FactSet, a global financial digital platform and enterprise solutions provider, has partnered with Chicago-based creative agency VSA Partners to unveil a second round of spots in its “Not Just the Facts” campaign. The campaign originally launched in April this year with impressive results.
The campaign was built on a core strategic insight: While quality data is critical for financial professionals, facts in isolation provide little value. FactSet’s personalization, data connectivity, open and flexible technology, and dedicated service and support provide the context necessary for the investment community to turn facts into valuable insights—and make the most of them.
The new creative picks up where the previous left off. This time it focuses on a particularly boorish office worker, drolly played by character actor Wyndham Maxwell, who ticks off an encyclopedic list of facts and non sequiturs during business meetings and in an elevator to the bemusement of his colleagues.
The tongue-in-cheek campaign, which plays more like a perfect-pitch comedy series than a typical B2B commercial effort, is unlike anything else in the financial services industry—both in its use of humor and in its humanistic approach. Starting this week, FactSet will roll out 16 unique spots—a combination of :30s, :15s, :06s and nine “shorts”—across multiple channels including digital, streaming and CTV.
“We are thrilled with the success of our bold ‘Not Just the Facts’ campaign, which emphasizes what sets the FactSet brand apart: not just the breadth and depth of our data offering, but the intelligent solutions and advanced technology that contextualize it for global finance professionals,” said Jenifer Brooks, Chief Marketing Officer at FactSet. “We’re proud of how the campaign’s direct and relatable tone, which challenges industry norms, has resonated with audiences. As we look toward this next phase of the campaign, we will continue to bring fresh perspectives and empathetic storytelling to demonstrate the value of our offerings.”
The first round of the “Not Just the Facts” campaign earlier this year achieved outstanding results, resonating deeply and driving significant engagement. The spots achieved 193 million impressions with a 98% increase in click-through rates and a 36% rise in video view-through rates across the campaign platform.
“Humor is an incredible way to connect with audiences—and the results we saw in round one of the campaign confirm it,” said Kim Mickenberg, Associate Partner and Executive Creative Director at VSA. “In ‘Not Just the Facts,’ we’ve built a platform that lets us entertain and engage our audiences while telling a really clear, compelling story about what makes FactSet so different. We’re so proud of the work and all the collaboration that went into it.”
Los Angeles–based Docter Twins Matthew and Jason Docter directed the original campaign and this new work through their production company, Thinking Machine. The identical twin brothers grew up in the Midwest and were heavily influenced by classic comedy directors like the Coen brothers and John Hughes. Their work is known for a subtle sensibility that balances smart performance and cinematic style with a witty flair for storytelling.
“It’s tough to choose a favorite line when working with the amazing team at VSA,” said the Docter Twins. “Two of our favorites from this go-round are “‘Trees can recognize their siblings’ and ‘Some dinosaurs had really tiny arms…and could probably only bench press like 400 lbs.’
“VSA’s Kim [Mickenberg], Megan [Schulist, creative director], and Bryan [Haney, motion producer] are never short on ideas.
“And with a client like [global head of brand] Christina Sradj and others at FactSet willing to let us riff, the actors find a playful space and never let up. They were best friends by the end of the shoot, which sums up the fun we all had working together.”
FactSet (NYSE: FDS) helps the financial community to see more, think bigger, and work better. Our digital platform and enterprise solutions deliver financial data, analytics, and open technology to nearly 8,000 global clients, including over 206,000 individual users. Clients across the buy side and sell side as well as wealth managers, private equity firms, and corporations achieve more every day with our comprehensive and connected content, flexible next-generation workflow solutions, and client-centric specialized support. As a member of the S&P 500, we are committed to sustainable growth and have been recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in 2023 by Glassdoor as a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award winner. Learn more and follow us on X and LinkedIn.
VSA’s purpose is to design for a better human experience. As a strategy and creative agency, we blend consumer insights and data with human-centered design to activate meaningful, motivating and measurable experiences in an increasingly noisy world. With offices in Chicago and New York, VSA offers a full range of integrated capabilities—branding, advertising, data science and technology—all under one roof. VSA is also a proud member of Meet The People, an international family of unified and independent agencies. For more than 40 years, we have delivered solutions for business and creative leaders at some of the world’s most respected brands and forward-thinking organizations, including Google, Nike and IBM.
Thinking Machine is a Los Angeles–based commercial production company specializing in creative storytelling.
OpenAI had big dreams for the name GPT. It even published brand guidelines on the internet that refer to the acronym as a “trademark.” However, the company’s dream of owning the rights to GPT will fade on May 6, when its trademark application is slated for a “final action” denial from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Although OpenAI has petitioned the USPTO for an extension of the deadline, the mark is all but dead. Anyone who needs to name something can learn from its demise.
OpenAI’s failure hinges on the fact that its acronym stands for the name “Generative Pre-trained Transformer.” According to the USPTO, the name “merely describes” the service’s capabilities.
Adding insult to injury, the USPTO also states that the name “appears to be generic.” In other words, “Generative Pretrained Transformer” is the equivalent of Hershey naming its newest treat “chocolate candy bar” or Nike calling its latest sneaker “high-performance running shoe.”
GPT is so generic that more than 200 related names have been submitted to the USPTO for trademark consideration, and most have not originated with OpenAI. Applications include “Cat GPT,” “BrainGPT,” and the crowd-pleaser “GPTJesus.”
All is not lost for OpenAI. The USPTO has already approved two of the company’s other trademark applications for “GPT-3” and “GPT-4.” But this is a second-rate solution. It’s as if Apple had been prohibited from trademarking the generic name “Smartphone,” so, instead, it named its products “Smartphone-3” and “Smartphone-4.”
If OpenAI had invested more thought into developing a proprietary name to match its revolutionary technology, it could’ve inaugurated the age of AI with a world-building asset on the level of the iPhone.”
OpenAI botched its “iPhone” moment, but we can learn three naming lessons from their failure.
It’s hard to predict what’s next for GPT. If OpenAI had invested more thought into developing a proprietary name to match its revolutionary technology, it could’ve inaugurated the age of AI with a world-building asset on the level of the iPhone. Instead, it created a marketing 101 module: How NOT to brand a product.
There’s also a more significant lesson. Business history isn’t written with sales numbers, market share, advertisements, or logos—all of which change over time. The story is told through brand names that seldom, if ever, change. That’s why every naming project is an opportunity to write history. Don’t “GPT” your chance at immortality.
This piece originally appeared in PRINT Mag; view the published piece here.
Image created by Josh Berta.
This piece originally appeared in AllBusiness.com; see the published piece.
At this point, anyone in marketing has seen (or been the accomplice to) an unnecessary website overhaul.
To be fair, there are very persuasive reasons to burn it all down to the ground. Our culture deeply values the new over the old—particularly in a corporate world where “newness” can get more attention and accolades than the much less flashy “improvement.” The “what sounds better on a resume” question is compounded by clients repeatedly being sold or given the impression that they need to start over entirely to solve their business issues. It’s a chicken-or-egg question: Which idea came first—the one that website overhauls are necessary for creating change or that it is easier to sell a website overhaul when it is critical to change?
Here’s the problem: website overhauls don’t work—at least not in the way they’re promised to.
Website redesigns are often initiated because there’s a business problem: low conversions or poor lead capturing mean the website isn’t driving a significant portion of revenue; an underinvestment in the website leads to an outdated and out-of-touch image; acquisitions have grown the capabilities of an organization, but those aren’t reflected on the website. The list goes on.
Sure, a website overhaul may solve those problems … in the same way that firing your entire staff and hiring new people may improve employee morale.
But, like that analogy, website overhauls are expensive and hopefully unnecessary. In both the time they require and the financial investment needed, website overhauls demand the dedication and focus of large teams working for weeks, months, and sometimes even years. This time commitment poses problems of its own, adding in a layer of “well, we’ve spent so much time on it, now it really has to perform.” In other words, the perfect recipe for stakeholder disappointment, delivered late and way over budget.
It can also create more problems than there were to begin with. From structure changes to broken links, a great deal of complexity is involved in successfully migrating a site without decreasing SEO rankings. Data and content migrations are often underestimated herculean efforts, not to mention external integrations. A misaligned overhaul can also turn users off to the platform, creating frustration or confusion and causing a loss of trust and familiarity.
Lastly, it’s just not the best way to work. A website isn’t a static billboard—it’s a selling tool that should be responsive to customer needs. Responsiveness means it adapts as customers or the business adapts. Every month you spend on an overhaul is time that could have been put into making the site 5% better for the customers currently interacting with it. By the time you finish, the insights that you were implementing may no longer be relevant.
A website isn’t a static billboard—it’s a selling tool that should be responsive to customer needs.”
When we spread the gospel of incremental change, we cite three reasons to believe: speed, sustainability, and CMO satisfaction.
Incremental change is fast, allowing you to respond to customer needs in real time. Let’s say you have a news website where an increasing number of readers are complaining about readability on mobile devices. Rather than adding this to a potential list of significant redesign efforts, a quick analysis reveals that this affects phones with folding screens. The team can consider how to handle multiple viewport segments on those devices instead of assuming there’s a larger problem.
Just because a change is fast doesn’t mean it can’t have a big impact. You wouldn’t believe how radically different a site can look by simply changing a typeface or how much more engagement you can drive by making minor improvements to a website’s user interface.
An incremental approach is also sustainable. Rather than burning out your teams with a monumental overhaul, short sprints with tangible results keep everyone happy.
Lastly, it meets the needs of CMOs today. Top marketers are increasingly reporting that they are being asked to do more with less and prove ROI all along the way. Incremental change is a way to accomplish both. You can make a tangible impact quickly with a nimble team—testing, measuring, and improving as you go.
Top marketers are increasingly reporting that they are being asked to do more with less and prove ROI all along the way. Incremental change is a way to accomplish both.”
Leadership might have concerns. We’ve been indoctrinated for so long that a website overhaul is the only way to remove legacy baggage. So, the idea of forgoing a splashy rollout for minor improvements over time can be a tough sell. When advocating for an incremental approach, answer this question: What is the one change we can make that will prove to leadership that this approach can work?
Another common complaint is that implementation or approval will take too long. If that’s the case for your business, rectifying this is the first step. If an organization cannot quickly and confidently change copy, images, or other basic elements of an experience, it signals internal misalignment about how digital experiences are best utilized. The incremental approach doesn’t work if things don’t keep moving incrementally.
An incremental approach should also include a commitment to stop chasing trends. While a fashionable typeface, parallax scrolling, or aggressively minimalist (or maximalist) website may seem like a good idea at the time, this user experience quickly becomes outdated because it’s tied to what everyone else is doing, not what your brand stands for.
It also behooves teams to pick boring technology. Industry staples are staples for a reason. Sometimes, a start-up disruptor can bring real value to the table, other times it brings a host of problems and minimal support to fix them.
Keep your core teams small, ideally only 4–6 people. Choose experts over junior staff that may need a lot of oversight, and reduce meetings wherever you can by using asynchronous communication (like Slack) to keep everyone up to date.
You should also time-box every activity—don’t allow any single effort to run indefinitely. Always have a timeline in any hypothesis, and track it ruthlessly.
Even though you’re running with a tight team, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be getting input from across the organization. A successful incremental approach will be one where there’s buy-in from all stakeholders, and their needs are balanced with those of their colleagues and the audiences. Have listening sessions with different departments affected by the website. What do they wish was different? What are their pain points? This tactic helps you figure out what will have the biggest impact and how to prioritize.
Once you know what matters to your internal and external stakeholders, commit to measuring it meticulously. You should continually assess what works and what doesn’t and prioritize changes that can be measured against some kind of progress metric. If its impact can’t be measured, don’t do it.
As you begin to design, always reduce and simplify before expanding. Prototype with the lowest effort possible to achieve your goals—finding ways to consolidate changes and reduce redundancies in design can have substantial time-saving benefits over the life of an initiative. This tactic will mean starting with components you already have—ideally ones that exist in a design tool—and current code. The most optimized teams can prototype ideas in staging and run no-regrets experiments in production for quick feedback. They also create reusable assets that can be used for final delivery. Adaptable designs will lend themselves to adaptable prototypes and implementations.
When you reach something that feels good, make it happen. Move to the real product as quickly as you can. If it’s better than what you currently have, ship it.
The incremental approach comes with a hard truth: a website will never be “done.” At least not as long as you’re in business! There will always be new technologies, customer needs, and insights to incorporate into your digital experiences. Always measure, adapt, and revisit previous changes to make them a little bit better. It’s like Boy Scout’s honor: Leave it a little better than you found it.
VSA’s CEO Anne-Marie Rosser was recently interviewed by Top Interactive Agencies (TIA), where she talked trends, human nature versus data, and the thing people are most surprised to learn about her. See the interview below, or view the original piece.
I started out in an account role function but really felt that I was doing the strategy lift. At the time, I asked our CEO if I could start a strategy function and he said “sure.” So, I played in the strategy space for about 15 years at a few agencies, and then ultimately decided I wanted to apply what I had learned in strategy to grow relationships in a more consultative way. I did that for about 10 years before moving into a role as agency president and then CEO.
The food and the people! It’s a beautiful city that has scale—but also has great neighborhoods and can feel small. It’s a very livable city. It also has a great food scene with anything you can imagine. Like any city, it’s really about walking the neighborhoods to get a feel for it.
It’s been a really transformational time in the industry at large, and for our agency. So much so that our attention can get very fragmented. My focus now is on prioritization and execution. It’s easy to get distracted, but execution is still imperative, and that requires the ability to prioritize what is most important and let some of the rest wait.
I’m still learning! As a relatively new CEO, this is one of my challenges. But I think it’s really critical that executives are close to the work to ensure their vision is relevant and achievable. In some ways, vision is the easier part. It’s execution—through the day to day—that determines your success. I have a really great team that challenges me and keeps me honest on both fronts as we try to reserve time that is focused on 50,000-foot issues and time that is reserved for day to day. This helps all of us change gears together.
I want people to experiment and not view it as a failure if an idea doesn’t work out. This doesn’t relate just to client work, but to our own internal structure and processes as well. Right now I think it’s about staying very close to culture and the pace of change, and encouraging teams to meet clients where they are while still having the courage of their convictions. We also have an internal drive to “own” ideas and innovation. We hold each other accountable.
There is more and more data that supposedly tells us EXACTLY what people want and where. I think it’s useful to take some of that data with a grain of salt because it is inherently backwards looking. People are unpredictable, so human-centered design in part means remembering the human tendency to surprise.”
Most recently, we rolled out a campaign for our client FactSet that I think really embodies that goal. FactSet is a global financial digital platform and enterprise solutions provider—it’s heavily in the B2B space. When we were designing the campaign for them, we thought about how so much of B2B advertising is frankly very boring and decided to do something different. The campaign has three different spots, and they’re all really funny! [You can check them out here.] We think that a smart departure like this from the category norms makes B2B brands stand out in a good way and keeps people thinking about that brand experience long after.
Honestly, I think it comes back to basics versus always focusing on just “what’s new” in digital. For an ecosystem to work, it has to have movement, and that means 1) know your audience and what they are about, and then 2) reduce friction as they move freely within the ecosystem. If you miss these fundamentals, the rest doesn’t work. I think the other secret is in your question itself: “prioritize.” As I mentioned a few answers ago, prioritization isn’t easy—it takes real discipline. Brands that can prioritize, which inherently means giving other things up, stand a much better change of thriving.
Relevancy is achieved by deeply understanding your audience and acknowledging that even once you know them deeply, you’re never done. You have to keep returning to that well to understand what has changed, because what’s relevant to them changes. Trends can be significant or fleeting, but certainly understanding cultural currency is important. It becomes truly meaningful only when you can connect it back to your specific audience and what they care about. So, I guess I’m less concerned about the trends that may stay or go, and more about how audiences are shifting their attention and why.
What a great question. Our purpose is to “design for a better human experience,” which is a lofty goal for an agency. But it’s because we fundamentally believe that behind every business or marketing problem is a human problem to solve. There is more and more data that supposedly tells us EXACTLY what people want and where. I think it’s useful to take some of that data with a grain of salt because it is inherently backwards looking. People are unpredictable, so human-centered design in part means remembering the human tendency to surprise and remembering to have empathy for a real human problem that needs to be solved. Sometimes trusting your gut and pushing to disrupt the data is the best way to think about where human-centered design will go because it looks forward rather than back.
I would have to say TikTok is the platform or emergent player that I still say “wow” to in terms of how disrupting it is. It is fundamentally changing our relationship with all content—news, information, brands, entertainment. Building off of what social platforms started, TikTok is changing information and commerce more profoundly. The biggest takeaway for me is the serious shift in our attention span and how information is consumed. The ongoing shift from a “broadcast to your audience” model to “show up where the conversation is already happening” has big implications for everyone, and I don’t know that we’ve fully cracked the code on what it will mean.
It’s alive and well. I am seeing small startups of every stripe, including agencies, pop up everywhere and do great work. Chicago remains a place where people are more focused on the ideas and the work than the marquee, so I think that’s a real strength.
VSA brings brand strategy and activation to the table for MTP. Our deep design heritage and consultative style allows us to go deep with clients to drive results. MTP’s belief that agencies can still be independent while benefiting from shared values and collaboration is part of VSA’s ethos and how we work.
This is such a great question. As a parent with three kids nearing college age, it’s one I’m asking! I absolutely think that creatives can break into this industry through routes other than traditional education. The most important attributes are having ideas, communication skills, and the ability to collaborate.
Designers, creators, writers—they all play a huge role. We know that representation matters, so whether that is via illustration, casting, voice talent or accessibility in technology, they all drive our ability to reflect the world we live in with a more accurate and inclusive approach. It’s exciting. We don’t always get it right, but it’s something we continue to challenge our creative teams to think through.
My mom is an artist, and I think spending summers with her growing up in New York was very formative. Learning to see and appreciate aesthetics in all different areas of life is a huge part of my work life, but also my life outside of work. While I’m not a creative and came up through strategy, I am fascinated by the work that creative can do. I speak the language.
I’ve been a bookworm for life, and then just being outside, gardening, travel. All the good things!
There are so many! But I would say that issues around women’s rights are closest to me. This is because of my own experience, but also having three kids at a time when access to women’s rights are being reduced. I’m also very cognizant of what has been changing in the workplace for women and how I can model the type of behavior and leadership that I feel women should be able to claim for themselves. There is still a lot of “micro-misogyny” out there: exclusionary behaviors, mansplaining, lack of confidence in a different leadership style that favors listening as much as pontificating.
People tend to be surprised by my sleeve tattoos. That’s not the vibe I give off when people first meet me (apparently).
In honor of Earth Day, AdForum interviewed VSA’s Dana Arnett about the unique role agencies can play in advocating for environmental sustainability.
In the piece, Dana highlights the difference it makes when you have a great client partner that is truly committed to sustainable practices, like our client Sappi. He also discusses how agencies and clients can quickly ramp up their sustainability efforts, and the power agencies have to drive real change.
Read the piece below, or view the original piece on AdForum.
Perhaps the most important part of sustainable messaging is having a client that’s truly committed to sustainable practices. We’ve partnered with Sappi, a global renewable-resource company in packaging, paper goods and beyond, for over 30 years. We’re constantly assessing how to tell its sustainability story in a way that’s true, contextualized and balanced. A lot of sustainability messaging is overly simplistic or, worst of all, can be considered greenwashing. But the unfortunate truth, which the public is starting to understand, is that operating in a sustainable way is complex and requires intention and attention across a resource’s and product’s life cycle.
This is why we’ve been developing a more holistic messaging strategy for Sappi that speaks to the circular, renewable ecosystem it champions—from sustainable forestry and manufacturing to end-consumer products and end-of-life treatments—and creates accountability across it.
For agencies looking to quickly ramp up their sustainability practices, one easy place to start is by advocating for branded products with purpose. When we design clients’ events, employee experiences and other branded moments, we make sure not to advocate for tchotchkes that will likely be discarded and create more waste, and instead try to consider longer-term utility and value when creating physical items.
For example, we work on a winter holiday kit for Sappi every year. The goal of this kit, which started as a sales tool to engage prospects and clients, has evolved to be a reflection of Sappi’s culture and a truly valuable gift. The kit is designed with key sustainability principles in mind: Can the kit be used all year-round? Can the parts of the kit be reused? Can the parts of the kit serve different functions? We want to create something that’s immensely and continuously valuable—while sparking joy. This year, the kit was inspired by the growing trend to “treat yourself,” finding small everyday pleasures and moments of joy. By connecting to such a strong emotion like joy and designing for utility and purpose, the Sappi holiday kit is not a throwaway swag item or holiday card. Instead, it’s a year-long reminder of the brand and a source of smiles for customers, partners and employees alike.
Agencies play a critical role in this. We can be an advocate of environmental protection within clients’ organizations, helping them to be accountable stewards as they consider how their business practices and operations are, or are not, reinforcing their brand promises and purpose. We are also at the center of public perception and understanding. When agencies get a story right—in an advertising campaign, in communications—it sticks in a person’s mind. At our best, the stories we create aren’t just memorable; they are influential. They change how we see an issue, how we’ll act because of that issue and often, how we talk about and galvanize others around that issue. If we can simplify and connect sustainability stories to what is relevant and motivating to people, we can drive meaningful change around environmental protection, advocacy and accountability.
For example, with Sappi, we’ve done a series of videos highlighting the tangible impacts of its sustainability work, featuring its people who are on the front lines of making a difference for the environment. By showing real people in real situations, we bring powerful evidence to back up our larger promises.
If we want to solve the climate crises we currently face, we all have a part to play in imagining and building a better way. This is no different for the advertising industry—and in fact, we are in a unique position to influence and advocate for better practices, both with our clients and consumers.
Consumers are a critical force for driving change, and through their actions, loyalty and wallets, they can make a big difference. But first, they need options to choose from. Advertisers can continue to find ways to help eco-conscious practices, brands and products shine through, and to get in front of consumers ready to buy more sustainable products. However, as noted, being eco-first often goes far beyond a single company or product. There’s so much that’s invisible to the consumer, across parts of the supply chain and outside of any brand’s control. We as an advertising industry should continue to advocate for environmental transparency, protection and safety, while also finding ways to help consumers see the whole story and engage in deeper discussions for systemic change.
FactSet, a global financial digital platform and enterprise solutions provider, has unveiled a new campaign that is a smart departure from category norms.
Titled “Not Just The Facts,” the campaign shows what happens when members of the investment community are pelted with increasingly absurd and irrelevant facts. The ending reminds viewers that getting just facts—without context or personalization—is useless.
“The premise is comedic, but the point it makes is 100% true: The investment community is overwhelmed with information,” said FactSet CMO Jenifer Brooks. “FactSet provides our clients with industry-leading breadth and depth of data through an intelligent platform that ensures they’re getting not just the facts, but also the context they need to make the most of these facts.”
For more than 40 years, FactSet has been creating flexible, open data and technology solutions that help investors make crucial decisions; today, FactSet serves over 206,000 investment professionals worldwide. Building on this momentum, FactSet was ready to come out with a strong, differentiating point of view to build awareness of its offerings.
“The best way to stand out is to do something really memorable and different, and FactSet really embraced that with this campaign,” said Kim Mickenberg, Associate Partner and Executive Creative Director at VSA. “There’s a misconception that B2B advertising has to be less interesting and emotional than consumer-facing ads, but the truth is that B2B buyers are people, too—and people love to laugh.”
The truth is that B2B buyers are people, too—and people love to laugh.”
The spots were directed by Thinking Machine’s Docter Twins, who worked closely with the broader team to ensure an excellent shoot.
“You know it’s a special project when the entire crew is enjoying each take just as much as the agency and client,” said Matthew Docter.
“We got involved early on because Kim’s scripts were so good, and we couldn't have asked for a more creative collaboration,” Jason Docter added. “The teamwork on set kept us nimble and enabled us to capture a lot in a single shoot day.”
“From the start, we were inspired by FactSet’s story, the clarity of their point of view and their willingness to do something really different in the space,” said Mickenberg. “We couldn’t be prouder of our partnership with FactSet and our collaboration with Thinking Machine, and we couldn’t be more excited about the work.”
The campaign is rolling out across digital, streaming and CTV this week.
FactSet (NYSE: FDS) helps the financial community see more, think bigger and work better. Our digital platform and enterprise solutions deliver financial data, analytics and open technology to nearly 8,000 global clients, including over 206,000 individual users. Clients across the buy side and sell side, as well as wealth managers, private equity firms and corporations, achieve more every day with our comprehensive and connected content, flexible next-generation workflow solutions, and client-centric specialized support. As a member of the S&P 500, we are committed to sustainable growth and have been recognized among the Best Places to Work in 2023 by Glassdoor as a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award winner. Learn more and follow us on X and LinkedIn.
Thinking Machine is a Los Angeles–based commercial production company specializing in creative storytelling.
VSA’s CEO Anne-Marie Rosser was recently interviewed by AdForum's India Fizer to discuss how she believes the advertising industry can create more gender parity.
From the importance of cultivating a network early in your career to combating ageism, check out Anne-Marie’s thoughts on fostering better workplaces for women below, or view the original article.
There are so many simple but meaningful things that we can do. For starters, I try to always say yes to young women who reach out to me asking to learn more about the industry. It’s easy to do and I always want to encourage young women who put themselves out there.
I also tell women early on to build their network and to nurture it. It’s something I didn’t know starting out, and it’s imperative. Calling women into group conversations is really important, particularly in a hybrid workforce. Fostering a safe space where they can be heard and have room to contribute builds confidence.
And finally, from what I’ve seen, women in general tend to have more impostor syndrome. So celebrating successes, calling out women’s achievements and encouraging women to advocate for their place are all key leadership contributions to helping younger women succeed.
This is a broader societal issue, but I think one simple way is to demystify the topic of age with women. I don’t try to hide my age, and I comfortably tell people my age—even if I understand that this may cause discomfort. But we have a long way to go in this regard. There is still a heavy bias that women of a certain age have nothing to contribute and the best way to prove this wrong is to be active and to stay in the workforce in leadership positions as long as men do.
One of the best aspects of being involved in marketing is that it allows you to peek behind the scenes of multiple industries and companies without having to work in them. I’ve been able to see firsthand the company cultures in multiple finance firms, the tech sector, CPG and retail. Within those, you sometimes see microcosms of cultures that appear to more consistently support women and those that don’t.
I was lucky enough to get to have a seat at the table with Fortune 100 CEOs from when I was relatively young. This exposure gave me the confidence to demand a seat at the table in my own company throughout my career. It’s also allowed me to accept that I don’t need to model my leadership style based on my male colleagues—I can put forth my own leadership style, driven by empathy, humor and accountability.
There is still a heavy bias that women of a certain age have nothing to contribute. The best way to prove this wrong is to be active and to stay in the workforce in leadership positions as long as men do.”
The question positions women as “digital pioneers,” and I just think this is inherently powerful in and of itself. Having young women who are fluent in technology from the jump feels like an important change because it’s so integral to our world now. I see young women already changing the workforce by better understanding their value, more clearly competing for work or mindshare within an agency, and advocating for their own growth and compensation. It’s exciting!
