1. Like a Girl

This powerful campaign by Always focuses on what it means to people when they say or hear the phrase ‘like a girl.’ Is it an insult or a compliment? The campaign cleverly conveys the image of what society believes this phrase means and challenges it. By creating this campaign, the brand has managed to bring a new definition to the phrase ‘like a girl’ - a strong, and inspirational new meaning for today’s young women.

2. Real Beauty

Dove started to focus on body-positive messages in their marketing campaigns 10 years ago and the impact they have had has been phenomenal. It focuses on the media perceptions of women and how it can and has affected millions of women around the world throughout the years, preventing many from choosing certain paths in order to be more accepted by society. The aim is to inspire women to be more confident in everyday life and to be proud of who they are and what they look like regardless of what is seen in the media and to not let it hold them back from making life decisions.

This particular video from the long-standing ‘Real Beauty’ campaigns has touched the hearts of women everywhere. It is simple but effective, a man whom the ladies have never met before simply sketches the individual based on how she describes herself – it’s definitely an eye-opener.

3. This Girl Can

In this 2015 campaign by Sport England, women were inspired to celebrate all that their bodies can do and participate in forms of exercise that they may have previously felt unable to do due to their gender. It is a celebration of women everywhere, every day, not just the one dedicated day a year. It’s aim - to inspire more women to get into the world of sport and to give them the confidence to believe that they can achieve their goals.

4. The #Autocomplete Truth

This campaign created by Memac Ogilvy and Mather, may seem simple but is highly effective. The aim of this campaign was to raise awareness of UN women by highlighting how much prejudice still exists, despite significant historical movements to bring gender equality. This campaign focuses on typing a phrase into Google – ‘women should…’ to publicise the suggested autocomplete answers which mirrors common searches made."

5. Labels are for bottles, not for people

The brand Smirnoff has been releasing campaigns as part of their wider ‘We are open’ campaign for the past few years and each one has been stronger and more powerful than the last. The most recent advert focuses not only on gender equality but also touches on the idea of gender non-conformity. Society still lacks awareness of this non-binary community due to a lack of role models in the media. The aim is to bring awareness using public figures from the performance industry to bring greater representation to the media and to reduce the fears that you can’t reach your dreams just because you are different to what society currently deems as acceptable.

However monumental or insignificant it may seem to us as individuals, any movement we make towards equality can be a huge step in being the change we want to see in the world. With an increasing number of small businesses being set up by women including our very own Managing Director, why not chase that dream?