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Sponsored by Mortgage Choice/Core Data Women can be pretty hard on themselves when it comes what financial success – or failure – looks like. But we’re determined to make it on our own terms. A recent Mortgage Choice/CoreData white paper on financial fitness asked women a key question: What does financial success look like to […]

Omnicom-owned media agency OMD Australia has joined the list of businesses who have agreed to partially waive non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which will allow people affected by sexual harassment in the Australian workplace to make confidential submission to the national inquiry. Read the full article by Abigail Dawson on Mumbrella

Gillette’s clever commercial work has disrupted the traditional advertising tactics used in the male personal care category, and allowed Gillette to enter into a relevant, and topical conversation, argues Bec Brideson. The new marketing lens Old marketing is often still stuck in a mindset of push, push, push the brand’s features and benefits onto the […]

Gender intelligence expert Bec Brideson says many brands are trapped in an outdated “legacy lens” and need to move towards a “dual lens” that properly speaks to and engages with females. According to Brideson, by not embracing female customer experience (FCX) organisations are being left in the past – and missing out large potential revenues in the […]

Bec has been recognised at the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards in the Emerging Leader in Professional Services category. The judges commented that “She is genuinely disrupting the industry and is working in a traditional male-dominated industry to help build a much needed female lens.” View the full list of winners on the Women’s Agenda website.

Despite Coles’ recent Little Shop promotion offering a clear uptick in sales, Bec Brideson wonders where the brand will be in six month’s time, once the little plastic items are long disposed of. Dear Coles, The yes-bag, no-bag, three-bags-full bag has been a tad confusing. Many of us are concerned about the health of the […]

Read the full article about Bec Brideson’s win at the B&T’s Women In Media Awards.

Academia’s male focus has led to the advertising industry looking through a male lens that reflects the past, says Bec Brideson. Google ‘Mother of Marketing’ and get pink Mother’s Day flotsam. Google ‘Father of Marketing’ and get a grey man. One grey man repeated in particular – Phillip Kotler. Kotler started teaching marketing in 1962 […]

Rigid gender codes and tired leadership stereotypes affect us all, says Bec Brideson. As social tides shift, marketers need to be mindful how to develop a long term relationship with their female customers. To read the full article on the female factor, please go here.

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For the full article, please go here and support Driven Women mag by buy the new issue. It’s absolutely worth it!  

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Bec Brideson has made SmartCompany’s Top Business Thinkers for branding and advertising and gender. View her SmartCompany profile here.

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In 2018, as women’s voices and value are coming to a crescendo – these 12 business blind spots remain wider than ever. Is it time for you to close the gaps? Happy #IWD2018!     Sources: McKinsey Report ‘The Power of Parity” 2015, via Time  The Globe and Mail Babson College Report, 2016 – 2017 […]

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To listen to Bec’s interview with ABC Far North radio, click below.  

For the last seven years, Andrew Sidwell has been waking up (read: getting woke) to the importance of gender diversity. We spoke to him today about his new online project ‘Dear Men of Tomorrow‘ and his consistent efforts now to help other men realise and eradicate their unhealthy attitudes and unconscious biases towards women. Andrew Sidwell […]

To have a full squizz at the entirety of Female Quotient’s latest issue (do, it’s fabulous), click here.  

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To see the full mention, download the AirAsia Travel3Sixty issue here.

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To read my piece, and have a hankering at all the other great opinion pieces at Mumbrella during 2017, click here.

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To read the full article, please buy the issue from Pocket Mags here – the whole magazine is well worth a read.

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Patrick Ford knew that he wanted to be involved in advocacy efforts around gender and race even before he joined the illustrious UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. During his course, reflecting deeply upon his identity became an “increasingly important part of [his] life” that in turn led into a male allyship program within the […]

Blind Spots author and gender intelligence pioneer Bec Brideson is putting business leaders on the offense for the next big disruption to hit the business landscape: women. Get ready for the next global economic disruption. Women offer a lucrative $28 trillion-dollar market, yet they’re underserved, neglected and ignored, despite the fact they drive the majority […]

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Just last week you may remember M&C Saatchi’s TJ Tindall saying all this natter about diversity is boring. He’s not wrong but like a puffer fish who’d eaten one too many starchy crabs, he was bloated with toxic reasoning. Talking about diversity is boring; doing challenging, innovative work around gender and thereby increasing your brand […]

Attention all the singled-out ladies! We’re being ignored and overlooked by the marketers and decision-makers of products and services they want us to buy. Bec Brideson knows why. And says it’s about time things changed. In her book “The Female Brain”, Lou Ann Brizendine recalls a time at Yale medical school where she curiously probed […]

Bec shares her tips on how to attract more female consumers, on the November issue of GETIT Magazine. Read the article here.    

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Is your business ready for the next global economic disruption? Women offer a lucrative $28 trillion dollar market, yet they’re often underserved, neglected or ignored, despite the fact they drive the majority of our purchases. In this episode, gender intelligence pioneer Bec Brideson reveals how you can tap into the modern female market and reap […]

Brideson says a business’ culture is mirrored in the way it treats its stakeholders, which include staff and customers. “Sacking anyone for their views on marriage shows a lack of tolerance and demonstrates toxicity in a workplace,” she says. Read the full article on The Sydney Morning Herald

The recent controversy around a Dove ad raised questions around what checks and balances advertising agencies have in place to prevent such stuff-ups. Read the full article on Crikey  

“Businesses must learn how to communicate and engage with consumers whether they are black, white, gay or straight, male or female, or fluid without the limiting perspective of a traditional male lens.” Read the full article by Zoe Langman.

For the full article, please go here. It’s no surprise that our lives are getting more stressful, and that stress can start at work. A recent report from The American Institute of Stress revealed that 80 per cent of workers feel stress on the job, and nearly half of those workers need help managing stress. […]

To read this article, please click here. Early in 2015, consulting giant Ernst & Young launched an online countdownto gender parity. Many of us clicked the refresh button repeatedly, hoping to reveal what must be a joke — parity was to be achieved in precisely 115 years. I went back to it recently hoping for […]

Remember that time you piled your girlfriend in a cab, but she kept you on the phone until she was home safe and sound? Gosh, that was funny! How about when you were super excited to buy your first car, but the suits in the dealership acted like you were invisible? What a riot! Or […]

“Blind Spots is about assessing your current culture around women and illuminating the places that may need enlightenment. For example: are you gender-literate, do you understand the financial upside of exploring gender or do you “homogenise” gender and therefore miss out on market share opportunity? It explores why women may currently ignore your brand – […]

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More and more, messages of inclusivity, diversity and empowerment aimed at women are becoming a core part of a brand’s marketing communication. That’s great, except these token messages continue to reinforce business’s biggest blind spot: women are a powerhouse economy that could maximise profits, push internal innovation, and provide what we all want – competitive […]

Amongst the sea of creatives brandishing words like ‘disruptor’ around, there’s one simple way to innovate that Australian businesses appear to be missing: shifting their perception of gender. Bec Brideson explains. “I just finished reading (and watching) Mark Ritson’s dissection of digital metrics and what can I say? He hits the nail on the head […]

In a guest post at B&T, Bec Brideson says there’s too much talk about the gender divide across Australian businesses and it’s time for action, not words…

Don’t miss this inspiring podcast by Natalie Hughes, founder of missindependent.com.au  

Bed Brideson, Advisor, Speaker and Author, is sitting on the Cannes Glass Lions jury. Brideson is writing exclusively for Campaign Brief. The default settings in advertising can change the world. Before I leave, my favourite piece of work entered into the Glass Awards proving that understanding and gender in marketing is a potent lens and […]

Bed Brideson, Advisor, Speaker and Author, is sitting on the Cannes Glass Lions jury. Brideson is writing exclusively for Campaign Brief. The 90’s called – they want their sexism back. You won’t find me in the photo that AdAge ran this article with. I was really hoping we’d lose the dick jokes. See last article. […]

Bec Brideson, Advisor, Speaker and Author, is representing Australia on the Cannes Glass Lions jury. Brideson, along with most of the other Australian and NZ jurors write exclusively for CB. Not a dick joke or old-lensed cliché of a woman in sight…Day Two and Three Just great work, gender-clever ideas and brave brands willing to […]

Bec Brideson, Advisor, Speaker and Author, is representing Australia on the Cannes Glass Lions jury. Brideson, along with most of the other Australian and NZ jurors write exclusively for CB. Change has been slow in an industry full of fast people… Two years ago when the first ever Glass Lion of 2015 was awarded, I […]

Fun fact: I transferred between nine different schools in my twelve years of school. It almost did my head in. I cried to my parents every time I found out we were moving again. I’d settled into my new house. I’d made friends. I finally felt comfortable and confident. But unfair as it was, up […]

Apparently one dog year does not equal seven human years. Turns out it depends on the size and breed of the dog. Also, people do not lose heat faster through their heads, and fortune cookies are not a Chinese invention but in fact Japanese-American that was adopted by China. And, alt-facts are in fact, not alternative […]

You drove straight past; we were left under the tiny eave of the building, waving our arms, screaming out after you in the rain. We tried calling but there was no connection. Or you simply didn’t answer. And like our relationship with so many brands – we remain invisible to you. Did we feel unrecognised? […]

A lovely chat with the wonderful Paul Gardner and his substitute co-star Miranda Devine on the big changes happening for women in sport for 2AW/3GB.

But there’s still something missing… There is often confusion when I talk to brands about the female economy – it gets confused with “gender diversity” rather than understood as a massive growth opportunity for business. Business is not alone in their grappling to understand the delineation, because women as consumers are also pretty confused about […]

Finally. I’ve bought a new car. It’s taken me five months – yes, five long, excruciating months poking about numerous dealerships as an ‘actively’ looking automotive consumer for someone to take my money. Unfortunately, it has all but confirmed my initial reticence to start upon what should have been a much easier purchase process. The […]

Cathy Freeman, Michelle Payne, Moana Hope, Turia Pitt and Lee Lin Chin have joined with the AFL to celebrate the historic first season of the NAB AFL Women’s competition in a powerful advertising campaign launched yesterday. Transforming the iconic 90’s AFL anthem, “I’d like to see that”, the ad also features young surf sensation Sabre […]

In KPMGs 2016 global CEO report, 86% of CEOs cite a lack of time as a barrier to thinking strategically about the forces of disruption in business. 88% are concerned about loyalty with existing consumers, and 89% are confident that they can succeed in transforming their company. Here’s 4 ways you can help your business […]

In this Mumbrella360 presentation, two Australian experts in advertising discuss how targeting both sexes can pay off for everyone when it comes to ROI and engagement. Curated by Bec Brideson, marketing-to-women specialist, and presented by Anne Rayner, global head of communications and research at TNS, this seminar provides scientific evidence for why we need to market differently to […]

It starts with women. Marketing expert Bec Brideson urges businesses to change up old habits and appreciate the value of women as employees, customers and brand advocates.  In KPMGs 2016 global CEO report, 86% of CEOs cited a lack of time as a barrier to thinking strategically about the forces of disruption in business. Eighty […]

HOW CAN YOU GET YOUR SHARE OF WOMEN? For Trump to truly make a stronger economy, here are some facts about women’s purses he should be thinking about 'grabbing' instead: Women’s economic spend is more than 80% of the world's consumer economy and women are fast adapters of the emerging world of technology with 80% of [...]

Just back from the 5th annual 3% Conference – a festival championing female talent and leadership – Bec Brideson shares her insights from the event. The 3% Conference was founded by Kat Gordon, a creative who started her own agency, and later began the 3% Conference back in 2011. She’s an infectiously positive and productive woman […]

In this guest post, Bec Brideson looks back on the 12 months since Cindy Gallop returned gender diversity in adland Australia to the public forum… Do you feel that? The winds of diversity are blowing us swiftly from simply talking about it to giving it a fucking go. Honest, accountable conversations are happening around diversity […]

It’s no wonder that 91% of women still say they feel misunderstood by marketers, with the ever-present old-stereotypes of women saturating the thinking of today. There’s no doubt about it, breaking through the traditionally masculine world-view of marketing is unchartered territory and whilst tackling gender-diversity can be part of the solution, it is not the […]

With the media under fire for how it speaks of female athletes at Rio Olympics, we take a look at how major sports brands talk to women. Read here. “Perhaps that’s the only way to not fall prey to the trappings of fempowertising. Start by not giving us pinked-up kicks, unless we want them, of […]

Have you ever wondered if your brand and or brand communications are creating a barrier to more customer growth? They probably are. These days, offering up any stereotypes of women and ill-conceived clichés that miss the mark or insult women will get you that result. Perpetuating product misses and not providing the right solutions for […]

Ah yes, the tricky and nuanced world of getting your gender segment strategy right. You can’t pinkify your product and you certainly can’t put your faith in a collaboration with a publishing house thinking it will solve your marketing problems for you like SEAT did with Cosmopolitan recently in the UK. Imagine if Toyota took their […]

I joined a panel on ABC’s The Ticket to discuss the issues around the launch of AFL’s womens league where I was joined by journalist Erin Riley, Nielsen Sport MD Guy Port and AFL GM Game and Marketing Development Simon Lethlean. Listen here.

Women, they are an economic force with a lot of value attached to them. They are more than a rich vein of money, they can turn into the best and most loyal of brand advocates too. Better to keep them satisfied for life, than have to constantly acquire them. Lately, I’ve met a load of […]

There is a difference between “knowing your audience” and knowingyour audience. The Bonds Father’s Day ad is an entertaining comedy skit. The tension and timing is beautifully established, the casting is great (albeit very white-males) and some of the jokes are kinda funny. Kinda. And therein lies the rub. It has a “jock-ular” and light-hearted premise; a group of near-naked […]

Women are leading businesses, boards and the governments of countries, thanks to the incredible transformation of women’s roles in society and the workplace. Women are also increasingly important customers. Smart brands are waking up to the rise of women power, but it’s not happening fast enough. Microsoft’s ‘Brilliant Bus’ ad in Super Bowl XLIX. Credit: […]

The female economic opportunity makes sense when you examine the figures from the likes of Boston Consulting, read the countless articles about why, and especially when you do the math and apply it to most businesses. Women are making the decisions, spending the ca$$$$h, and are a more engaged audience as proven by research. And […]

Workplaces, brands and media that ignore the needs, financial prowess and buying power of women do so at their own peril, writes Bec Brideson. Much business strategy has been modelled on texts like Sun Tzu’s Art of War. But perhaps this really is our moment to reframe the discussion as John Gerzema, and award-winning author, […]

Listen to my episode of The CMO Show where I share insights about marketing to women and why we’re all getting it wrong and the continual huge gender gaps in the marketing that are not only affecting potential job opportunities, campaign creation, talent retention but also our overall business profit and business goals detrimentally.  

Women are predicted to control 75% of discretionary spending globally and it’s just over a decade away. The pundits have been predicting this a long way out and now, as found by an MBA from UNC’s executive program here, the scales are/have and will  tip. What does this mean for business? With women out-earning, out-spending and out-living […]

Smart Company contacted me to comment on the Sydney’s ad agency Banjo recruitment scandal. Read the full article here. The article was written by Dominic Powell. “Bec Brideson, diversity advocate and the founder of Global Marketing Women, told SmartCompany the widespread use of social media means “more and more” of these situations are likely to be made public. […]

Last week Kevin Roberts shoved his foot in his mouth when he proclaimed that the gender debate was over in the ad industry. His contention continued that Cindy Gallop was somehow using the subject to create attention for herself rather than altruistically champion its relevance in our future. I wonder, does he think that the […]

Suspended Saatchi & Saatchi boss Kevin Roberts can come back from his comments about women not wanting top management roles by owning his error publicly, argues Bec Brideson. Last week Kevin Roberts shoved his foot in his mouth when he proclaimed that the gender debate was over in the ad industry. His contention continued that […]

Diversity in marketing communications has come a long way in some respects, and yet… not. Susi Banks attended Ad:tech Australia recently to seek the wisdom of experts in marketing to women, over-50s, the Jewish community, and LGBTI audiences. In Australia the over-50s currently spend $200 billion per year. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex […]

When Medibank wanted to sell its message that health insurance could be tailored to individual needs, the marketing team decided to use real people in real situations instead of actors. This meant steering clear of the white, nuclear family and looking for people who represented Australia today. One in three people in Sydney speak a […]

Money talks, and women control a LOT of it. Last week ad-land veteran Bec Brideson delivered a presentation on what is one of the most important issues confronting businesses, especially their marketing teams: women are the future, the statistics prove it. As Brideson outlined, women now make up 85% of purchasing decisions and control at least $28 trillion […]

Advertising exec Bec Brideson and women’s mentoring group MissCollective have joined forces to launch a female empowerment workshop which aims to help women climb the ladder. The #LikeABoss workshop will take place in Melbourne and will see Brideson uncover how to break the glass ceiling in advertising through her personal anecdotes and insights. The two […]

In this guest post, female marketing specialist Bec Brideson (pictured below) says Mother’s Day isn’t all breakfast in bed, but, rather, it should be a perfect opportunity for marketers regardless of what they’re flogging… Mother’s have a powerful influence over their families. With a job description matching the Ministers for Health, Education, Tourism, Finance and […]

Bec Brideson is teaming up with start-up Miss Collective on a new series of female empowerment workshops. Titled #LikeABoss, these workshops will set out to nurture and assist young women into leadership positions within the male-dominated communications and creative fields. Brideson wants to see more women on top who are recognised and respected. Her campaign […]

Advertising’s marketing-to-women authority Bec Brideson is teaming up with start-up Miss Collective on a new series of female empowerment workshops. Titled #LikeABoss, these workshops will set out to nurture and assist young women into leadership positions within the still male-dominated communications and creative fields. Brideson, one of only 3% of female creative directors in her […]

In the late 90s Bec Brideson’s advertising career was flourishing. Her bright success was overshadowed by one thing, a lack of women at her level, being one of 3% of creative directors in Australia. After a handful of years working on large and iconic brands, including the launch of Virgin Airlines into Australia in 2000, […]

As females continue obtain more wealth, own more businesses, and dominate purchasing decisions, Bec Brideson tells us it’s time to acknowledge that women can make or break a brand. You know those two signs that tell you which bathroom you should use? They exist because men and women have different genitals, not because someone was […]

In this guest column, Bec Brideson weighs in on the fight between Maurice Levy and Sir Martin Sorrell on the issue of sexism in adland. The past few years have seen surprising facts come to light about some once-revered people. There was Rolf Harris guilty of abusing his celebrity, there’s ‘America’s Dad’ Bill Cosby getting found out […]

Whether implied or overt, sexual remarks or advances at work from clients, colleagues or even managers are completely inappropriate and you have every right to record and report any scenario where you do not feel safe or uneasy. Regardless of whether a boss, a client or any senior or junior staff member behaves this way […]

Femvertising is rocking it right now. It beholds revelatory injustices and inequalities as a platform on which brands can get attention and engage their female audiences. They strive to stand apart from their less enlightened competitors and become category leaders in driving change that makes this a world women want to live in. In doing […]

Marketing to women – understanding what makes them tick as consumers and how communication addresses their desires, needs and concerns is changing, but it will need to change fast to keep up with growing economic power of the world’s females. It’s time to step beyond femvertising, Nicola Riches reports. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) projects that […]

For Bec Brideson, Indian washing detergent brand Ariel’s latest campaign is one which effectively targets males and females, and leaves behind outdated notions of gender roles and demonstrations so common in laundry product advertising. There isn’t a stain-removing computer animated graphic demonstration in sight in this ad from Indian washing detergent brand Ariel. And yet, […]

The continued rhetoric about women in adland and the rejection of the boy’s club has been the zeitgeist lately. Less talk and more action might help because those beating their chests about it are as guilty as those who are staying silent. Chins up – it’s not all bad news! Over the last few years […]

Bec Brideson is, quite frankly, one of the most ambitious people we’ve ever met. When she started out in the industry 25 years ago, she wrote herself a marketing plan for her career. Years later, she’s been the Creative Lead for top tier agencies; worked internationally; launched her own agency and created a global network of agenciesthat […]

These days, there seem to be a lot of celebratory ‘days’. The idea of branding a date and asking people to get involved seems to have hit fever pitch, with many companies annualising their participation of what was once a less-branded affair. For instance, Australia Day is now a really big deal for brands, whereas […]

Listen up as I discuss the issue of ‘Femvertising’ with Steve Price and Paul Gardner on Nights with Steve Price, aired 22nd Feb, 2016.

  This century, the economic clout of women is going to change the way businesses and brands operate. One word you’ll hear more often is ‘Womenomics’, which describes the shifting approach to the value of women not just in the workforce but also in the massive shift in financial power. Women’s total aggregated rate of […]

In this guest post for Mumbrella, Bec Brideson argues unconscious biases in the ad industry will not change until people start to take the conversation seriously. Invisible privilege and sexism is all around us, but not more so than in the advertising industry. When the Mumbrella editorial team decided to call M&C Saatchi and their choice […]

In this guest post Bec Brideson explains how women are moving to start their own agencies founded on different principles to traditional shops. It started when a seemingly innocent PR announcement in a string of new hiring’s stirred up a hornets nest, which went global with global industry heavyweight Cindy Gallup’s tweets; then became the […]

In this guest post for Ad News, Bec Brideson talks about the importance of recognising the growing value of the female market.  If only I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this commentary, “What do you mean marketing to women? We’ve been marketing to women since Kellogg’s has been selling cornflakes”. And this, […]

A special report from Ad News from September, 2015. We have reposted the parts with Bec Brideson. “According to Venus Communications’ research arm, Venus Lab, 75% of women conduct equal or more car research than their partner. Venus director Bec Brideson says automotive ads aren’t necessarily masculine and she has seen a marked improvement since starting […]

Nancy Hromin is on the ground at Cannes 2015 and just witnessed Aussie Bec Brideson’s (pictured below) presentation at the Glass Awards which recognise gender neutrality and the positive portrayal of women in advertising and had no Australian agency shortlisted. Here’s Hromin’s view of the event… Written by NANCY HROMIN Bec Brideson launched Venus Comms […]

Today’s Women In Media exposé gives the proverbial blowtorch to none other than founder and director of women’s communications business Venus Comms’ Bec Brideson. Here, Brideson talks her industry heroines, why she loves the ads more than the shows, and her Jive talkin’ ability… What or who inspired you to go into the industry? The 70s […]

In this guest post for Marketing Magazine UK, Bec talks about how to make agencies smarter about today’s powerful, trillion-dollar-consumer – women.  In case you missed the past decade, women control more than 80% of discretionary spending and are the world’s fastest-growing consumer economy. Last year they were predicted to be worth $28 trillion… From […]