Man Bites Dog is delighted to share that together with EY, they have been shortlisted for Best Thought Leadership Campaign in The Drum Global B2B Awards 2026.

In a challenging and increasingly regressive ESG environment, EY faced a critical business challenge: demand for its ESG reporting services had stalled just as organisations were facing greater scrutiny, risk and complexity. Traditional sustainability buyers were losing influence, while senior executives increasingly viewed ESG as a compliance issue rather than a strategic priority.

Instead of promoting ESG reporting more loudly, Man Bites Dog helped EY rethink the proposition. Through workshops with senior partners and proprietary research among 250 business leaders, we uncovered a powerful insight: 71% of high-value business decisions are made without complete or reliable information. Businesses were relying on only half the picture.

Man Bites Dog used this insight to create Total Reporting - a new category and productised service that integrates financial and non-financial reporting into a single view of business performance. Supported by our thought leadership platform “Half the picture, or the whole story?” the campaign repositioned ESG reporting from a compliance burden to a driver of decision quality, business value and competitive advantage.

Most importantly, this was thought leadership that changed the business, not just perceptions.

By creating a new category, a new service and a new commercial growth engine, Total Reporting demonstrates the power of thought leadership to reshape markets and deliver measurable business impact.

The results were transformative. A targeted, relationship-led launch resulted in 95% attendance from priority accounts, and Total Reporting became EY UK's most visited web page in the first month. EY Partners have used the framework in conversations with 85% of priority clients, and to date, Total Reporting has delivered a 61x return on investment in pipeline generated (with a 35x return on investment in realised sales).

By creating a new category, a new service and a new commercial growth engine, Total Reporting demonstrates the power of thought leadership to reshape markets and deliver measurable business impact.

Get in touch with our team of B2B experts to discuss how we can help your organisation accelerate growth.