Studio Ghibli Aesthetic, Real-World Impact: Women in creative leadership at CROING

If you’ve been on social media lately, you might have noticed a trend transforming everyday photos into breathtaking images that look like they belong in a Studio Ghibli film. These AI-generated artworks capture the dreamy, painterly aesthetic that makes Ghibli movies so enchanting—soft colors, warm light, and an almost magical quality.

At first glance, our latest image could be mistaken for one of these. It features women in leadership, reimagined in the Ghibli style. But here’s the thing: this is not a fantasy. This is real.

The Reality of Being Part of the 0.1%

CROING is a women-founded, women-led creative agency, and while that sounds like it should be common, the reality is far from it. In the advertising and creative industries, women-owned agencies make up less than 0.1% of the total. Not even 1%—a fraction of it.

For Women’s Month, we’re not celebrating this number as a badge of honor. Instead, we’re treating it as a call to action. Because being the exception should not be the norm.

Why Does This Matter?

When leadership lacks diversity, creativity suffers. Women bring perspectives, ideas, and approaches that challenge the status quo and drive innovation. Yet, despite making up more than half of the workforce in marketing and advertising, women—especially women of color—remain underrepresented in executive roles and agency ownership.

At CROING, we’ve built a space where women don’t just have a seat at the table—we built the table. But that’s not enough. We want to see more women in leadership, more women shaping narratives, and more agencies founded and led by diverse voices.

The Studio Ghibli Trend & The Power of Visual Storytelling

Trends like the Ghibli-style portraits remind us of the power of visual storytelling. They take something ordinary and make it extraordinary—just like branding and marketing do. But the difference is that in our industry, we shouldn’t have to “reimagine” women in leadership to make them visible. We should simply see them.

That’s why our Women’s Month campaign is about visibility, action, and change. We want to spotlight more women founders, more creative leaders, and more voices that have been historically overlooked. We want this industry to reflect the world we live in, not just the fantasy versions of it.

So, What’s Next?

Let’s move beyond aesthetics and into action.

• If you’re in a leadership role, how are you creating space for others?

• If you’re in a hiring position, are you prioritizing diversity—not just in words, but in actions?

• If you’re a woman in this industry, what can you do today to support another woman’s growth?

The 0.1% shouldn’t be a limit—it should be a starting point for change.

This is not a fairytale. It’s reality. And it’s time to rewrite the story.