On May 14, 2018, women from ad agencies across the Twin Cities gathered at Colle McVoy to show their support for the TIME’S UP/ADVERTISING movement. The event was part of the movement’s launch when community meetings took place in 15 cities across North America to begin drawing a roadmap for real change. Here is a recap of highlights and learnings from the TIME’S UP/ADVERTISING Minneapolis event.

2. Minneapolis
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
- Margaret Mead

3. May 14, 2018
• Colle McVoy
• Nearly 300 women
• 40 agencies represented
• 4 panel participants
• 18 discussion groups
• Two-phase meeting, including a panel and breakout
sessions
• Minneapolis drafted its own letter in support of the
movement, signed by attendees
Minneapolis

4. 3 Pillars for Panel Discussion & Breakout Sessions
1. 2. 3.
Outdated and/or biased HR
policies and procedures
Lack of representation in our
agencies
Lack of open conversation,
training and education
Minneapolis

5. PANEL DISCUSSIONS

6. What We Wanted to Know
Outdated and/or biased HR
policies and procedures
Lack of representation in our
agencies
Lack of open conversation,
training and education
• What HR policies does your agency need to
fix?
• What’s been working at your agency so far?
• What does mentorship look like at your
agency?
• Are these problems of recruitment?
Retention?
• How do we fight fatigue for
underrepresented groups?
• It’s easy to spot blatant offenses, but how do
we address them?
• How do we recognize the fear men have of
women speaking up, and use it as a teaching
opportunity?
• How are women treated and viewed in other
areas of the country?
Part one of the day involved a panel discussion. Four women shared their thoughts and experiences related to company policies, solutions for issues surrounding diversity in the industry
and opportunities for education, training and open conversation. The audience was quiet but thoughtful while listening to the speakers.
Minneapolis

7. What We Heard
Bringing in diverse groups
starts with leadership
Invite the “good guys” into the
conversation, and set the
standard with them
Let me define what powerful
looks like in my future
• Women recognized that our community
does a poor job of hiring women of color.
• We are comfortable with people who look
like us and have similar backgrounds. We
need to bring in leaders who reflect people
of all backgrounds.
• We need to bring men into the conversation.
Many want to be advocates, but don’t
understand the issues.
• Retaining good men and holding them up as
the standard is critical for change.
• Hold men accountable for being one of the
“good guys,” and make it clear what that
means.
• Women are powerful in ways different from
men. Change involves shaping a new world
order. We need to recognize that traits like
empathy are powerful.
• We need to actively listen to women,
especially young women, to understand what
needs to change. What does change look like
for young talent?
Panel members and attendees noted the need for leadership to reflect the diversity we want to create in the industry, particularly related to women of color. The need to bring men into
the conversation was a common theme. There was also a recognition that young voices in the industry matter when defining its future, so actively listening to them is key.
Minneapolis

8. BREAKOUT SESSIONS

9. What We Wanted to Know
Part two of the day involved breakout sessions. Eighteen groups of women discussed their takeaways from the panel, their own experiences in the industry and solutions to the issues
we’re facing in advertising today.
Points that stood out and hit
home from the panel
HR policies and company
culture in and out of
advertising
Mentorship programs and
internal education
• Were there points that resonated or
surprised you?
• Are there solutions that came to mind that
can be applied now?
• What specific HR policies need to change?
• What are some examples of companies
doing it right?
• How can we bring in diverse groups and
foster growth?
• How can we create educational opportunities
and training around diversity, inclusion and
awareness?
Minneapolis

10. What We Heard
Groups were passionate about the need for day-to-day actions to reflect the changes we want to see. Women talked about the need for advocates within their agencies, agency values overall
and the implementation of more mentorship opportunities for women at all levels.
Show me that you have my
back
It’s not just about HR; show
me what my agency stands
for and believes
• Policies are important, but day-to-day values
and behaviors mean more.
• Structure agency core values around
inclusion and integrity.
• Actively coach employees on recognizing
signs of harassment and give them
opportunities to come forward.
Connect me with women who
can raise me up
• Women feel isolated. Both inside and outside of
mentorship programs, women need exposure
to other women they feel comfortable talking
to.
• Make the agency a safe space for women to
have “tough conversations.”
• “Minnesota nice” has real implications. There is
a need to teach women how to stand up for
themselves.
• Leadership has a responsibility to advocate
for women with a story. People want to be
unafraid to speak up, knowing that they will
be supported.
• Even if it puts the bottom line at risk, show
that the agency advocates for women, even
in client-facing situations.
• There is a need for women to support other
women at a peer level
Minneapolis

11. When talking about diversity, women recognized the role of unconscious bias, even in themselves. Our own biases have prevented us from seeking out and fostering talent from different
backgrounds. Groups also discussed the policies that have been set for women taking maternity leave, and the need for transparency around salary.
What We Heard
Recognize unconscious
biases that exist in my
workplace
Fish where the fish are, not
just where we are
• We need help recognizing what we’ve come
to view as “normal” behavior. Workshops
and open conversations were provided as
potential solutions.
• We need to implement unconscious bias
training opportunities within the agency for
men and women.
Help me see my equal value,
as a parent and an asset
• We need to recognize barriers to entry
that exist within our industry and work to
hire beyond “friends of friends.”
• There are opportunities to invite diverse
groups into the agency community,
especially young talent. Supporting
organizations like BrandLab (local) is a
must.
• Clients like Adobe and General Mills have
great parental leave policies. They are
good examples of how it should be.
• There needs to be more transparency
around salary. Women don’t know how
much we should be paid and are afraid to
ask.
Minneapolis

12. Learnings for the Next Session
• Be clear about who is invited in our communications, but do not turn anyone away (men, in particular).
• Hold the meeting in a larger, more public venue.
• We stayed as close to the TU/A event flow as possible, but in the future we’ll consider our community’s individual needs. There was lots of confusion about how the NYC feed
should be used. We did not have enough time for local activation.
• Allow more time for women to discuss personal stories and share with each other. The small groups were effective for open communication.
• We will keep the discussion more targeted to a specific topic (rather than three) so people can provide clear feedback.
• We need to consider accountability/measurement/tracking progress.
• We should think about how we can partner with other local organizations.
Minneapolis

13. Action Items for Minneapolis Market
• Receive overall survey information from TU/A national, as well as specific survey results for Minneapolis to inform our next steps/areas of focus.
• Based on this feedback, define the key issues that women in our market said need to be addressed first.
• Partner with local organizations (i.e. Mpls MadWomen, 4A’s, AdFed) who can help execute on our mission.
• Host a follow-up community meeting this summer to:
- Share out launch event and survey feedback
- Present the issues we will address first and how
- Request nominations to build a local steering committee made up of people from across the local ad industry
- Determine how best to identify and bring “manbassadors” (men how have demonstrated commitment to our mission) in to the discussion and action plan
Minneapolis

15. Breakout Session Questions
1. What were some of the most interesting and eye-opening points that resonated with you today?
2. Was there anything from the discussion that sparked an idea or potential solution to help us overcome?
3. In your opinion, what are the most outdated/biased HR policies and procedures our industry is facing?
4. How might we overcome such policies?
5. Have you seen other companies or industries make progress in this area? If so, who? How?
6. As we think about the need to mentor people representing diversity, what might an ideal program look like? Have you been involved in any programs that could
be replicated?
7. As you look back on your career, can you think of a training or education session (on any topic) that was memorable? Why? How might we apply those lessons to
a new kind of education or training around the lack of diversity and inclusive culture?
8. Any interesting ideas on how the Minneapolis advertising community could come together to raise awareness and implement solutions?
Minneapolis