Adland is a very enthusiastic campaigner for diversity. All that diversity creativity seems to have made it forget about the people that make its creativity. Diverse is not the word anyone would use to describe the creative departments in most agencies.

AnalogFolk is doing something practical about it. The digital agency has launched an ambitious campaign to address declining diversity and inclusion, and the lack of female creative leadership in the industry.

Despite women being 54.7% of the creative industry, the pool of diverse and female creative talent remains strikingly small. This scarcity is further exacerbated by the fact that many talented leaders are not always the most visible. As AnalogFolk embarked on its search for a head of creative, it became clear that the current talent pool is neither diverse nor balanced.

AnalogFolk’s social media campaign, Changing the Face of Creative Leadership, intends to build the most diverse talent pool ever. It is creating an Open Source pool of talent that all agencies can share and use to help meet their DEI targets and drive the industry forward.

The campaign uses AI technology to reimagine the most renowned men in advertising as women, underscoring the disparity in leadership roles.

The full campaign features:

• John Hegarty reimagined as Jane Hegarty: “Would Jane Hegarty have been allowed to zag?”
• Trevor Beattie reimagined as Trina Beattie: “Trina Beatttie, would adland give a FCUK about her?”
• Dave Droga reimagined as Davina Droga: “Would Davina Droga ever get her name above the door?”
• Charles Saatchi reimagined as Charlotte Saatchi: “For Charlotte Saatchi, everything was impossible.”
• Dave Trott reimagined as Denise Trott: “Would Denise Trott have had the chance to say ‘Ello Tosh?'”
• Graham Fink reimagined as Gracie Fink: “What challenges would Gracie Fink ‘Face’?”
• Nils Leonard reimagined as Nelly Leonard: “Nelly Leonard, why is she so Uncommon?”
• David Wigglesworth reimagined as Davina Wigglesworth: “Davina Wigglesworth. Would she be an ECD, or an NPC?”
• Rory Sutherland reimagined as Aurora Sutherland: “Would anyone listen to Aurora Sutherland?”
• Mark Denton reimagined as Martina Denton: “Martina Denton, would she have to play it ‘coy’?

The initiative marks a pivotal moment in AnalogFolk’s evolution, as it has reimagined its studio from a traditional agency model into an inclusive space with a diverse mix of creatives, creators, and makers. This new direction necessitates a fresh kind of creative leader who has the skills and experience aligned with AnalogFolk’s new studio of talent and the type of strategy and creative it is delivering that is proving successful for its clients.

The ideal candidate for its head of creative will lead a team that is adaptive to the pace of culture, collaborative, and empowered to create exceptional content and experiences for clients that help brands grow through cultural vibrancy.

Anna-Louise Gladwell, managing director, AnalogFolk says, “Our goal is to kick the door open wider for societal success by ensuring diverse leadership in the creative industry. We’re pushing this campaign to help drive a solution to the lack of visibility and representation of female creative leaders in advertising. We’re not specifically looking to hire a woman for this role, but right now the pool of talent we’re seeing is neither diverse nor balanced. Where are all the women? I’m incredibly proud of the new model we are creating around our future of work. AnalogFolk is composed of diverse talent, bringing a breadth of experience and fresh perspectives that are essential for innovation. The only way to predict the future is to create it, and through this campaign, we are taking a step towards shaping a more inclusive and dynamic future for the creative industry.”

AnalogFolk encourages everyone to contribute to and share the pool of female creative talent with peers in the industry so that they too can build balanced and representative teams. Find more information and apply or nominate, here, or comment on AnalogFolk’s LinkedIn or Instagram posts.

Credits:

Creative Agency: AnalogFolk
Managing Director: Anna-Louise Gladwell
Creative Directors: Dani Arkless &  Alex Wood
Head Of Design: Dan Saxton
Designers: William Bjorklund & Minna Leatham