It’s probably time I revealed my plan. It’ll need to expand exponentially from these humble beginnings but at least I have a start. Last month, after a week at TED, I managed to tear an idea from my head. I am going to compile a dream team of PR and agency gurus of both genders and invite them to devise a global advertising campaign - fictitious, but who knows where it might lead - to rebrand the F word (that's feminism for short).
The endgame of the campaign will be to convince companies that parity equals profits - having fairer representation by women will help a company's bottom line. This dream team of extraordinary spin-doctors will get twenty minutes to pitch their ideas to a roomful of business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland this coming January. Once they’re done, a panel of powerful, ruthless and witty women will interrogate their ideas before the audience too has a go. This unconventional little mission will be filmed and, all going well, if the end result is good enough, a half-hour special about it will air next year on CNBC in EMEA and APAC and stream on CNBC.com. Nobody will actually be paying for a global campaign to rebrand the f word next year, it's just an exercise to get some great ideas, but maybe if the ideas are interesting enough, someone might pick them up.
This is all thanks to the World Economic Forum and a delegate who may not wish to be named since her own gender parity project is yet to be launched. I met her in Davos last year where I was televising a debate for CNBC. She described her commitment to gender equality and I was inspired but couldn't immediately think of a sensible way to be a rebel for the cause. It was 3am, in the Davos piano bar, a drink-spilling oasis of zero inhibitions and I’d had two hours sleep for too many nights so was all emotion and good intentions with no clues. (It happens the fourth or fifth night of every WEF event. I grow desperate to unlock the hero within.)
I wanted to challenge myself to do something about the fact that on the one hand, I resented gender inequality and on the other, I cringed at feminist stereotypes overly worthy women. I figured if I could create an opportunity to inspire change, even teeny tiny change, through skilfully packaged content and a clever idea, this would be one small thing I could do and personally get satisfaction from. And I started mulling... eventually coming up with this little project.
I asked WEF’s gender parity team and the woman who inspired me if they would support a debate at Davos that used a playful concept to deliver a critical message on gender inequality and this week they officially agreed so that has given me a base. But it's just a starting place. I want to grow it from there and you'll be able to read about whether I achieve that right here. This is the official diary of the rebranding campaign. Watch this space.
