Revive and thrive: Creative Comeback sparks new skills and connections

The advertising industry moves incredibly fast. For women looking to get back into the industry after a career lapse, the challenge of keeping up has never been greater. That’s where Creative Comeback comes in. Run by Creative Equals, a global award-winning equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) consultancy, and co-sponsored by Adobe and Diageo, the 13-day event helps women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals build on their existing talent and return to creative jobs.

According to Creative Equals, the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on women’s employment and representation in adland hasn’t recovered — in 2023 women comprise just 35 percent of the marketing, media and advertising sectors — down from 46 percent in 2021. At the same time, there are fewer women than men being hired into entry-level roles — a sign that bodes poorly for gender representation moving forward.

Emma Murphy, Community director for Creative Equals, explains why it is so important to support women returning to the workforce. “Deeply embedded misconceptions and falsehoods have led generations of employers to believe women lose their skillsets, their minds, and their experience when they take a career break. Studies have proven the value women bring to the creative industry and yet, the odds are wildly stacked against them,” she said.

This year’s creative challenge invited attendee “returners” to respond to a creative brief for Diageo vodka brand Smirnoff using Adobe solutions to bring their creative concepts to life and present them to a panel of industry experts. Returners also had access to mentors from Creative Comeback’s top tier agency partners, such as Havas, as well as a curated mix of online lessons, self-directed learning, and interactive workshops from D&AD, a globally recognized authority on creative excellence.

“The pace of change and innovation in creative business is enormous,” said D&AD Board Trustee and Kin co-founder, Kwame Taylor-Hayford. “D&AD, Diageo, and Adobe supporting programs like Creative Comeback is essential to creating opportunity, building confidence, and providing a network of support as female creatives return to work."

The experience hit close to home for Havas New York CEO Sarah Collinson and her team. “Our three Havas mentors are working moms — wonderful creatives who well know the daily struggle of balancing a creative career and a family,” she said.

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Building a sense of community

Adobe hosted sessions to help participants up-level their digital skills, get acquainted with new technologies — like Adobe Firefly Adobe’s family of generative AI models — and build their confidence as creators.

“At Adobe, we envision generative AI as the catalyst that emboldens ‘creative confidence,’ tearing down the walls between creativity and the blank canvas,” said Chris Duffey, Strategic Development, Emerging Solutions at Adobe.

“Having been brought into the common brand world with Creative Cloud Libraries, the teams used Adobe Firefly to build ideas into very different creative expressions,” noted Nandini Nandakumar, Smirnoff Global Marketing director. “And you could see while the teams used the same brief, the outputs were quite distinct from each other — a great example of how tech can enable the diversity of thoughts.”

As part of the program every returner also received a free one-year Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, including Adobe Express, the free design, photo, and video tool that makes content creation easy and accessible for all. “As someone who was once intimidated to jump back into the creative world after college, I find Express to be an incredibly quick and easy-to-use tool that reminds me of the fun and inspirational side of being creative,” said Adobe director of Growth and Engagement, Kasha Stewart, adding, “I like to call it our all-in-one creative baddie.”

Reflecting on her experience, returner Grace Mc Nally appreciated the sense of belonging she felt learning about new technologies alongside a community of motivated women. “The Adobe team walked our class through Express, a tool I’d never touched before but have since been using often. I loved the care they took in making sure everyone was on board with the discussion and getting the most out of the session,” she said.

That feeling of community also created a sense of solidarity among this year’s returners, who were as committed to inspiring each other as they were to their own learning experience. “One thing is having a group of people who can talk about issues they’re facing. Another is having a group of people motivated to help each other grow,” added Mc Nally.

Critical learning at critical moments

Career returnship initiatives like Creative Comeback have never felt more essential. Especially as brands look to build a stronger and more inclusive workforce. Adobe is proud to support all the returners selected to attend this year’s program.

That includes talented Creative directors like Nica Russell, who was downsized in August of 2022 and had begun to feel defeated in her search for a new position. “The call for applications to Creative Comeback was like a beacon of light on a dark night,” she says. “Applying was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I can’t wait to show off my new skills in my next role.

“From pairing participants with mentors from pedigreed agencies to working with Diageo on a Smirnoff brief to collaborating with Adobe to provide immersive, hands-on workshops featuring their team members, Creative Comeback 2024 helped me brush up on my skills and believe in myself again,” she added.

For Art director Amanda Huntzinger, who experienced two significant work gaps in 2022 and 2023 due to family needs, including the unexpected passing of a parent, Creative Comeback was like an accelerated learning program that streamlined four semesters of advertising school into 13 days. “I came away from Creative Comeback with a renewed confidence and expanded my network by a factor of 50,” she said after the event. “What’s more, I now have a well-organized group of people, tools, and learning resources to lean on when out in the wild.”

Conceptual Art director Laura Harrington also applied to Creative Comeback to get back into the advertising game a mere six-weeks after giving birth to her youngest child. As a mother, Harrington wanted to set an example for her children and younger generations of women who might face similar situations in the future. “I want my kids to see they can have a family and still pursue their creative passions, just like I’m doing now,” she said.

These are just a few of the women who attended Creative Comeback 2024. Every returner who attended the event in New York City shared their relentless drive and walked away optimistic about their future prospects.

“Creative Equals and Adobe set out with a shared vision to inspire everyone with the tools and knowledge to amplify their creativity and propel their careers forward,” said Lindsay Morris, Adobe Senior Strategic Development manager. “The program was an incredible example of how community, technology, and creativity can work together to support meaningful change.”

Nandakumar of Diageo also praised the programs. “At Smirnoff, we believe in celebrating everyone’s unique individuality and the magic that sparks when these unique individuals come together,” she said. “This belief was reflected so well in the Creative Comeback program and is a reminder to us all that we create our best work when a diverse mix of ideas, beliefs and perspectives come together.”

That said, the quest to make digital skills more accessible doesn’t stop with a single event or milestone. Enduring change requires enduring action, and through partnerships with organizations like Creative Equals, Adobe is supporting some of the most dynamic and talented people in the creative industry to reclaim their positions on the edge of what’s next.

To learn more about Creative Equals, apply as a returner for future events, or partner with the organization as an agency member, click here.