Media Companies Join Women's Day With 'Not There' Campaign

Over the weekend, a wide range of media companies and advertisers contributed advertising time and space to help celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8 and raise awareness of the issues faced by women around the world. Messages are appearing online, on radio and in out-of-home ads, among others.

Many of them supported the Clinton Foundation’s “No Ceilings” event for International Women’s Day by participating in its “Not There” campaign, conceived by Droga5. The campaign removed women from ads and editorial content to symbolically highlight the impact when women are socially excluded or marginalized.

These messages pointed readers and listeners to the dedicated Web site for the initiative, Not-there.org -- where female celebrities, including Amy Poehler and Cameron Diaz, explain what the initiative is about.

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In the magazine world, Conde Nast titles participating include Vogue, Glamour and W. Vogue posted a collection of its most iconic covers with their female subjects removed, so that they appeared to have been cut out with scissors, leaving a white space emblazoned with the words “not-there.org” in small red font.

Glamour posted a photo showing its March issue with Dakota Johnson removed, leaving “50 Shades of Grey” co-star Jamie Dornan bereft, while W showed its March cover without Scarlett Johannson.

Radio stations owned by the nation’s largest radio broadcaster, iHeartMedia, participated by playing clips of famous songs with female vocalists removed, with audio messages promoting the Not-there.org Web site. Sister company Clear Channel Outdoor temporarily removed women from some of its signs in Times Square and other high-profile locations throughout New York City.

Among major advertisers, Unilever’s Dove brand -- already known for its ongoing Real Beauty campaign -- joined the “Not There” campaign by temporarily removing women from outdoor ads (including some carrying on the Real Beauty theme). Other brands and organizations participating in the “Not There” campaign included TRESemmé, Under Armour, Kate Spade, and the New York City Ballet.

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