New Paths to Conversations and Culture: The FQ Lounge Beyond SXSW

The FQ Lounge amp8212 now a fixture at conferences from Davos and Cannes to CES and SXSW and a resource for women who are notoriously underrepresented at such shows amp8212 was ready to go virtual even before the official announcement was made that the physical event in Austin would be canceled quotWe had to get out in front of this and be where the people are and be able to bring the conversation to them in a different wayquot said Ronda Carnegie recently named FQ39s chief innovation officer quotEvents coming to a halt don39t mean conversations around equality should stopquotAnd so a full slate of nine presentations continued across several days last week conducted from amp8212 and into amp8212 living rooms and offices across the country via Zoom meetings with online chats and social media extensions Sessions spanned Zalis39s quotUp Leveling You How a Strong Personal Brand Leads to Professional Successquot quotBuilding a Movement to Recruit Female Technologistsquot and quotWhat Women in the Workplace Really WantquotOne interesting aspect of virtual meetings is the humanness imparted by surroundings Each panelist dialed in from her own turf amp8212 some with family photos visible behind them in their living rooms More important there was generally ease and authenticity as if the speakers forgot that this was a onetomany discussion As such panelists candidly shared many powerful opinions and strong perspectives especially during a session that addressed the need for authenticity in storytelling by and about women quotHow Women Storytellers Are Crafting CulturequotSeveral panelists representing different facets of the industry helped illustrate how women are impacting culture through greater diversity in media Kiana Pirouz head of marketing at We Are Rosie shared her quotlightbulb momentquot which happened around the 2016 election As an Iranian American woman she realized that quotit39s incredibly important to own your own narrative and for the other side to listen because so often in media the stories are told about marginalized people amp8212 and womenquot In other words it39s the adage that if you don39t tell your story someone else will Inclusive storytelling starts with the creators in the writers39 room to the production team on the set to the ad messaging in the supporting campaignsPirouz said that creative directors will often hire from within their own circles limiting perspectives and fresh voices quotOur community is open to anyone regardless of gender and identity so even before coronavirus we encouraged our clients to embrace remote talentquot as it vastly widens the circleBecky Morrison producer and founder of production company The Light noted that the history of film production was influenced by how combat was mechanized in World War I and heavily tied to men creating violent movies amp8212 right down to the use of words such as shoot or shotgun mics quotSo as we39re entering this new phase how can we have a process where there are different kinds of people telling stories that are different by designquot she posited adding that quotwhen we39re not telling diverse stories we39re more often than not lacking diverse and inclusive setsquotLiving up to her division39s name the Transform Brands portfolio amp8212 comprised of the healthier FritoLay snacks such as Smart Food Popcorn and Sun Chips and support for womenrun businesses and purposeled efforts amp8212 marketing vice president Ciara Dilley said that their goal is to quottell stories in a real and genuine wayquot This means speaking to women in an authentic waySince women influence 80 percent of consumer goods purchases it makes good business sense quotWe know consumers amp8230 don39t trust traditional institutions or politicians and are saying 39I39m looking at brands to make a difference in society and show up in a better way39quot Dilley added quotSo there39s a real opportunity for a brand to step inamp8230 We need women on the agency team and on the brand team so we can harness those perspectivesquotMorrison promoted quotusing your voicequot which Zalis often encourages quotIt39s important to be comfortable with being uncomfortablequot Morrison said quotSaying something in front of the whole crew and getting dirty looks is OK We39re creating something new and we39re pushing the envelope forwardquotWe Are Rosie39s Pirouz provided a parting tip for agencies and brands quotHappy people do better work Are you encouraging growth and development Allowing people with nontraditional experience to come in and provide their point of view Being more flexible with hiring means bringing fresh perspectives to the tablequotThe result of FQ Lounge39s flexible path to carrying on conversations throughout the week FQ39s Carnegie said the impact was clear from the hundreds of emails received and awareness built by virtual means quotIt feels different but additivequot she said quotEven when we39re back to normal this kind of conversation will continue it39s already led us to more ideas amp8230 and more products that we39ll be announcing soon For us it39s a constant pivotquotDon39t stop now Stay in the know on audio and media industry trends with executive interviews and more from EB Moss and on women39s advancement and equality in advertising media and marketing with more from Women AdvancingClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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New Paths to Conversations and Culture: The FQ Lounge Beyond SXSW

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