Brands
In celebration of International
Women’s Day which held on the 8th of March, female employees in leading
Lagos agency - X3M Ideas unveiled a new campaign that addresses workplace
gender bias.
Explaining the
rationale for the XX Takeover, Adenike Odutola of X3M Ideas and coordinator of
the project, explains that the ‘XX’ in XX takeover was inspired by the female sex
chromosome. The initiative itself, aims to address the gender bias women face
in the workplace and also show women support by letting them know we believe in
their abilities.
As part of the
agency’s contribution to ending gender inequality in the workplace, the XX
Takeover team went this route because they identified gender bias not only in the
advertising industry, but generally in the workplace. “We wanted to make a bold statement that
showed that women are capable of more if given equal opportunities. So for one
day, all the female employees took over management roles and ran the office
smoothly. It was such a huge
success and it was realized that it could be so much
bigger if other organisations buy into the idea”, the Coordinator explains.
Beyond
the XX takeover activation, X3M also deployed thought provoking communication
materials through traditional and digital media platforms in a bid to keep the
issue on the front burners of discussions.
One of the
materialsaddresses the pregnancy discrimination women face at work, due to assumptions
that they are less effective while pregnant. From afar, the copy boldly
announces ‘We Are Downsizing’ but on
a closer look, cleverly placed text in a smaller size reveal a different
meaning that reads- “WE”are letting
you go because you are pregnant, no hard feelings but you“ARE”not going to be able to carry out your duties effectively, so
since we are“DOWNSIZING” you are an
easy choice for getting the axe’.
Another material
tagged “I Like You”also looks
ordinary but when one reads between the lines, you come face to face with the
ugly but common place incidences of “sex for roles or positions in organizations.
All the materials end with a reality check line claiming, “Workplace discrimination might be subtle but it’s there”.
Speaking further
on the activation, Adenike says “This
simple gesture was our way of showing we believe in the ability of our women
and we recognize that gender inequality in the workplace is not just a ‘women’s
issue’ but ‘everyone’s issue’.
To
be part of the campaign which runs throughout the month of March, the Co-ordinator
discloses that interested companies can simply pick any day within this month
of March and let the women in their organisations take up management positions
for that day. She further encourages that “XX Takeover” activities should be recorded
and shared on social media with the hashtag -#XXtakeover and #BeBoldForChange. Join
the conversation today and be bold for change, she enthuses.
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