Historically, women and other marginalized groups tend to bear the brunt of crises, says Nadine Karp McHugh, president of SeeHer, the ANA’s initiative to increase accurate portrayals of women in advertising.

This could lead to a reversal of the limited success we’ve experienced around gender equality, she says, citing a study by the United Nations on the impact of COVID-19 on women.

“Yet we know, that when women are in power, societies flourish. And when societies flourish, economies flourish, which is good not only for societies but for businesses.”

Media plays a pivotal role: media drives societal changes in culture, says Karp McHugh in this interview about SeeHer’s recent partnership with Getty Images.

Together, SeeHer and Getty have “released guidelines on how marketers can use inclusive imagery to achieve diversity in their advertising amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in which advertisers are reviewing and changing their messaging,” per their press release.

The guide, “Inclusive Visual Storytelling for Women, ” is the most recent addition to SeeHer’s marketing essentials toolkit.