Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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VIEW FROM THE TOP Karen Kaplan and her team use innovative approaches such as social media in their ad campaigns. continued from page 59 to do three moves down the road," says Kaplan, speaking to the agency's approach and her own. "If you get too far ahead of yourself, you're going to trip. Do the best job you can, be the best anyone has ever been at what you do, and you can't help but succeed." And Hill Holliday is succeeding nicely. Kaplan says the company continues to find new, innovative approaches for longtime clients like Liberty Mutual, John Hancock, and Dunkin' Donuts; for the last one, Hill Holliday unveiled in September the first TV ad made entirely from the social network Vine. And the company has managed to land enviable new business. In the past 24 months alone, it significantly expanded its creative role for Bank of America and landed plum new clients like Merrell, VH1, and in June, Cadillac— the first major contract signed with Kaplan as CEO. But perhaps more important, Kaplan's ascension marks progress of a different kind. Only about 4 percent of CEOs at major companies are women, and Kaplan says that while Hill Holliday's culture was always more progressive than most (it was one of the first agencies to have its own daycare center), the Mad Men–style "boys club" mentality of the advertising world still prevailed when she started in 1982. And though she's risen to CEO, there are still the small but telling reminders of sexism, such as assumptions (before meeting) that she's a man, or when credit cards (bearing her name) are handed back to male clients when she's picking up the tab for a power lunch. "You do have to cut your own path," she reflects on the executive trajectory for women. "But I kept my eye on the ball. And I was like a bumper car. If I couldn't go this way, I'd back up and go that way. There's always a clear path, even if you have to invent it." Today, 60 percent of Hill Holliday employees (reflecting 40 percent of management) are women, and Kaplan is still trailblazing: She sits on the board of the Massachusetts Conference for Women, is president of the Massachusetts Women's Forum, and is only the second chairwoman in the 103-year history of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. As CEO, she's one of the ad world's most powerful figures, of either sex, even if her typing skills are a little rusty. Besides, that's what a receptionist is for. And on the day we visited, it Kaplan saved the business cards from was a man. BC "I was like a bumper car. If I couldn't go this way, I'd back up and go that way." QUOTABLE KAREN The trailblazing executive reflects on her long career. On workplace sexism: "I do worry about the generation younger than me—that they're not going to push as hard because they feel like the glass ceiling is shattered. But more still needs to be done." On becoming CEO: "Honestly, if it never happened, I would have been satisfied as president. I felt that I was making a contribution and having an impact. For me, it's about impact, not title." Game plan: "I want to get back to the roots of the company. We were always about the power of creativity. Don't get caught up in the process or the personalities; focus on the work, and everything takes care of itself." Opportunities and obstacles: "I feel the biggest challenges are the best opportunities. It's either a bigger win, or bigger learning. It's hard to lose." her ascending roles at Hill Holliday. 60 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 058-060_BC_SP_VFT_Holiday_13.indd 60 10/31/13 4:14 PM