This morning I had the pleasure of visiting / photographing / admiring “The Fearless Girl,” a statue that stares down the iconic Wall Street Charging Bull as a statement about women in leadership. What’s especially incredible about this guerrilla art piece is that it was a project by New York agency McCann. The statue is a symbol of powerful women, but it is also a reminder of how advertising can contribute to culture.

Though bad, branded tweets about memes and the tone-deaf Pepsi commercial can make it feel like advertising just steals from culture, it’s nice to see reminders that good advertising can also add to the conversation. We wouldn’t have “whassup?” “got milk?” or even “I Love New York” without advertising shaping culture. Great work seeks to give back.

Hannah Lewman 05.11.17