The ROI of Thought Leadership

The power of corporate thought leadership, finally quantified through expansive rigorous empirical research The ROI of Thought Leadership: Calculating the Value that Sets Organizations Apart reveals the findings of rigorious research conducted by authors Anthony Marshall and Cindy Anderson, leaders at IBM's Institute for Business Value (IBV), where they surveyed more than 4,000 C-level executives—half CEOs, half CFOs, CSCOs, CTOs and CIOs—to ask about their consumption of thought leadership content and the influence it has on their business purchase decisions and investments, as well as the use of generative AI in the production and consumption of thought leadership. The book also includes tools such as an “value calculator” that empowers every reader to assess the potential return for their specific organization. This book reveals the surprising findings of the research and answers questions, such as: How many people consume thought leadership and in what form? How many CEOs and executives say they have made a purchase decision? How much corporate spending is driven by thought leadership? How are organizations that produce thought leadership materials perceived and how are they rewarded? The ROI of Thought Leadership: Calculating the Value that Sets Organizations Apart is an essential read for all business leaders seeking to finally understand the true business value of thought leadership initiatives.

Foreword by Robert Safian vii Introduction 1 Part I By the Numbers: How Thought Leadership Creates Value 9 1 Thought Leadership Boosts Business Performance and Drives Spending 11 2 Producing Thought Leadership Delivers Clear ROI 29 3 Calculating Your Organization’s Specific Thought Leadership ROI 43 Part II Building a Valuable Thought Leadership Capability 55 4 Rise Above the Fray: Creating Next-Level Thought Leadership 57 5 Eight Thought Leadership Archetypes 77 6 Unlocking Value: What Moves the Needle 93 Part III the Four Key Elements of Thought Leadership Execution 103 7 Balancing Your Thought Leadership Portfolio 105 8 Mastering the Mechanics of Storytelling 115 9 Optimizing a Thought Leadership Operating Model 129 10 Engaging With Targeted Business Leaders 155 Part IV Accountability and Outcomes 175 11 Measuring Your Success 177 12 The Thought Leadership Multiplier Effect 185 13 The Value of Thought Leadership, Quantified. Finally. 193 Notes 195 Appendix: Survey Methodology 205 Acknowledgments 209 About the Authors 211 Index 213