Celebrating Women’s Influence in PR and Marketing
August in South Africa symbolizes more than just a day on the calendar; it is a month-long celebration of the strength, resilience, and achievements of women. Women’s Month is rooted in the legacy of 9 August 1956, when over 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in defiance of apartheid pass laws. It represented an act of unity, strategy, and courage. Qualities that continue to define the women shaping industries today.
In public relations, marketing, and communications, women are not only part of the conversation, they’re leading it. They’re building brands, managing reputations, and shaping the narratives that influence how companies connect with their audiences. This Women’s Month, we look beyond hashtags and headlines to recognize the women behind the campaigns, strategies, and stories.
Women Are the Backbone of PR and Marketing
Women power the PR and marketing world. Globally, around two-thirds of the PR workforce is female, and in South Africa, women hold 47.2% of senior management roles, among the highest in the world.
From agencies to in-house teams, women serve as strategists, copywriters, account leads, digital innovators, media planners, and client relationship experts. They set the tone for brands, steer campaigns through challenges, and spark conversations that reach millions.
But their impact goes deeper than deliverables. Women often bring emotional intelligence, cultural insight, and collaboration into the heart of campaigns, ensuring they remain both relevant and human. Whether it’s a grassroots community project or a global product launch, their fingerprints are on the work that moves markets and minds.
From Representation to Real Equity
While women are visible in junior and mid-level roles, the highest decision-making spaces still have gaps. According to the Global Women in PR Annual Index, 61% PR boardrooms remain male-dominated. Women continue to face slower promotion rates, pay gaps, and fewer opportunities to lead high-impact projects.
Representation is a start, but equity is the goal. This is where women have equal access to influence, resources, and leadership without systemic barriers holding them back.
Recognition beyond Celebration
Women’s Month is more than a marketing calendar moment, it’s a checkpoint. It’s an opportunity for the industry to ask:
Are women in the room where decisions are made?
Are they leading pitches, not just executing the wrap reports?
Are they recognised for their contributions, not just the face of a campaign?
Recognition is more than applause. It’s creating mentorship pathways, building leadership pipelines, offering fair pay, and designing workplace policies that support women’s realities. It’s also about ensuring the campaigns we create reflect authentic, diverse women’s experiences, not just curated aesthetics.
Moving Forward, Together
Women’s Month is about honouring the past, celebrating the present, and shaping a future where women’s influence in PR and marketing isn’t just respected but it’s amplified.
To every woman who shapes brand stories, manages reputations, sparks creative ideas, and keeps the wheels turning behind the scenes:
We see you.
Your work is essential. Your impact is lasting. Your voice is central to how our industry evolves.
Let’s make sure it’s heard, this month, and every month after.
