Who Really Built Marketing

Marketing, as we know it today, didn’t appear overnight. It was shaped over decades through cultural shifts, creative risks, and people who understood how others think and make decisions.

For much of the early twentieth century, the industry was led publicly by men. Behind many of the most influential campaigns and strategies, women were contributing in ways that often went unrecognized. They brought a level of insight that came from lived experience, especially in understanding who was actually making purchasing decisions.

Women have shaped marketing from the inside out. From early national campaigns to the community-driven brands we see now, their influence runs through every stage of the industry’s growth. They didn’t follow the playbook. They helped write it. So This is a look at how that foundation was built, and why it still matters for entrepreneurs today.

The Women Who Wrote the Blueprint

To understand where marketing is today, it helps to look at the early 1900s, when advertising was still developing its voice. Helen Lansdowne Resor was one of the first to shift how brands communicated. As the first female copywriter at J. Walter Thompson in 1908, she introduced a more direct understanding of the female consumer.

In 1911, she wrote a headline for Woodbury Soap that became widely recognized:
“A skin you love to touch.”

It is often referenced as one of the first uses of sex appeal in advertising. What made it effective was how it spoke to women with awareness of identity, emotion, and desire. It treated them as individuals with agency rather than passive buyers.

She understood something that still drives marketing today. People respond to what feels personal. She later became the agency’s first female vice president and spent years mentoring other women, building a women’s editorial department that created space in an industry that rarely offered it.

Around the same time, Mathilde C. Weil was establishing her own presence in advertising. She founded her agency in 1880, becoming the first woman in the United States to do so. Her perspective was clear. Advertising should reflect the people making purchasing decisions. That idea influenced how campaigns were approached moving forward. Decades later, Mary Wells Lawrence expanded what advertising could look like.

In the 1960s, she became the first woman to lead a major agency, Wells Rich Greene, and the first to take an agency public on the New York Stock Exchange. Her work introduced a more expressive and emotionally driven style of communication.

Campaigns like “I Love New York” and “Quality is Job 1” created strong associations and lasting recognition. Her influence helped shift the tone of advertising toward storytelling and memorability.

From the Mad Men Era to the Digital Shift

For much of the twentieth century, women in advertising were placed into limited roles tied to consumer targeting. Their contributions were often confined to specific segments of the industry. That began to change as more women moved into leadership, strategy, and decision-making roles.

With that shift came a different approach to marketing. There was greater attention to how people actually lived, what they experienced, and how messaging reflected that reality. The closer marketing moved to real life, the more effective it became. As the industry moved into the digital era, communication between brands and audiences became more direct and ongoing.

Marketing started to rely on consistency, interaction, and responsiveness. Audiences expected more visibility and engagement from the brands they followed. The shift toward conversation and community aligned closely with the skills women had been developing for years through storytelling, relationship-building, and audience awareness.

The Modern Landscape: Marketing on Her Terms

Today, women entrepreneurs are continuing to shape how marketing functions in real time.

Many brands are built through direct engagement with their audience. Founders listen, adapt, and involve their communities in the process.

Emily Weiss built Glossier by paying attention to her audience and bringing them into the development of the brand. That approach created a strong sense of connection and participation.

Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye, founder of Ami Colé, uses her platform to expand representation in the beauty industry. Her work reflects a broader range of experiences and brings visibility to perspectives that have often been overlooked.

This is where marketing feels more personal.

Brands reflect real people, real experiences, and real stories. The connection between a brand and its audience becomes stronger when people recognize themselves in what they see.

When people feel seen, they stay. When they stay, they share.

That connection influences how people engage, how they share, and how they stay connected over time.

Carrying the Legacy Forward

There is a clear throughline between early advertising principles and how marketing functions today. Helen Lansdowne Resor emphasized the importance of believability in messaging. Her work focused on reflecting real experiences and building trust through storytelling. That principle continues to shape how content is created.

People respond to messaging that feels grounded and familiar. Emotional connection still plays a role in how decisions are made, even as platforms and tools continue to evolve.

Trust has always been the foundation. The format is what changes.

Women building businesses today are applying these ideas in ways that reflect their own experiences and perspectives. Spaces that support women in business contribute to that growth.

Phoenix Women’s Club creates a place for women to exchange ideas, build relationships, and grow their businesses in an environment where that experience is understood. Building a business carries personal weight. Having access to community, support, and shared perspective changes how that process unfolds.

The Next Chapter

The foundation of marketing was shaped over time by many contributors, including women whose work was not always recognized. That influence continues through the way brands are built and how audiences are engaged today. As more women step into leadership roles, their perspectives continue to shape how marketing evolves. And the brands that last will be the ones that understand people, not just platforms.