diluted, but is thought leadership dead, dying or dynamic
TRANSCRIPT
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP DISRUPTED
‘Diluted, but is thought leadership dead, dying or dynamic?’
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
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Thought leadership diluted
3
The landscape
Knowledge businesses
Big picture positioning
Disrupters
4
Thought leadership today
Knowledgebusinesses
• Strategic and tactical• Brand and sales return• Rooted in core service proposition• Immediacy vs dilution
Examples: McKinsey | E&Y | IT industry | Professional Services
5
Thought leadership today
Big picture positioning
• Ingredient in a bigger campaign• Strategic purpose• Linked to societal challenge• Brand return• Rooted in core service
Examples: Shell Energy Scenarios | IBM Smarter Planet | GE Ecomagination
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Thought leadership today
Disrupters
• Actions louder than words• We learn in their slipstream• Will they change as they mature?
Examples: Uber | Tesla | Airbnb | Amazon
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Thought leadership today
• Strategic and tactical• Brand and sales return• Rooted in core service
proposition• Immediacy vs dilution
Examples: McKinsey | E&Y | IT industry
• Ingredient in a bigger campaign
• Strategic purpose• Linked to societal challenge• Brand return• Rooted in core service
Examples: Shell Energy Scenarios | IBM Smarter Planet | IO
• Action over words• Learn from their slipstream• Will they change as they
mature?
Examples: Uber | AirBnB | Amazon
Knowledge businesses Big picture positioning Disrupters
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The opportunity
Increased Desire
Flexible Strategy
High Rewards
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The new rule book
Raising the bar on content
Management Discipline
Presentation, Delivery and Distribution
Marketers need to rebalance and professionalise their approach
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The new rule bookCredible
Relevant
Innovative
Transformative
Impactful
Compelling
Accessible
Raising the bar on content
Why are we doing this?Find the critical concept
Credible
Impactful
Transformative
Compelling
Accessible
Lasting
Relevant
Innovative
CRITICAL
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Thought leadership – CRITICAL scorecard
Credible
• Quality of research and robustness of data
• Expert opinion• Respect attributed to research partner• Subject where company has permission
to publish
0-5
Impactful• Starts or drives a conversation which builds
momentum• Measurable with KPIs aligned to objectives• Changes perceptions of the company• Ignites change
0-5
Relevant• Goes to the heart of a pressing issue• Rooted in your company’s purpose,
values , strategy or operations• Connects to organisation’s relationships
with its industry or communities
0-5
Compelling
• Big picture • Relevant and valuable to the audience • Persuasiveness of idea• Values of an independent publisher
0-5
Innovative• Original thought or ideas • Pushes forward the boundaries of
knowledge • Time to market on idea or perspective
0-5
Accessible
• Breaks ground in visual literacy, distribution and use of technology
• Plays in every format• Potential to serialise with a ‘breadcrumb trail
‘and set pieces
0-5
Transformative
• Challenges conventional thinking• Ability to ignite change• Big picture, ‘white space’ thinking
0-5
Lasting• The central concept has longevity and will
drive a lasting conversation• Commitment to the theme• Planned schedule of interventions
0-5
Add 0-5 rating scale against each criteria
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The new rule book
The Management Imperative
1. Set the strategic context2. Process for developing thought
leadership concepts3. Protocol for internal alignment and
collaboration4. Planning and delivery system to include
an editorial board5. Clear policy on employee amplification6. Method of evaluating ROI, sentiment
and tactical effectiveness
Management Discipline
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The new rule book
7 Trends to watch in executive thought leadership
1. ‘Globalisation’ debate2. Cause fatigue3. Big data4. Return of long form content5. Visual storytelling6. Virtual Reality7. What’s beyond LinkedIn?
Presentation, Delivery and Distribution
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The new rule book
Raising the bar on content
Management discipline
Presentation, delivery and distribution
Marketers need to rebalance and professionalise their approach
15
Let’s continue the conversation…
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP DISRUPTED‘Devalued but is thought leadership dead, dying or dynamic?’
Hill+Knowlton Strategies