The backlash against gender equality is in full swing. An uncomfortable truth which goes some way in explaining why the corporate theme for IWD ‘give to gain’ has cut through more than the official theme from UN Women: ‘Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.’

The marketing industry may have come some way from the pink it and shrink it attitude of the nineties. Yet while the days of Heat magazine featuring a ‘circle of shame’ on women’s bodies on their front cover are thankfully over, social media has ushered in a new age of comparison and despair at scale. 

There may not be an algorithm for creativity, but one certainly exists to ensure women remember that simply existing in their own bodies is a crime in itself. 

International Women’s Day comes at a defining moment for the creative industries. As women call time on brands and products built on women being increasingly dissatisfied with themselves, are we finally waking up to the realisation that women are not the problem? 

With this disconnect in mind, we asked industry experts how to ensure that International Women’s Day isn’t just performative marketing.

I always know when the IWD is approaching. Campaigns appear filled with promises of equality and endless ‘empowerment’. And then soon after, business as usual. Except IWD should never be seen as just one day. But a reminder of how far we have come as an industry, and how far we still have to go.

Women control 85% of spending decisions, totalling $20trn. And yet, 66% say they still don’t feel understood by marketing. This year’s IWD theme, ‘Give to Gain’ provides a strong mandate to finally change this, once and for all. It demands real, active proof of exactly how brands are championing real women to achieve more. Not relying on passive pledges to donate ‘xx% of sales’, but showing how women are emphasised at every point of the experience: from product design, to comms, to mentorship programs, to real-time, adaptive points of view on topical issues - see Dove’s Keep Beauty Real AI playbook.

Making IWD not just a mark in the calendar, but a 365-day reality.

There’s a familiar moment every February when the International Women's Day brainstorm kicks off and the question isn’t “what needs fixing?” but “what can we post?”

International Women’s Day has become a visibility moment, but visibility is not the same as impact. Shamefully, the industry STILL tends to treat the day as a campaign brief rather than a behaviour audit. Louder creative is easy. Adding a splash of purple is simple, quick and cheap. It pains me to have to write this again AND AGAIN - but if I have to I will. It would be far more meaningful to ask whether the brand’s everyday decisions genuinely support women when the spotlight isn’t on...

If “give to gain” is to avoid feeling performative, the giving has to be structural. By which I mean we need to be examining hiring practices, pay equity, supply chains, investment choices, product design and customer service policies. And not just in March.

Strong representation should be about normalising women’s complexity, ambition and authority consistently. The good guys (the ones that don't go for big heroic gestures once a year but are instead building real cultural impact) start with clarity about what they stand for and ensure their behaviour matches their messaging. When belief and behaviour align, the work speaks for itself.

At the heart of IWD is the fight for gender equality. This is a fundamental human right, so whilst what and how we commute on behalf of our clients is important, what’s more important is both agencies and clients walking the walk when it comes to their own sphere of influence.  Because if the latter isn’t in place, how can what’s produced be truly authentic? 

When it comes to employment, the key indicators of gender equality are equal pay and equal promotion prospects. So how do agencies stack up?  The 2025 IPA census showed positive movement, but agencies still fall behind the UK norm.  The agency's gender pay gap is 19.5%, according to the ONS, the UK-wide gender pay gap for the same period was 6.9%, this is a pretty shocking difference.  However, when it comes to promotion prospects, things look better: 40.8% of the agency C-suite are women vs 23% across the FTSE 100*. 

So whilst agencies have some way to go to create the change IWD champions, they’re moving in the right direction.  Hopefully, the momentum will continue to build, and who knows, maybe agencies will also have the confidence to ask the same of the companies they work with and for, too.

*This is based on the research of 25x25 and is based on chief financial officers, chief operating officers, divisional bosses and CEOs.

While we gear up for IWD, I’ve always felt that successful brands aren't those that appear through a viral campaign. Far from it. Success is reaching a point where we don’t actually need a specific day to remind us of equity. In a truly progressive world, it would simply be our default setting, a given for growth and innovation, not a cause we celebrate once a year.

Until we get there, the 2026 theme “Give to Gain” should be a bridge, not a slogan. To avoid the performative trap, we have to close the gap between what we promise and how we actually live behind the scenes. If a brand only speaks up in March, it isn't a commitment; it’s just a guest appearance. At Saffron, we believe a brand’s reputation is earned through how it behaves year-round, not only on March 8th.

This isn't just about doing the right thing; it's about being better at what we do. The data is clear: companies with diverse leadership see 19% higher innovation revenue. Equity is a proven growth engine. We see this in brands like Salesforce, which has spent over $100 million in the last decade on constant pay audits to close the gap globally, or Unilever, which made 50/50 gender balance a core business KPI years ago.

When you treat equity as a year-round way of working, you’re building a business that is finally fit for the future.