Secret Deodorant, a longtime champion of women's equality, revealed today the next frontier in its fight for equal representation for women: the music industry, where women make up just seventeen percent of artists, twelve percent of songwriters and two percent of producers.1 In an effort to create more opportunities for women in music, Secret announced a pledge to feature "100% women-made" music in all future campaigns, enlisting female singers and songwriters to create tracks for all marketing efforts, beginning in 2020.
Beyond its own creative endeavors, the brand will also do its part to help women get a fair shot in the music industry. Through a partnership with leading industry non-profit Women in Music (WIM), whose mission is to educate, empower and advance women in the music industry, Secret will offer to 250 aspiring female musicians one of the most valuable resources: access to female mentors.
"As a brand for women, we consistently strive to elevate other women in all we do. But when it comes to the production of music for our campaigns, it has frankly been a struggle to do so, as women are so significantly underrepresented in the music industry," said Sara Saunders, Associate Brand Director, Secret, P&G. "We want to change that. We've heard from women that there's one thing that can make all the difference in their careers, and that's access to other women in the industry. Secret is proud to team up with Women in Music - the music industry's leading non-profit working toward gender equality - to enable to just that. And we'll continue to support those women by exclusively enlisting all-female music teams in the production of Secret campaigns."
Via its partnership with WIM, Secret is kicking off a talent search through which women in music can score a number of opportunities to help heighten their profiles and build valuable connections, including:
• Annual WIM memberships for 250 women
• WIM mentorships with industry artists and executives for 50 women
• Access to Music Biz 2020 for two women
• Music Week Badges to SXSW and travel/accommodation for two women
• The opportunity to have their music featured in a future Secret ad
To enter, aspiring artists and songwriters must share their own take on Secret's "All Strength, No Sweat" brand anthem via their Instagram channels. Those more interested in the business side of the industry are invited to share their "All Strength, No Sweat" stories and career aspirations on the platform as well. To join this movement, women can check out the official guidelines here.
Prominent female artists have also shown their support for the effort. "Breaking into such a male-dominated industry was not easy; I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had strong female mentors who really helped me to navigate the industry as a woman," said Jessie Reyez, singer, songwriter and new brand partner of Secret. "It is a huge move by Secret to not only commit to elevating women in music via its creative efforts, but to tangibly enable the connections and mentorships that are so valuable to aspiring female artists."
Other musicians, including Secret partners MILCK and Lauren Eylise, will help to rally their fans to participate in the effort via social, so they too can benefit from industry access and mentorship programs through this effort.
"We are thrilled to have a brand like Secret working with us to make the music industry a more equitable, diverse and inclusive community," said Nicole Barsalona, President, Women in Music. "In our study with Berklee Institute of Creative Entrepreneurship, we found that mentored women earn more money, express greater satisfaction with their jobs, and were more likely to feel they were where they should be in their careers. Our partnership with Secret allows us to offer meaningful mentorship opportunities so that more women have a chance at that kind of transformational change."
This latest move from Secret is in line with the brand's longstanding advocacy for women's equality. Most recently, Secret made headlines when it donated more than one half-million dollars to women's soccer players in an effort to close the gender pay gap. Secret's parent company, Procter & Gamble, is also a prominent supporter of women's equality, playing an active role in the Association of National Advertisers' #SeeHer movement.
In concert with the new campaign, Secret will also launch its new Secret Dry Sprays, which provide advanced sweat and odor protection for 48 hours. Formulated with innovative scent technologies, Secret Dry Sprays are activated when skin comes into contact with moisture and friction, ensuring that the product is consistently working hard throughout the day and leaving women feeling fresh and confident for longer - a favorite for the hard-working women in music.
"We're committed to supporting women in music, from protecting them against sweat as they take the stage to helping them forge the connections that are so critical to making progress," added Saunders. "After all, there are many things that women in the music industry have to sweat, but we believe inequality should never be one of them."
