Did March 8th go from being a cause to a creative resource? An uncomfortable question, but one worth asking.
At some point, March 8th ceased to be just a day for reflection and became an opportunity for the industry. It shifts budgets, generates conversation, and activates campaigns.
Advertising works like this. It takes what’s happening in society and translates it into messages, pieces, and concepts. When we talk about March 8th, this logic creates a tension that’s hard to ignore.
When a social cause enters the logic of brands, the question arises: are we amplifying a necessary conversation or finding a new creative resource? Probably both things happen at the same time.
Brands are part of the culture, and it’s logical that they engage with current events. The problem arises when that engagement becomes merely a tool.
Metrics also come into play in this process. Today we measure social impact, engagement, and conversation. And often these metrics end up guiding decisions. But when we talk about issues like March 8th, the important question isn’t how much noise we generate that day, but rather what place that conversation truly occupies within an organization’s culture.
And that’s where something deeper comes into play: who makes those decisions and from what experiences.
I work at a women-led agency and I’m often asked if that should be an attribute or if, at some point, it should cease to be relevant.
I think both things coexist. Talent has no gender, nor does character. But career paths are indeed shaped by different experiences.
Many women grew up knowing that we had to prove ourselves a little more to earn our place. And that experience also shapes character, perspective, and leadership.
There are also realities that rarely appear in PowerPoint presentations in the corporate world, but that are also part of the experience of many women: leading teams while supporting a household, going through complex hormonal moments, or putting their bodies on the line to give life while still responding on all fronts.
That also builds leadership.
Personally, I never felt that being a woman hindered my leadership. I have character, vision, and a talent for organizing ideas and processes. Someone may have underestimated me on occasion. They were few and far between, and I didn’t give them any importance.
I also don’t like it when March 8th becomes an empty political banner. But I do like the gesture, the recognition. I find it humane.
That’s why, for me, it’s important to pay attention to what brands say … and whether that aligns with what they do the rest of the year.
Because when there’s coherence, the conversation is worthwhile. And when there isn’t, it shows.
Perhaps the challenge for those of us who lead teams or brands is not thinking about what to say on March 8th, but what decisions we are making the rest of the year.