Madison Insurance, Your Billboard Undervalues The Progress of Women. Pull It Down.
Madison Insurance recently set up a billboard in Hurlingham along Argwings Kodhek Road with the message "I want to be the first female neurosurgeon". Seems like a very positive message, at face value. Encouraging the education of young women to study medicine? Why not?
But herein lies the problem. We ALREADY have female neurosurgeons in Kenya. We could definitely do with more, but any other female neurosurgeons will not be a first.
This billboard undervalues the progress of women, especially women in the medical field. By not recognizing the progress that women have made, especially in male-dominated spaces, we undervalue their progress. The female neurosurgeons that exist in Kenya right now have just been virtually obliterated by this message.The message is very clear...either someone did not do their homework or they did not give enough thought to the sort of message the billboard brings across.
Billboards communicate a lot (very very loudly) and corporates need to practise more responsibility.
Please sign this petition calling on Madison Insurance to pull down the billboard and demanding for more responsible and better informed advertising in Kenya.
Updates
April 5, 2017
The volume of support has now reached a point where we can shift from building momentum to initiating direct outreach. I am finalizing the formal letter to the Madison Insurance marketing department to request an immediate review of their advertising strategy. Local media outlets have expressed interest in this narrative and I will coordinate interviews to ensure our position on professional erasure remains clear.
54 Comments
We should pre-test the implications of informational materials before mass production. Gender stereotypes shouldnt be the face of Madisson
Take the bill board down my dorm prefect is now a neurosurgeon.... Down it has to go.
I don't see anything wrong with the billboard. This is nit picking mentality. We don't have a female neurosurgeon in my village. Perhaps the billboard is referring to my village. After all, it doesn't mention "Kenya" anywhere. Let the lady be the first in her village.
We aren't where we want to be as women but we're definitely making progress everyday. This needs recognition, not erasure.
I know you meant well to encourage women want to soar higher but unfortunately it is such hidden 'well-meant' messages that are delaying the progress to respecting women as enough human beings.
The billboard must go down.
C'mon already!! Pull the banner down!!!!
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Madison Insurance, Your Billboard Undervalues The Progress of Women. Pull It Down.
Madison Insurance recently set up a billboard in Hurlingham along Argwings Kodhek Road with the message "I want to be the first female neurosurgeon". Seems like a very positive message, at face value. Encouraging the education of young women to study medicine? Why not?
But herein lies the problem. We ALREADY have female neurosurgeons in Kenya. We could definitely do with more, but any other female neurosurgeons will not be a first.
This billboard undervalues the progress of women, especially women in the medical field. By not recognizing the progress that women have made, especially in male-dominated spaces, we undervalue their progress. The female neurosurgeons that exist in Kenya right now have just been virtually obliterated by this message.The message is very clear...either someone did not do their homework or they did not give enough thought to the sort of message the billboard brings across.
Billboards communicate a lot (very very loudly) and corporates need to practise more responsibility.
Please sign this petition calling on Madison Insurance to pull down the billboard and demanding for more responsible and better informed advertising in Kenya.
Updates
April 5, 2017
The volume of support has now reached a point where we can shift from building momentum to initiating direct outreach. I am finalizing the formal letter to the Madison Insurance marketing department to request an immediate review of their advertising strategy. Local media outlets have expressed interest in this narrative and I will coordinate interviews to ensure our position on professional erasure remains clear.
54 Comments
A long chain of people failed in the approval process for this advert. A wrong assumption was made right from the concept stage. It was then effectively endorsed up the chain of command.
We should pre-test the implications of informational materials before mass production. Gender stereotypes shouldnt be the face of Madisson
Take the bill board down my dorm prefect is now a neurosurgeon.... Down it has to go.
I don't see anything wrong with the billboard. This is nit picking mentality. We don't have a female neurosurgeon in my village. Perhaps the billboard is referring to my village. After all, it doesn't mention "Kenya" anywhere. Let the lady be the first in her village.
We aren't where we want to be as women but we're definitely making progress everyday. This needs recognition, not erasure.
I know you meant well to encourage women want to soar higher but unfortunately it is such hidden 'well-meant' messages that are delaying the progress to respecting women as enough human beings.
The billboard must go down.
C'mon already!! Pull the banner down!!!!
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A long chain of people failed in the approval process for this advert. A wrong assumption was made right from the concept stage. It was then effectively endorsed up the chain of command.