The archive · Business Models · People decision · 2026
The Fair Treatment makes Australian director pitches anonymous to test gender bias
Australian agencies pick commercial directors from anonymous treatments so the best idea wins, and the hiring data gets published to test gender bias.
The Fair Treatment
What it had to solve
Women made under 15% of Australia's commercial work in 2025 even though they hold 22% of production-company director roster spots, and an analysis of 2,467 director credits showed the share falling. The Fair Treatment launched an experiment to prove unconscious bias in selection, not a thin pipeline, is the cause.
How it works
Women account for 85% of purchases, yet under 15% of Australia's commercial work in 2025 was directed by women. The gap is not a pipeline problem: women hold 22% of director spots on production-company rosters. Analysis of 2,467 director credits from Campaign Brief and BestAds showed the share of work going to women is low and declining.
On 28 August 2026 The Fair Treatment launched an experiment that borrows blind selection from consultancies and symphony orchestras. Agencies pick a director shortlist as usual, then pitches are submitted anonymously: no names, companies or identifying information, so each treatment is evaluated purely on its ideas. Names are revealed only after the winner is chosen.
The experiment launched with support from award-winning male directors at Revolver, Good Oil, Scoundrel, Photoplay, Cousin, Rabbit, Exit and Sweetshop. Backers point to the London Symphony Orchestra and Ernst & Young, where blind selection increased diversity and improved outcomes. Results, including hiring data, are to be made public in early 2027.
Why it lands
- Blind judging at AWARD School visibly shifted who was deemed talented enough, giving the idea precedent inside advertising itself.
- Removing names, companies and identifying details forces the selection to rest on the treatment alone.
- Treating hiring as an experiment with published results converts an anecdotal bias into data an industry can argue with.
- The model can transfer to other creative industries once advertising demonstrates it.
What it did
At launch the experiment was backed by award-winning male directors and production companies including Revolver, Good Oil, Scoundrel, Photoplay, Cousin, Rabbit, Exit and Sweetshop. The group promises public hiring data in early 2027 to show whether blind selection shifts who wins commercial work.
What you can take
When talent pools are diverse but winners are not, change the selection procedure, not the pipeline: anonymous pitches turn suspected bias into a measurable experiment other industries can copy.
Since then
The Fair Treatment is positioned as a live experiment rather than a rule: agencies and clients keep full autonomy over their shortlists, and the blind phase covers only the written treatment. Results including hiring data are promised for early 2027, and participation is open to agencies, brands and production companies. If the data shows blind bidding shifts outcomes, the organisers intend it as a model other creative industries can adopt.
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