To tie in with International Women’s Day, Diageo has released a short film about gender balance in advertising and the role of the medium in shaping culture.

Diageo says that the film discusses the role of advertising in our culture, the historic misrepresentation of women in advertising, and strategies and partnerships to support more progressive gender portrayal in content.

“It also focuses on the importance of diversity in the advertising industry itself – highlighting the organisations working to address imbalances behind the camera and in creative departments,” the company says.

Diageo is a sponsor of a scheme in Britain, #CreativeComeback, designed to help women in the creative industries return to work after a break of 12 months or more. The object is to place female art directors, producers, copywriters, data analysts, designers and concept creators back into work.

Fifty women are taking part in the scheme at present, and will work on briefs for two of Diageo’s brands, Baileys and Guinness.

In Association with

In the film, Diageo CMO Syl Saller says: “Through the millennia, culture has been shaped by the stories we tell and, if you think about it, advertising is telling stories that are backed by billions of dollars to have them heard.

“I am convinced we can normalise gender equality with what we choose to show in our ads, and who we choose to make them. We strongly believe that diverse teams create all kinds of different stories, stories which portray men and women as they really are, stories that are eminently relatable.”

The drinks giant says it has been working to increase inclusion and diversity in marketing, both in terms of progressive gender portrayal in advertising and by supporting initiatives that contribute to gender balance in the industry itself.

Diageo has also reviewed its creative work globally to see where it needs to improve on progressive gender portrayal and is training its 1,200 marketers and agencies globally in a comprehensive framework covering representation, agency, perspective and characterisation of gender in advertising.

Grainne Wafer (pictured), global brand director for Baileys,commented: “Creative Equals is celebrating the amazing creative talent that maybe might have dropped out of the industry for many reasons including childcare, illness, caring responsibilities, or just for broader reasons in - in life.”