Unspoken Rules of the Creative Game: Insights to Shape the Next Generation from Top Advertising Creative Women

Abstract

This study addresses gender issues in advertising creative departments and defines some of the unspoken rules in the creative game. Based on the interviews of twenty top creative women from the United States and Canada, the study focuses on the work creative women do, how they do it, and the environment in which they work. Content analysis of in-depth interviews led to the emergence of four thematic categories: the business, about personality, the work, and being female. Ultimately, knowing the unspoken rules will help prepare future generations of advertising creatives for the challenges that lie ahead. For women, knowledge of these rules is of paramount importance, as the highly masculine creative environment influences all aspects of a creative's career trajectory from hiring to promotion.