From letterbox to intelligence

CEO Struan Abernethy on how Reach became a data-led, AI-ready marketing group.

We sat down with CEO Struan Abernethy to talk about where Reach has come from, why The Reach Group looks the way it does today, and what businesses can improve with data, multi-channel marketing and AI.

For many, Reach has long been associated with letterbox marketing. And while that channel remains a powerful foundation, the reality is that Reach – and The Reach Group more broadly – has been quietly evolving for years.

Abernethy is at the centre of that evolution. His pragmatic, values-based approach has shaped the business from its early roots into a multi-channel, data-backed marketing group with growing AI capability.

We asked him a few pointed questions.

Reach has been around for a long time. How has it evolved?

“Letterbox was our foundation, but we haven’t been ‘just letterbox’ for a very long time,” Abernethy says.
 “The channel itself has changed, and so have we.”

Reach began more than 22 years ago, built on the simple but powerful idea of getting messages directly into homes. Over time, as consumer behaviour shifted and digital channels exploded, the business leaned into creativity, targeting and smarter campaign design.

“The truth is, we’ve evolved alongside the way people actually make decisions,” Abernethy explains.
 “If your message lives inside the home for up to two weeks, and your digital activity meets people outside the home, that’s a powerful ecosystem.”

Today, Reach delivers affordable, multi-channel marketing campaigns that combine letterbox, DOOH, and digital – all backed by data and executed with speed.

“Reach today is a multi-channel marketing partner backed by real data and real delivery,” he says. “That’s why clients stay with us.”

Why split the business into Reach and Mortal? Why not one brand?

“They’re built for two different jobs,” Abernethy says.
 “Reach is about execution – getting campaigns in market fast, creatively and affordably. Mortal is about intelligence – the data layer, the modelling and the insight that makes every campaign sharper.”

Mortal is the data intelligence engine of The Reach Group. The team brings deep expertise in analytics, spatial modelling and marketing effectiveness. They were instrumental in designing and building the backend intelligence that powers the knOOH platform – a data-led out of home digital marketplace that allows brands to plan, buy and measure digital OOH media with far greater precision. This IP and knOOH product is now firmly established as the OOH industry currency via the Out of Home Media Association Aotearoa.

This Reach and Mortal partnership gives the group a level of data capability and technical depth that is genuinely rare in the New Zealand market.

“Most businesses try to cram those worlds into one brand,” says Abernethy. “We didn’t, because we wanted excellence in both.”

Together, the brands form a connected ecosystem: delivery powered by intelligence.

“That’s what makes The Reach Group far more effective than a traditional agency model.”

AI is everywhere right now. What are you seeing in NZ businesses?

Abernethy measures his words. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm, which is great,” he says.
“But enthusiasm without foundations can be expensive.”

He’s seeing many businesses rush into using AI tools without the basics in place.

“AI won’t fix a weak strategy. It accelerates whatever’s already there – good or bad. Businesses who are doing this well are embedding AI tools into organisational infrastructure, not just adopting apps for end users.”

The Reach Group’s approach has been to focus first on clean data, clear use cases and commercial outcomes. From there, AI becomes an enabler rather than a distraction.

“Our mindset is simple,” he says. “Get the fundamentals right, then layer in AI where it actually creates value.”

That thinking has led to Becky – The Group’s forthcoming agentic AI campaign planner. Designed as an open, adaptive intelligence layer, Becky connects data, channel logic and campaign variables to dynamically map and optimize multi-channel activity, making sophisticated marketing planning faster, more accessible, and far less manual.

Culture seems to be a big part of Reach’s reputation. Why does that matter?

For Abernethy, culture isn’t a buzzword – it’s the life force of the entire organisation.

“We’re incredibly human,” he says. “We listen, we adapt fast and we don’t overcomplicate things.”

That mindset has shaped how The Reach Group hires, how it works with clients and how decisions get made.

“Our culture is grounded in values, not vanity metrics,” he explains. “It means clients trust us with their brand because they know we’ll deliver – and deliver well.”

In a market crowded with noise, complexity and over-promising, that simplicity has become a competitive advantage.

A key priority in the business transformation was getting the culture right. Before systems or platforms, the focus was on people – bringing the right humans on the journey and building a team that genuinely cared about where the business was heading.

That focus is informed by experience. Abernethy has strong pedigree in this space, having previously led a business recognised as one of New Zealand’s Best Places to Work. Today, that same values-led approach has seen Reach shortlisted for Best Places to Work in 2025.

For The Group, culture isn’t a side initiative, it’s the foundation that enables everything else to move faster and with purpose.

“At the end of the day, great marketing is still a people business.”

So what’s next for The Reach Group?

The answer is evolution, not reinvention.

“We’re focused on being proactive, not reactive,” Abernethy says.
“Building capability ahead of where the market is heading, not chasing trends after the fact.”

That means continuing to strengthen data intelligence through Mortal, expanding multi-channel delivery through Reach and developing AI in a way that’s grounded, useful and commercially sound.

“Our North Star hasn’t changed,” he says. “We’re about helping businesses make better marketing decisions – with less waste, less guesswork and more confidence.”

And if the past six years are anything to go by, under Struan Abernethy’s leadership, The Reach Group is just getting started.

Reach.nz

mortal.nz

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