DDB New York Urges Millennials to #StopDickingAround and Challenge the Gender Pay Gap

Young Minds for Gender Equality Foundation (YM4GE), a youth-led 501c3 non-profit organization, is launching a unique – and intentionally ridiculous – online and social campaign in an effort to raise awareness and drive action about the gender pay gap. The campaign marks YM4GE’s official launch in the United States as the organization, originally founded in Mexico, aims to expand its footprint and spread its powerful message.

Titled 'The Business Bulge,' the campaign delivers impact through awkward humor with a series of online videos, social posts and a campaign website. The first video in the series introduces the viewer to Clark Hoffman, a fictional character who has created – and is now trying to sell – a new product called 'The Business Bulge,' a product that women can wear under their clothes in order to get paid equally to their male colleagues. The video ends with the tagline, “A bulge in your pants means a bulge in your wallet.”

“It’s a ridiculous solution to a ridiculous problem, and that’s what we want to convey,” said Icaro Doria, Chief Creative Officer of DDB New York. “We are inspired by YM4GE’s vision to empower both young women and young men equally to become the leaders of today. The goal of this campaign is to generate more conversation around pay equality for women in the workforce, help consumers learn more about the problem and find ways to tackle it.”

Campaign creative, facts about the wage gap and info on how to take action can be found on The Business Bulge website. YM4GE has also tapped a number of influencers – celebrities and organizations – to join the cause and help drive action. Those include Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization and Chelsea Film Festival, among others.

The video series marks the first effort DDB New York has created for the new pro bono account, and was produced by Hank Perlman, the award-winning director who created one of ESPN’s most successful and influential campaign – 'This is SportsCenter.'

Gerardo Porteny Backal, a 21-year-old entrepreneur and social innovator, co-founded and now serves as president of YM4GE. Porteny previously served as a consultant for global youth engagement at UN Women’s HeForShe solidarity movement for gender equality. Porteny started his first foundation when he was 16 years old and since then has advocated for gender equality in numerous public speaking presentations, from TEDx talks in London and Barcelona to panels in the Youth Assembly at the United Nations in New York.

Through 'The Business Bulge' YM4GE is making a call to action for everyone to play a part on the solution for the gender pay gap. Students are invited to become YM4GE ambassadors and advocate on making gender equality a requirement in their schools' curriculum. Professionals are empowered to drive change inside their organizations with the support and consultation of the Foundation. To achieve these goals, YM4GE is igniting a coalition for NGOs in the field to share resources, knowledge and tools.

“YM4GE’s goal is to empower millennials to turn their ideas into action, and harness real world solutions for women empowerment and the achievement of gender equality,” said Porteny. “We are so excited DDB was able to create a campaign that flips the status quo – in a way that is culturally relevant and resonates with our audience using a language they understand.