The portrayal of women in advertising was the topic of a talk enjoyed by members of St Thomas Women's Institute.
Lisa Prescott, senior account director at Exeter-based Chalk & Ward Advertising, presented a history lesson entitled 'A Century of Women in Advertising' to the group.
She said: "I was inspired to do this talk by my nan, who is a member of the St Thomas WI. She asked me to give a talk to the ladies about advertising, but I wanted to talk about something that would resonate and was relevant to the ladies.
"The team at Chalk & Ward brainstormed the subject in the office and had the idea of showing how women are portrayed in advertising and how it's changed over the years; everything from the suffrage movement in the 1900s, the housewives of the '50s, girl-power in the '90s and right up to the present day."
Based at Age UK in Cowick Street, St Thomas WI meet once a month and have a different speaker at each meeting.
Lisa's hour-long presentation took the ladies on a visual a journey through advertising history. She donated her speaker's fee to Age UK, the WI's nominated charity.
"The ladies were great, a really friendly bunch who made me feel very welcome," said Lisa. "I really enjoyed putting this project together, it was interesting to see examples of clever advertising campaigns, and how brands used the perception of women and their roles to their advantage. I am going to be presenting it to the team at Chalk & Ward as well as I think everyone can really gain from it."
Anne Moore, president of St Thomas WI, said: "Lisa presented a most wonderful talk on advertising, which took us all back down memory lane.
"Lisa has the most delightful personality, she was full of character. We all really enjoyed ourselves, had a great evening and learnt some of the tricks of the advertising trade."
St Thomas WI are looking for new members. Ladies of all ages are welcome and anyone interested can contact secretary Charlotte Henry on 01392 273765.
