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Women and men who work in advertising in Canada need a resource that will support them if they experience sexual harassment, one industry association says.
Next week, the Institute of Communication Agencies, which represents ad agencies in Canada, will convene a meeting to discuss possible measures to deal with the problem, which could include a hotline to provide counselling and even legal advice to people who have experienced harassment.
"We need to take the lead on our industry's long-overdue response," ICA president and chief executive Scott Knox wrote in an e-mail on Tuesday to more than 20 executives and heads of industry associations in Canada representing agencies, marketers, broadcasters and others connected to advertising.
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His call comes amid renewed discussions of sexual harassment following the allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. In the wake of that news, Cindy Gallop, a former advertising executive who advocates on issues such as gender equality, put out a global call to hear from people about their own experiences within the ad industry. In just a few weeks, Ms. Gallop has received more than 150 e-mails.
"I always knew it was bad. I had no idea it was this bad," Ms. Gallop said in an interview with The Globe and Mail last week. "I am appalled by what I'm finding in my inbox."
The industry has voiced expressions of support and created diversity initiatives, Mr. Knox said, but it also needs to take concrete steps to protect people who do not know if they are safe speaking out.
"For all the people who are willing to come forward, there are multiples of that individual who still feel they can't. We must support them," he said. "It might be that people don't feel that they can go to their HR team. They need an independent, external line – professionally run – advising people on how to deal with this."
How to fund such a project, and whether it is the best way to cope with harassment, will be part of the discussion next week, he said. He is also interested in hearing from others in the industry about what measures are needed.
More than half of women in advertising in the United States have experienced sexual harassment (which could include unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks), according to a study conducted last year by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's). The ICA is about to conduct its own survey, which will be sent out to every employee at every agency in its membership, to determine how diverse the Canadian industry is and how many people have experienced workplace harassment.
Tyler Turnbull, CEO of ad agency FCB Canada, wrote in The Globe this week that many people in the industry "have experienced the same sexism, gender discrimination and abuse throughout their careers at the hands of people in power. ... Stories I have read from former colleagues have been infuriating, and range from verbal abuse to recurring sexism, or worse."
Last year, the conversation about sexism in the industry was reignited by a lawsuit filed by Erin Johnson, the global communications officer for ad agency J. Walter Thompson, alleging "an unending stream of racist and sexist comments" by the agency's then-global CEO Gustavo Martinez, which Ms. Johnson said made her job "virtually impossible." Mr. Martinez has denied the claims. The case is ongoing. He resigned from his post at J. Walter Thompson, but still works for holding company WPP Group PLC, according to court filings last month.
People who experience harassment, particularly early in their careers, often feel shame – unsure whether they brought it on themselves, or whether they are overreacting – and fear about speaking up, said Catherine MacLeod, president and CEO of ThinkTV, an association representing Canadian broadcasters. Ms. MacLeod, who experienced harassment early in her own career as a lawyer, responded immediately to Mr. Knox's message.
"Where there are positions of power, you run the risk of having sexual harassment of young men and young women," she said. "I would like to see a zero-tolerance policy adopted by everyone in our industry – media agencies, broadcasters, everybody buys into it and makes it clear that this is not okay. There's an opportunity for all of us to make sure that message gets out."
Susan Krashinsky Robertson