The Value of Thought Leadership 2025 report underscores the increasing significance of thought leadership in shaping executive decisions and influencing enterprise buying behaviors. In the past year, 68% of B2B executives have increased their consumption of thought leadership content, citing improvements in relevance, utility, and credibility. Notably, 99% of senior executives now consider thought leadership crucial for evaluating potential advisors, a substantial increase from 2023.
Key findings reveal a shift towards content that offers immediate, actionable advice with a strong emphasis on originality and data-driven insights. Executives now prioritize short-term applicability over long-term forecasting, with 63% seeking guidance for the immediate future (three-12 months). However, a significant challenge remains: distinguishing thought leadership in a market flooded with homogeneous content. Despite a preference for originality, 57% of executives struggle to differentiate between competing providers’ material.
Our findings highlight the importance of interactive and visually appealing content formats to engage leaders effectively. Additionally, leveraging relationship managers for thoughtful content distribution has become far more effective in recent years, as these managers significantly influence the discovery and consumption of thought leadership.
To remain influential and relevant, thought leadership must be provocative, actionable, and tailored to executives' needs, with strategic dissemination to maximize impact.
