Interview with Mel Hill, Founder @ MJH Comms

Q: What do you think the future holds for women in marketing?

A: I think we are already seeing a really promising shift in women entering the board room, but there’s still so much more to do. In terms of marketing, I have personally always been lucky enough to work with and for excellent women in this industry. I also think, with the growth of digital marketing now you can literally market in any sector, from anywhere.

The accessibility of this means that, as women are still seen as the main caregivers, it’s an industry that feels very inclusive.

Q: What do you think is the biggest obstacle for women today?

A: Still men. Sadly. It sounds very anti-men, but it’s true. I think, unfortunately a lot of men still don’t see women as equal. There still aren’t enough opportunities for us to get equality, especially in terms of the gender pay gap. It’s frustrating, but as long as men lead most of the board room, we’ll never get gender equality in our workforces.

Q: How has the industry changed for the better over the last 10 years?

A: I think it’s changed because of online accessibility, as mentioned earlier. Anyone can be in this industry from anywhere, and creativity knows no bounds. Because of this, there are people accessing online courses and degrees and learning about the whole marketing industry. Whether it’s web dev, content writing or anything in between.

Q: What’s your favourite thing about being a woman in your industry?

Its really corny, but I really think women support women in marketing.

Often a lot of the referrals for work I get come from females who could have done the project, but instead recommended me. I’ve done the same and I think its a great community to be part of because of it.

Sometimes you know you can do a project, but someone else specialises in that field of marketing more than you do.

Q: What makes women really great at marketing?

I think we’re just creative people. They say our brains are very “pro-communication” which definitely helps. I think we have a different level of empathy, which allows us to get into the minds of the people we’re marketing to. It’s easy for us to understand the thoughts and processes of other individuals (not that men can’t, I’m not for one minute saying they can’t — FYI).

I just think women do it better. Sorry!