Andrew Tenzer – Reach Plc: ESG rules? Think again

Andrew Tenzer is Director of Market Insight & Brand Strategy at publisher Reach plc and one half of the team that published three controversial reports into the creative industry: Gut Instinct, The Empathy Delusion and The Aspiration Window.

All three reports set out the case that the creative industry is losing its focus on selling goods and services in favour of promoting green or social causes, mainly because the people in the industry are conditioned to believe these are priorities.

Andrew and his research partner Ian Murray contend that the socio-economic biases of the creative industry are not in tune with mainstream thinking. And Andrew should know; Reach plc is the largest consumer news publisher in the country and his insights shape the news and marketing agenda of this £500m organisation.

This is an extensive interview – so large in fact that we split it into two parts. The interview might make for uncomfortable listening for some in the industry, but our job is to have both sides of this debate in the open.

Andrew discusses the three reports in a highly engaging and entertaining way, and if you don’t want your agency to ignore nearly 50% of the global consumer mindset, then listen on.

In Part 1, we discuss:

• The impact of social media on national health strategies
• The BBC licence fee
• Is trust in decline?
• What inspired Andrew and Ian to question the creative industry’s perspectives
• The East and West’s thinking styles
• How society’s evolution has influenced ad land’s biases
• Social media, confirmation bias and the need for fact-checking
• Ad industry’s individualistic thinking
• How his research has been pulled into the left/right political debate

This is vital listening for planners, strategists and anyone working in new business.

Also – Jeremy Davies delivers some brilliant points on referral and cold new business