In the June-August 2026 issue of NZ Marketing magazine, we asked agency founders to tell us the story behind why they started their agency, their favourite thing, what they’ve learned and their best advice.
Insight Creative
- Founder: Mike Tisdall
- Year founded: 1976
Tell us the story behind founding your agency.
As a 23-year-old who had been working in ad agencies for six years, I was already over the ‘Mad Men’ culture of the time (I still can’t watch that series – far too close to home).
I set up Insight Creative to focus on brochure work. There was no such thing as a ‘design agency’ at the time, but that’s what we were – with ‘strategically right’ at our core.
First client was the Travelodge chain, then American Express, Broadlands Finance, Broadbank and Countrywide Bank. These kept me very busy until the sharemarket took off in the mid-80s and business accelerated rapidly.
Over this period we grew from one person to three. Fifty years on, we now number over 20 with offices in Auckland and Wellington. We look after long-term clients such as Fonterra, Spark, Genesis, F&P Healthcare, NZ Post, NZ Super, Kainga Ora, Kiwi Property, AKL Airport, THL, Vector and Watercare.
What’s your favourite thing about running your own agency?
My favourite thing is the independence.
It means we can stay focused on clients and outcomes, not someone else’s growth targets, reporting cycle or offshore agenda.
It also means we can build the kind of place we want to work in. We’ve always tried to treat people like people, not ‘resources’, and to protect the culture that lets good teams do good work over time.
And I love where the work takes us.
As corporate storytellers, we often get invited into the engine room, sitting with CEOs and senior leadership teams who are carrying real pressure, real scrutiny, real consequences. If you listen properly, ask the right questions, you can help them find clarity and genuinely shift an outcome.
That’s still the buzz for me: helping leaders communicate in a way that moves people and makes a difference.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
The most important thing I’ve learned is that experience isn’t about doing things the old way. It’s about judgement.
You learn how businesses really work, what audiences respond to and how to get to the heart of an issue faster, without unnecessary noise.
The work succeeds or fails long before anyone opens InDesign. If you take the time to properly understand the business, the real problem and the people you need to move, you ask better questions and avoid false starts.
Strategy comes first, so the thinking is right. Creativity then does its job, bringing ideas, writing and design together so the message connects and leads to action.
Consistency matters too. Be straightforward, listen properly and deliver what you promise.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received or given out?
The best advice I give is simple: leave your ego at the door.
Ego is expensive. It clouds judgement, shortens horizons and makes businesses brittle.
In our world it also shows up as chasing fame, awards, attention, growth for growth’s sake. None of that is inherently bad, but when it becomes the goal rather than the by-product of good work, priorities drift and trust erodes.
The agencies and leaders who last put stewardship ahead of self-promotion. They focus on making the client successful, not themselves impressive.
Anything else we should know?
Start succession planning early. It can take longer than you think.
I started planning in my mid-50s, and our managing director Steven Giannoulis has now been in place for over 10 years. This has helped ensure that Insight remains current, curious and well placed for our next 50 years.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 87, June-August 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
Essential marketing intelligence. Don’t miss it.
