DDB Worldwide Celebrates 2016 International Women’s Day with a “Gender Blackout”

In celebration of 2016 International Women's Day (IWD), DDB Worldwide, part of Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC), announced today the launch of “Talent Has No Gender,” a social campaign and call-to-action that further supports DDB’s commitment promoting gender equality at DDB and throughout the advertising industry. 

With “Talent Has No Gender,” DDB Worldwide is encouraging everyone in its its 2,000+ employee network to change their profile pictures and abbreviate their gender-defining first names on LinkedIn to appear genderless. When people upload the new image and name, their account will post an update to the timeline of every one of their connections, encouraging others to get involved by visiting TalentHasNoGender.com. The multiplatform execution also appears on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

“At DDB our highest metric of success is recruitment and retention of talented people who, in turn, fuel our clients' businesses with their thinking and work,” said Wendy Clark, President and Chief Executive Officer of DDB North America. “Today, on International Women’s Day, we have the opportunity to further that belief across the DDB network and the industry at large. Our goal is to recognize pure talent in our industry and take gender out of the equation.” 

The “Talent Has No Gender” website will include a video featuring male and female leaders, clients and partners across the DDB Network – including EVP of the 4A’s Diversity & Inclusion Strategy and Talent Development Singleton Beato; founder of the 3% Conference Kat Gordon; Omnicom’s Global Head of Communications, Joanne Trout, and the holding company’s Executive Vice President, Janet Riccio – discussing and defining what talent looks like, how talented people thrive, and lessons learned on inspiring talented people, supporting DDB’s belief that talent depends on many things, but gender isn’t one of them. 

The website will include a “Talent Has No Gender” profile image and upload instructions, as well as a link to purchase “Talent Has No Gender” T-shirts. In addition, the site will be live streaming IWD events across the network, including the OmniWomen CEO panel. A social stream will capture inspirational messages across DDB’s channels and the industry at large using the #TalentHasNoGender hashtag. 

Lastly, DDB will be kicking off an “Unconscious Bias” training program with an initial focus on its most senior leaders and those in a position to hire across North America. Serving as a foundational pillar for its diversity and inclusion strategy, DDB has plans to offer all employees in-person training opportunities supported by e-learning tools to mitigate bias and raise awareness.