells Lawrence is an impressive woman, being the first woman CEO to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The feat came following a long career in advertising under companies such as Jack Tinker & Partners and Doyle Dane Bernbach, in roles such as copy chief, and senior partner.
Lawrence was the first woman to achieve CEO status on the New York Stock Exchange list, a huge feat for her as a pioneer of the time, in a completely male-dominated industry.
The first woman in marketing to found her own advertising company – Mathilde C. Weil
In 1882, America saw its first female-led ad agency, M.C. Weil Agency brought to life by Mathilde C. Weil, a German immigrant who recognised and capitalised on the growing necessity for ad space, her actions forging the path for many women in marketing.
What makes Weils story even more impressive, is she did all of this 80 years before all women in the US were given voting rights. Putting into perspective just how hard she would have had to work in order to gain the recognition she so rightly deserves.
The first art director – Nedda McGrath
A pioneer for female leadership, Nedda McGrath was the first female art director within advertising. McGrath’s career at Blackman Agency (1926) was one to marvel at. She stated in her excerpt from the Ad History Book “I was discouraged by everyone from making the attempt and had to work perhaps harder than a man.” Her words are a true testament to the hard work put in by women to be recognised as valued members of the workforce.
We’d be interested to know which woman in marketing you find inspiring!
