FOLLOW US
March 8, 2021 | Authored By
In the “before times,” when we used to walk the halls of office buildings, I remember one night coming across a team member of mine as she sat at her desk, looking utterly defeated. She was freshly returned from maternity leave; she had overcome a battle with cancer. She was struggling to decide what she wanted, what she needed for her future. She asked herself, “Is returning to work a sacrifice I want to make?” “If I leave the workforce, will I forever leave a piece of myself behind, and be forced to live with the regret?”
Today, this woman is still on my team. She is one of the strongest people I work with, and is an important voice of the future for our company as we continue down the long road of gender equality.
How did she get here? How did she move from her desk that night years ago to being an Account Executive today? She had a choice. And she needed a friend, a mentor and a leader to help give her the confidence as well as resources to make it happen. We made the choice to design her own future and create a job share that worked for her and eventually other new mothers. And what worked for her was spending more time at home while continuing her professional career. With added flexibility, persistence and resolve, she chose to make it work.
We have to speak up for the women around us in order to pave the way for the women to come. We have to continue the conversation about flexibility; know when fair is more important than equal. We have to open up doors and break glass ceilings.
Today more than ever, we have to include, celebrate and empower women and diverse voices everywhere. Because we are living through a movement — not a brief moment.
So in honor of International Women’s Day, we are bringing new stories to light – highlighting the powerful, authentic experiences of women and people through partnership, candid conversation, and inspiring creative today, this month, this year, and beyond.
Championing Authentic Stories &
The Beauty of No with Frida Mom and Pure Leaf
I mentioned earlier the road to gender equality. A critical stop on that journey is the accurate, authentic representation of women’s stories in media. And we can get there by linking arms, and raising each other up. Frida Mom and Pure Leaf are two brands elevating these messages, in partnership with NBCUniversal:
A week ago at the Golden Globes, Frida Mom debuted its new line of breast care products during an ad on NBC. Their creative was genuine, and it authentically showed what women can experience early on in motherhood. We collaborated closely on the spot, making sure we captured the joys and challenges so many experience around the world.
We were humbled and honored to air the spot on our network. And its debut was a testament to the ground laid by Linda Yaccarino and the powerful professional women at NBCU who are dedicated to doing the right thing: putting HER story front and center to empower, inspire and educate.
We said YES to Frida Mom. And with our long-time partners at Pure Leaf, we are embracing the power and beauty of NO.
Together, we are reintroducing Pure Leaf‘s iconic “No is Beautiful” campaign, empowering women to step into their strength and have the courage to say NO to the unnecessary obligations in life in order to make time for what matters most.
Through a series of candid conversations across Bravo, E!, and TODAY, as well as highlights on both digital and social, Pure Leaf will remind us that we can change the perception of “no,” and own who we are as women each and every day.
Fostering A Collaborative Space To Amplify All Voices
What takes place inside our walls, is just as important as what happens across our platform. And where transparency leads, transformation follows.
To continue these crucial conversations around gender equality and much more, I am humbled to announce the creation of NBCUniversal Advertising and Partnerships’ Empowerment and Inclusion Council.
At NBCU we know that doing the right thing – doing good for others and our community – is also good for business. But, there’s also not always a clear path. This new council is an open forum and collaborative space for our leading NBCU teams to look around every corner for our partners and present opportunities that will identify, unify, and amplify messages to both celebrate and support women and diverse audiences.
With this council, we are putting the full power of NBCU’s One Platform behind the causes our marketers and viewers care about, and that will make the world better for women, and for everyone.
Continuing the Conversation with
Powerful Voices & Lessons
There is a lot to say about HER story; and every woman has her own story to share. So, in collaboration with The Female Quotient, NBCUniversal is hosting a series of conversations throughout Women’s History Month.
We’re covering everything from navigating the messy middle to spotlighting powerful women in sports. And kicking off today at 11:30am ET, I will be exploring why doing good for women is good for doing business alongside Karla Davis, Vice President of Integrated Marketing & Media at Ulta Beauty; Chelsea Hirschhorn, Founder & CEO at Frida; and Katrina McDonald, Senior Marketing Director at Pepsi Lipton Partnership.
Tune-in and don’t be afraid to share HER story. We can all be the change we want to see.
