"Our aim with this survey is to engage the local industry regarding the improvement of gender representation and diversity within the creative sectors," says Anelde Greeff, SheSays director. "Advertising informs societal views, and if the people behind these advertising campaigns are not representative of society, these views are skewed." 

Johannie van As, SheSays director, adds, "This survey is not only a first in South Africa but also a first for SheSays across the globe. As an organisation committed to empowering, educating and advancing women in creative industries, it's vital to understand the actual state of affairs and measure our progress."

"We hope that this annual survey will put us right up there with the wonderful work being done by Creative Equals in the United Kingdom and 'The 3% Movement' in the United States of America."

Agencies are encouraged to pledge their support for this cause by taking part in the survey. SheSays will work closely with the IAB, ACA and AMF to distribute the survey to their member agencies, as well as selected agency representatives.

All participants will remain anonymous and data will only be reported in an aggregated format. The online survey will run from Friday, 1 November to Saturday, 30 November. To take part, participants can contact [email protected]. The results will be announced in March 2020.

For more information, visit www.weareshesays.com. You can also follow SheSays on Facebook.