BITE Thought Leadership | How Nurofen and McCann are closing the Gender Pain Gap

McCann London CEO, Polly McMorrow echoed the importance of small individual actions to have an impact on changing the wider narrative. 

She shared that when taking the job as CEO at McCann London she told the hiring team that she wouldn’t be the same as previous CEOs. As a 38-year-old woman with 2 children under 4, she wasn’t a stereotypical CEO. By being clear about what makes her different and setting those boundaries from the start she could both be herself and do things differently. 

McMorrow believes in ‘generosity of space for people’ to allow the best for individuals and to allow women to talk and be open about their issues or their pain. An approach based on the belief that all people, regardless of gender, have unique individual needs which underlines the importance of flexibility; there is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership. 

For women in the advertising industry pushing against a sea of existing expectations and norms is hard. “How do I live up to expectations? Do I assimilate and match their style? It takes a lot of confidence to do your own thing,” explained Ipek Erel, Senior Planner at McCann London. 

Industry leaders must work to help actively build that confidence for their team, as like for many others, when Erel did feel empowered to bring her whole self and unique experiences to work she felt able to be her most creative. 

For leaders, it is about honesty and support and acknowledging that a creative pursuit is not always a linear journey as Nicola Kemp, Editorial Director at Creativebrief shared, presenting the creative process as frictionless is not only a lie but one that alienates others.

Taking a flexible, supportive approach to talent led the panel to also consider the idea of intersectionality. Yet as Williams explained: “Intersectionality needs to not just be a phrase. Behind that word are real people who are sidelined, used to being second in conversations. For a long time feminism has been layered with white women being at the top, we need to remember that in conversations.”

For Nurofen, reflecting as many different, unique stories of women’s pain as possible is essential for the success of the campaign and for creating the most impactful change. To help better understand and reflect the lives of the consumers they want to reach, the brand has worked with Creative Equals to actively widen the lens and represent a range of diverse, different pain stories.

Gell shared that the brand has been: “taken aback by how well received the campaign has been”. She adds that the response from audiences has been ‘overwhelmingly positive.’ A result that is only possible when a brand truly listens to its audience and when a campaign is built on truth and honest empathy.

In validating the experiences of women, the campaign shows how working to gain a meaningful, real, understanding of an issue is what leads to the most creative solutions. A creative solution which not only successfully differentiate and build the brand but helps to bridge one of the most painful gaps in society.