E12: Jay Richards at Imagen on what Gen Z really think about your brand

Mad Influence

Jay Richards, co-founder and CEO of Imagen, joins Mad Influence to talk about his research agency which pays thousands of its Gen Z community to help brands and agencies shape culture. We chat about how he started out by setting up his first business selling t-shirts aged 14, after an injury put an end to his pro football career. In the brutally honest spirit of Imagen, we also talk about everything from why brands are often too quick to believe their own hype, how it’s not a natural human instinct to accept feedback, and why Gen Z reports often fill Jay with fear. We also talk about how Jay felt when he put his own brand through his research process (spoiler: it was equal parts stressful and rewardingl!) and some of his proudest projects working with brands like Gymshark, Ebay and Pepsico.

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Key topics

• Gen Z
  
• Starting a business when you’re young
  
• Creating a business on a shoestring
  
• Creating a brand or product with your target market
  
• How to accept feedback
  
• Breaking free from echo chambers
  
• Creative diversity
  
• How to be a Netflix and not a Blockbuster
  
• Greenwashing, and making genuine commitment to causes like sustainability and Black Lives Matter
  
• Why brands like TALA and Nike will always win

Where to find us

Guest: linkedin.com/in/jaykrichards/, imageninsights.com, Imagen This podcast at anchor.fm/jay-richards5

Host: @madinfluencepod on Twitter and linkedin.com/in/helensaul/

This episode was recorded remotely with music by Joseph McDade