Paving the Way for Women in Marketing: Caroline R. Jones
As of June 2020, women account for 60% of marketing roles in North American, compared to just 47% of overall positions. Even in the last few years we’ve seen significant increases in women in leadership roles in marketing. For every advancement women have experienced—from achievements in politics to sports to careers—there are women paving the way for the next evolution of our progress. As we wrap up Women’s History Month this year, we’d like to focus on a woman who made significant advancements in marketing—Caroline R. Jones.
Caroline R. Jones
While there are many women who have made progress in marketing and advertising*, we’d like to shine a light on Caroline R. Jones, one of the first Black female advertising figures. Caroline was a trailblazer straight out of college, when she became the first Black copywriter at J. Walter Thompson, one of the nation’s leading advertising firms. During her time there, she advanced to the role of creative director. In 1968, she left J. Walter Thompson to join Zebra Associates, one of the nation’s first Black-owned advertising agencies. By the time she left, she was in the role of Vice President, making her the first Black female Vice President of a major agency.
As the next step in her career, in 1977 she founded Mingo-Jones Advertising with Frank Mingo. The firm was built upon a reputation for highly creative campaigns that appealed to Black consumers. “The agency led the way in the development of crossover ethnic campaigns that later became general market advertising, most notably the Kentucky Fried Chicken’s ‘We Do Chicken Right’ campaign.”
In 1986, Caroline founded Caroline Jones Advertising. Her client list included dozens of national brands and advocacy organizations, from American Express to the National Urban League.
Throughout her career, Caroline proved that she had a sharp understanding of consumers and she spearheaded advertising campaigns that changed how Americans thought about some of the world's most popular brands. For example, she had the idea to appeal to consumers emotions instead of specific products, creating a new campaign for Campbell’s Soup. Her localized campaign ideas were so successful that companies recognized the value in launching national versions. She was also known for major campaigns for Kentucky Fried Chicken, American Express, McDonald’s, and Toys R Us.
How diverse is the marketing industry now?
Caroline was a very talented women and a true pioneer, paving the way for women in marketing. Unfortunately, while women make up 60% of marketing roles, women of color are severely under-represented in leadership roles. 52% of CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) roles are held by women, but only 13% of CMOs have diverse backgrounds (including Asian, Latina, and Black women). While Caroline helped make the world of marketing a place where women can have a strong presence, we have a responsibility to continue to make our field more diverse and welcoming. You can read more about the current state of diversity in the advertising and marketing industries by reviewing the 2021 Diversity Report for the Advertising/Marketing Industry, created by Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and ANA's Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM).
We still have a long way to go in making advancements for women. Most of us won’t be remembered as historical figures who paved the way for those after us, but we can help make a difference in our corner of the world and for the benefit of women. If you’d like to help advance and support social justice and help to create a diverse and inclusive culture within SMPS, please consider volunteering for our Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) committee.
This blog post contains information also pulled from
*To read about a few other women who paved the way in the marketing field, we recommend The History of Women in Marketing March 2021 blog post from Online Optimism.
NOTE: The two images in this article are owned by the National Museum of American History.
