Radford University advertising students, faculty and ad club members
traveled to Roanoke on Wednesday, Oct. 10, to hear Jane Maas, author of
"Mad Women," share a woman's perspective of life on Madison Avenue during
the 1960s and '70s. They learned about the research driven,
ground-breaking creative that marked a revolution in advertising and her
work on the "I love New York" campaign.

They also heard her funny, sad and juicy inside stories, gathered from ad
men and women she worked with, from the junior account man whose wife
nearly left him when she found the copy of Screw magazine he'd used to
find "entertainment" for a client, to the Ogilvy & Mather agency's
legendary annual sex-and-booze filled Boat Ride.

But Maas, who made her way to the top of the male-dominated ad world, also
drew from her captivating personal experience and countless interviews
with peers to address the toughest issues of the era: equal pay,
jaw-dropping sexism, and the painful choice many women faced between
motherhood and their careers. Women earned half of what their male
counterparts earned, couldn't get credit cards, and wouldn't be assigned
to work on accounts that involved autos, finance or alcohol. While there
have been many changes, the mother of two noted that women still ask her
about balancing families and work, and that there's still work to be done.

"Good luck as you embark on your careers," she told the students. "It's an
exciting industry."

Students also had the opportunity to network with Roanoke advertising and
public relations professionals at the event. The talk was a regular lunch
meeting of The American Advertising Federation, Roanoke Chapter, Roanoke¹s
only professional organization devoted entirely to the business of
advertising. Professionals in the areas of graphic design, marketing, TV
and radio, photography, printing, web design and more, come together to
represent a diversity of companies from our community.