The Mad Gals’ mission is twofold:
To cultivate a community of equality, collaboration, and creativity, and to prepare females to excel in the advertising world.
This vision guides Mad Gals to pursue methods that unite men and women in celebrating the divine female perspective.
I’ve been lucky enough to be the Head Strategist for the Mad Gals initiative within the BYU Adlab for 2 years now.
Leadership 2020-2021
Erin Anderson
London Halls
Some of my favorite things we’ve done:
The Gallery Show
This annual Gallery Show is a place for advertising students to display their personal art in the context of a meaningful theme.
February 2020’s theme was Identities. Students submitted work about what identity meant to them. Some took photos of their Grandma, and some even made ads about identities.
The show’s 2021 theme will be Belonging. We’ve been thinking a lot about inclusion this year, so we have to ask, what does a sense of belonging mean to you?
Diversity and Equity Survey
Mad Gals wanted to learn about the BYU Advertising Program’s Diversity and Equity. I was able to team up with Evelyn Harper and Rachel Langston to create a survey for the program that will be run annually as a tool to track and develop inclusion.
Uncomfortable conversations have been had, and we have been vigilant this year to protect the representation and inclusivity of women. We are anticipating a launch of the equity survey soon.
Women of Advertising
Mad Gals put a special focus this year into bringing women from the ad industry to speak with the Adlab. We were fortunate enough to be inspired by powerhouse women like Terri and Sandy and many others. So far this year we’ve brought 10 different women to speak with the program. Take a look:
6/8: Women in Ad Panel - Charlotte Keneipp, Katie Mellor, Elise Davis, Brooke Camit, Ari Alius
10/15: Terri Meyer and Sandy Greenberg
11/19: Account Panel - Megan Pendleton, Jessica Collings, Stephanie Barlow
And last but not least, we as a Mad Gals leadership went through a hell of a year together. I wouldn’t have wanted to with any other gals by my side.