Our thinking

On the right track

11 April, 2025

TFL have hit the press this week for declining to consider Accenture Song (a creative agency arm of Accenture) within their creative tender process due to a roll back of the agency’s DEI targets in February of this year. While this isn’t a direct sacking of the agency, it does send clear signals that deprioritising shared values can be a red flag for potential business customers. 

Of course, this target scrapping was not unique to Accenture. As we discussed at the time, in the wake of the re-election of Trump and anti-DEI executive orders, many companies made similar moves including big players like Amazon and Meta. We are still gaining an understanding of just how much the landscape of DEI is changing. The optimists among us think in a lot of cases it is merely language updates and policies remain similar, if slightly shifted.

Perhaps the most striking thing about this move from TFL is the way it catapults value-based procurement decisions into the spotlight. In a conflicted world, where dividing lines are being drawn more clearly, it becomes easier for businesses to demonstrate where they sit, and for customers and consumers to take note. We think this is a sign of things to come – and we’ll also start to appreciate the tube-side posters a little more knowing the principles behind them.

By Anna Heis