Tackling gender bias for women in STEMM
/Overview
Women make up just 27% of Australia’s STEMM workforce and earn 23.5% less than their male counterparts. To address this gender disparity, particularly on platforms like Wikipedia, Cube launched a dynamic media campaign in collaboration with Franklin Women’s Wikipedia ‘Edit-a-thon’ events held in Sydney and Canberra. The initiative aimed to celebrate and elevate the visibility of women in STEMM fields.
/Challenge
Systemic gender bias in STEMM means that many women in these fields remain underrecognised, skewing public perception of their contributions to science and society. This underrepresentation on platforms like Wikipedia perpetuates the gap in visibility and acknowledgment of female scientists.
/Solution
Cube’s campaign focused on two impactful Edit-a-thon events, attended by over 100 women in STEMM, including both established leaders and newcomers to the field. Key strategies included:
- Empowering women: Provided training to participants on how to create Wikipedia profiles, enabling them to share biographies of influential women in STEMM and nominate colleagues for inclusion.
- Elevating recognition: The campaign helped elevate the visibility of women’s contributions, ensuring they received the recognition they deserve in a high-traffic platform like Wikipedia.
Impact
The campaign achieved impressive results, generating both media attention and direct action:
National media coverage
Featured in a national SBS segment, profiling two scientists and the Edit-a-thon events.
Strong engagement
Resulted in 557 edits across both events, increasing the representation of women in STEMM.
Wide-reaching press
Secured 32 news articles highlighting women in STEM, amplifying their impact.
Impressive digital engagement
Generated 6,440 views on Wikipedia articles created or edited during the events.
Extensive coverage reach
Reached over 600,000 viewers through SBS and ABC TV/radio coverage.
Targeted audience engagement
Featured in Women’s Agenda and on an ABC podcast , with 20,000 listeners tuning in.
TESTIMONIAL
Cube has partnered with Biocelect managing the arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine to Australia and New Zealand. The team has worked attentively and collaboratively with Biocelect and the US team in managing the challenging pandemic and vaccine dynamics as they evolve. They have applied their strategic communication, crisis management and media skills to be pre-emptive and agile in preparing for and managing local media and political commentary. They are responsive, professional, a pleasure to work with and, like Biocelect, hardworking!
We brought Cube in as an external agency to support us with a communications initiative for one of our products in 2019. Now – I don’t know what I would do without them! They are no longer viewed as ‘the agency’, but integral to the Novartis team – as partners and strategic advisors. Now working across multiple portfolios, Cube consistently bring their high-level strategic insight, laser focus for detail, and deep expertise across the entire gamut of communications. I would highly recommend Cube to anyone looking for a nimble yet well-rounded agency partner.
In our dealings with Cube over the past 3 years, we have found the team to be very professional, enthusiastic and helpful. Their high level of honesty and integrity means we have full trust in their recommendations and their approach to meeting our needs. Their strategic thinking and recommended plans are always well-considered. They have done high level strategic work for us and developed detailed plans as well as a new service launch. They have been very responsive to our needs and we would not hesitate to engage them again!
MS Australia engaged Cube for two critically important campaigns in the first half of 2022. Their strategic planning and implementation was first-class, and the very significant results has greatly assisted our advocacy work.
For our landmark MS Nurse Care Report launched in Tasmania, Cube crafted a communications plan focussed on local media which as planned, fanned out to outlets across the country. The coverage was astounding and helped raise vital awareness about the role of the MS Nurse in the patient care journey and the need for more funding.
Cube also expertly project-managed a market research study and national communications plan for our Employment & Workplace Survey, launched on World MS Day. This campaign garnered significant media coverage and spotlighted critical issues around employment and MS.
We cannot thank Cube enough for their friendliness, support and compassion for people living with multiple sclerosis.
Working with Cube has been a remarkable experience. Like BeiGene, they are a small team with big ambitions. Time and again, Cube has proven to be an effective, reliable, and responsible partner. They bring enormous energy, detail and innovation to every project and have helped BeiGene achieve the highest goals and meet the tightest timelines. For every idea, they have a solution ready.
We are delighted to work with Cube, whose professional attitude, deep experience and expertise in health communications put them head and shoulders above the competition. In addition to obtaining fantastic coverage for us, we continue to appreciate the attention to detail at every stage from planning through to showcasing the results of our campaigns. Our media strategy, guided by Cube has hit the mark in a judicious approach and fulfilled our strategic purpose.
The Cube team have extensive experience in strategic communications to create impactful campaigns and events and demonstrate a real understanding of our organisation’s brand, objectives, and a broad range of partners and stakeholders. The team are dedicated to and skilful at crafting compelling narratives, securing high-profile media placements, attending to details and navigating through challenges in complex environments.
Collaborating with Cube has been an immensely positive experience. Cube has demonstrated an excellent understanding of our goals and values, ensuring every aspect of the communications plan aligns with GSK’s mission. Their proactive approach in identifying opportunities and potential challenges has been a key factor in the success of our communications efforts. With meticulously planned execution of media engagements, the team’s professionalism, enthusiasm and creativity have exceeded our expectations, making them an indispensable business partner.
