An organization launched with the backing of a Clearwater-based company months ago has now reached over 400 members.
Women of Martech — short for marketing technology — launched in large part thanks to Digital Media Solutions and kicked off in March. Now, it is host to hundreds of members, including those representing Johnson & Johnson, Peloton, Amazon, American Airlines and Viacom.
The organization has the goal of amplifying women's stories, mainly through blog posts and connecting members to one another.
"It's proven women are great talking about the success of other people but not their own successes," said Kathy Bryan, president of Women of Martech and chief marketing officer at DMS. "What we discovered is people say, 'I don't know enough women who have done this or had successes at that,' but there are plenty. We want to make sure there is more visibility."
Bryan said it fills a gap created by the presence of the more broad organizations.
"We knew there was a demand for this, but we didn’t really know how much it would resonate with women," she said. "Tech itself is typically more of a male-oriented field. And if you look within marketing, many times it's the art side of marketing. But it's the [lack of representation of] women on the science side, where it's much easier to say 'I don't know any women right for this position.' And we want to change that."
The organization is currently in its "launch year" and will look at measuring a member base and engagement with a goal of 1,000 members by the end of next year. Membership is free for this year. The long-term goal is to measure the number of women in marketing technology roles, specifically looking at the leadership level, then work to raise that number.
In Tampa Bay, which is having an uptick in companies — specifically technology companies — relocate or expand, the organization can further point to the talent pipeline that exists in the region.
"It's a budding business area and it's a lot of women-owned companies and companies that are being birthed right now," said Jessica Rogers, DMS' chief of staff and the chair of the Women of Martech's diversity and equality opportunities committee. "This is a great way to highlight Tampa Bay, where women in tech and marketing can come together."
