Don’t wear too much perfume. Don’t wear too much make-up. Don’t be aggressive when negotiating your salary. Don’t look too hot. Don’t be too chatty. Avoid dressing too much like a woman. Women who are job hunting might want to cover gray hair. Wearing a wedding ring might indicate you’re going to start a family soon. Just find out you’re pregnant? Best to keep it to yourself for now. Don’t let your body show that you are upset by a sexist remark or question. Good advice?
In last month’s solid debut for HP Studios’ Reinvent Mindsets series, chief diversity officer Lesley Slaton Brown starred in a video about unconscious racial bias in corporate hiring practices and HP’s strategy around it. Now, in a Father’s Day follow-up, the brand has partnered up fathers and daughters to talk about gender bias in hiring.
https://youtu.be/FL5fS9OGGPY
It’s a heartwarming and honest looking conversation, with more than a couple of the dads looking pretty embarrassed of their own gender.
Back in February, HP’s chief marketing officer Antonio Lucio told me that the idea behind HP Studios is to have a banner under which to not only identify the brand’s content but set audience expectations that what they’re about to see will be much more than an ad.
“We understand that we are competing against everything and everybody when it comes to content,” said Lucio. “By labeling ourselves as a studio, it creates a higher bar when it comes to the emotional connection, the production values, and consumer engagement. We fundamentally believe that engaging, long-form content where you need to explain a story with both the rational as well as the emotional connection is great for us. That’s what’s behind this.”
Back then he was talking about “The Wolf,” starring Christian Slater, but could easily be talking about the kind of meaningful brand content in Reinventing Mindsets. The way the brand is shining a light on real issues is starting to feel like Corporate Dove, in the best way possible.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
