Australian Women in Advertising in the Twentieth Century

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Jackie Dickenson

   Pages 1-9

3. Advertising: A Suitable Career?

   • Jackie Dickenson

   Pages 10-23

4. Educating Shoppers in the 1920s

   • Jackie Dickenson

   Pages 24-38

5. Elma Kelly’s Empire: An Australian in Asia

   • Jackie Dickenson

   Pages 39-53

6. Looking Out to the World

   • Jackie Dickenson

   Pages 54-65

7. The Girls Who Made It

   • Jackie Dickenson

   Pages 66-79

8. Advertising and Beyond

   • Jackie Dickenson

   Pages 80-92

9. Women Experts and Consumer Culture

   • Jackie Dickenson

   Pages 93-106

10. Selling Fashion after World War Two

    • Jackie Dickenson

    Pages 107-118

11. Bold Invaders: The Impact of the Women’s Movement

    • Jackie Dickenson

    Pages 119-131

12. Conclusion

    • Jackie Dickenson

    Pages 132-135

13. Back Matter

    Pages 136-144

    PDF

When did Australian women first enter the advertising industry? The stereotypical advertising executive might be a pony-tailed, Ferrari-driving, young-ish man, but women have worked in Australian advertising agencies from the first years of the modern industry, and today they comprise half of the industry's workforce. Australian Women in Advertising in the Twentieth Century rescues these women from their obscurity. By employing a broader definition of advertising than usual, this study reveals the important role women have played in the development of the Australian advertising industry, sheds light on women's struggle to reach the higher echelons of the industry, and considers why the popular image of the advertising executive is at such variance from the reality. The experiences of these remarkable women across a century of Australian advertising provide valuable information on the role of gender in the development of this ubiquitous industry, as well as the encroachment of consumer culture.

• Advertising
• Australia
• consumer culture
• gender history
• 20th century
• culture
• empire
• industry
• twentieth century
• women

“Australian Women in Advertising in the Twentieth Century is shorter than most monographs, at fewer than 50,000 words. It is not thin, however, as its purpose is cohesive and sustained. The book contains a bibliography and index. It is well-edited and each chapter features a discrete title page with separate abstract and publication details, hence ‘digital-ready’, and endnotes. For a book aimed at academics and university students this format is apt.” (Julie Mcintyre, Australian Historical Studies, Vol. 48 (1), February, 2017)

• University of Melbourne, Australia

  Jackie Dickenson

Jackie Dickenson is Senior Research Associate at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and has previously worked in the advertising industry in Britain and Australia, as an art director and copywriter. She is the author of Renegades and Rats (2006) and Trust Me: Australians and their Politicians (2013).

Policies and ethics