Posts Tagged ‘thought leadership example’

Einstein’s great insight for thought leadership

Einstein offers great insights for thought leaders

In a guest post on Problogger,  

http://tiny.cc/mfjhz  Graham Phoenix of Male eXperience talks about rogue bloggers and there are some delightful insights and some inherent tips for thought leaders.

In particular, Albert Einstein’s quote stands out like a beacon for any person or business wanting to be a thought leader:  “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.”
—Albert Einstein.

Thought leaders don’ play it safe

Merely playing safe is not going to help you as a thought leader and is a sure-fire path to mediocrity and obscurity.  To this end Corbett Barr, from Think Traffic in Graham’s post had this to say:  “I’m saying you have to look fear in the eye, realize that fear is hiding some of your richest potential material, punch fear in the face and take whatever it was hiding from you and put that in your writing.”

The same applies to you if you want to be a thought leader.  It is indeed a tough challenge for many corporations but there are also many who get it right – think Virgin, IBM, Deloitte, Booze & Company and Apple to mention a few.

What should your thought leadership be doing?

Your thought leadership position should:

·         Challenge and raise questions in your field of expertise around new thinking and new ways of doing things

·         Stretch your clients to think “What if?”

·         Frame the debate and create conversations

·         Provide new insights to a particular topic area/sector/area of expertise, and most importantly;

·         Hone in on the challenges and issues your clients or your targets face now and into the future.

By doing this you will be taking a leaf out of Einstein’s book and choosing to express your opinions courageously and honestly.

Manpower Milwaukee gets thought leadership

I won’t cover all of it – you can read the entire ad in the link above but I just love the way these guys have advertised for a thought leadership position.  The fact that a Manpower dept is doing this says volumes for them and where they are on the marketing continuum.

This is how they start the ad:  “This position reports to the VP of Thought Leadership (wow they even have a VP of Thought Leadership) and is responsible for developing and executing thought leadership materials in support of business goals and to increase revenue. “

And then I love this bit.  Why?  Because it is all about the client and candidates precisely the focus a brand’s thought leadership strategy should have:  “This position will work cross functionally with all of the marketing team in support of the lines of business in their dealings with clients and candidates.”
 
It gets even more interesting.  Under the heading Thought Leadership Strategy, it says

·        Develop and implement an overall thought leadership materials strategy to support Manpower’s business objectives as well as enhance sales and revenue.

·        Design and manage consistent process for collecting topic ideas, tracking subject matter experts, and measuring the success of various communications channels

Well done guys, I hope you find the dream candidate.

Is there anyone else out there who has seen actual thought leadership positions advertised?  Let me know.

BMW sets great example for thought leadership

BMW fast tracks its thought leadership

If you’re interested about how we will all get around in the future put these dates in your diaries – February 1^st, 8^th , 15^th, and the 22^nd.  On each of these days BMW will release one part of its four part documentary series on future technology, culture, cities, etc and how it relates to the future of mobility.

This is a great example of thought leadership from one of the world’s leading car brands.  Fellow PR practitioner, Trevor Young alerted me to it in his blog and it was too good an opportunity not to follow up and analyse in more detail.  

The BMW microsite dedicated to this thought leadership piece describes the project as follows:

“Wherever You Want To Go” is the first release under BMW Documentaries—a new franchise dedicated to crafting original, thought-provoking and entertaining content. The film aims to take audiences to a place they’ve truly never been: the future. From the minds of some of the most influential scientists, academics, pioneers, and entrepreneurs of our time, this four-part documentary paints a unique picture of technology, culture, cities, our past, present and how it all relates to the future of mobility.

“Wherever You Want To Go” is not meant to provide definitive answers, but rather, to ask the right questions from the right people in an attempt to generate discussion, provoke thought and stir the imagination. As part of the Activate the Future website, viewers are also encouraged to click and comment on various points throughout the documentary.

BMWActivatetheFuture.com was created to get users actively involved in the ever-evolving conversation on the future of mobility. Over the coming months, this site will continue to explore new ways to shape the future of mobility and will encourage users’ opinions and participation along the way.

Hitting the thought leadership button on its head

In every way the intentions of BMWActivatetheFuture.com hits the right thought leadership buttons – time will tell whether this truly is a thought leadership platform or just a great PR gimmick.  My instincts tell me that this campaign goes to the very culture of the organisation and is one that will grow to become a great thought leadership piece.

One only need examine the explanation above to realise in principle, it ticks all the right thought leadership boxes i.e.

·         it is not overtly product focused

·         it aims to generate discussion

·         it maximises the use of third party experts

·         it proactively promotes discussion and interaction with the brand through multiple channels

·         it is a conversation and encourages debate

·         it is clearly of interest to most of us who drive cars

·         it will provide a great platform for BMW experts and leaders to talk about the future of mobility.

But there are some key thought leadership questions that need to be asked

As the campaign progresses, there are some key questions that will need to answered in order to measure its efficacy:

1.       Does it/has it met its objectives and what were these?  Have these been clearly set out?

2.       Are these objectives measurable?  If so what measurement criteria have been put in place?

3.       Will it directly impact sales or brand awareness over time and how is this being measured?

4.       Is it going to become part of the culture of the entire organisation right down to the sales guy on the floor of BMW dealership and how is this being achieved?

5.       How is the content being stretched and leveraged across multiple audiences and channels?

6.       What commitment (time and resources) are the BMW executives giving to this campaign?   

These are for starters, I’m sure you probably have a whole lot more and I would love to hear them if you do.  These six questions will drive rigorous focus and, I believe, greater success for the campaign in the long-term.

Well done BMW, I can’t wait for the first documentary tomorrow.  FYI, it is entitled “The new city” and according to the website, it is about the way we live and how it will impact the way we move.

Bernard Salt’s tips on what it takes to become a thought leader

Bernard Salt is Australia’s pre-eminent thought leader on consumer and demographic trends and represents KPMG at conferences around the globe to share his insights.

Here he shares his views on what it takes to become a thought leader and some valuable tips on how to get there.  Even though I have researched thought leadership for years and have written a book on it, Brand Stand: seven steps to thought leadership, I found some of Bernard’s insights very illuminating and I hope you do too.

1.   Bernard, you have successfully positioned yourself as a thought leader on Australian consumer culture and demographic trends.  Given your experience, what tips can you give aspiring thought leaders in other industries? 

“You must believe in yourself when others don’t, when there is no reward, no recognition, when no-one wants to interview you or pay for your views.  And you must do it with good humour year after year.  And then, one day, you break through and all the dissenters and critics and naysayers just melt away.  It’s a test of endurance, of personal belief and of courage.  Some might say it’s also a test of foolishness.  There are no guarantees.  You might just be deluded into thinking that your views are worthy of a national audience.” 

2.    Please describe some of the personal and KPMG brand benefits you have accrued as a result of becoming a thought leader in your field?   

“I am in spaces and meetings that KPMG would not normally get into.  I can cut through into relationships where an auditor or tax expert cannot.  I offer a left field bridge to critical relationships.  And because I am in these meetings with business and political leaders at the highest level i am able to offer advice as to who to talk to about different issues.  I’m act like a traffic cop.” 

3.   In building your thought leadership position, what has been your key differentiating factor/s and has there been one stand out tactic that has helped you achieve this?   

“No point being a thought leader unless you can pitch your ideas.  That means you need the skill of presenting.  Not just a good presenter but an outstanding communicator. During the 1990s i wrote reports (like thousands of other consultants) but this is not what business wants.  What business wants is a compelling case pitched verbally with passion and with direction.  Hone your speaking and presentation skills.  And then hone again.  Watch good speakers and presenters.  Watch stand up comedians, they are brilliant at controlling an audience.   Get to the point, speak passionately, use words well (you must be articulate), and connect with your audience.  And when you think you are good enough in that skill area go out and learn some more because you are never good enough at speaking, pitching and presenting.  And don’t be precious about pitching saying oh but I haven’t prepared or I haven’t got my notes.  If you are so damned good you can pitch your ideas with 10 seconds notice. “

4.   Someone once said it takes 15 years to achieve overnight success – what has the journey been like from being one of a host of commentators battling to gain share of voice to someone who is sought after for his views in your space? 

“From my first public quote (1989) to entree to the speaking circuit (2001) is 12 years.  I started my column in 2003.  There is no start point.  I have been gearing to what I do now for 35 years, I just didn’t know that’s where I was headed at 15.  And yet looking back it’s always where I was headed.  I get lots of people saying they want to do what I do.  And it’s admirable that they have the sense to ask straight up how to get there and how to do it.  Saves a lot of stuffing about.  But I can tell from a 2 minute phone call they haven’t got it.  Other people, I think they could do it if they wanted to but many don’t want it.  You have to want it.  You have to take hits.  You have to be the last person standing when all other pretenders have melted away. “

5.       You deliver a lot of interesting and informative content on your site http://www.bernardsalt.com.au/  and you have written numerous books covering a range of topics.  What are the benefits of providing so much content and what’s your advice, in particular to companies who seem to think that giving away too much content will reveal too much to the competition? 

“This is a good question.  There are a lot of people who I am aware copy my material, style and approach (without attribution–there is no protection against intellectual theft).  But the way i figure it is that it’s my job to remain intellectually creative to such a degree that pretenders are continually left with the option but to copy.  The only people who are paranoid about giving away material are people who do not have faith that they are creatively superior to those who would copy them.  Copy away.  I’ll just think up other stuff.  It keeps me sharp.”

6.   What, do you believe, are some of the barriers that hold corporations back from becoming thought leaders and what would your advice be to them to overcome these? 

“Corporations need to be patient with thought leaders.  And commercial organisations are notoriously impatient.  I was able to deliver commercial value as well as evolve into thought leadership.  Not an easy balance.  Partly the reason is that thought leaders get to a point where they believe they can act more freely and successfully without the organisation.  I always thought I could go further with a global commercial partner than without.  And I was right.  I speak across the globe today courtesy of KPMG International.  I couldn’t have done that by myself. “

Interview on thought leadership with PR practitioner Craig Pearce

Craig Pearce

This is the first in what will be a series of interviews with thought leaders from around the globe and from different walks of life and industries.

In this one I ask five thought leadership related questions of Craig Pearce, a PR practitioner who has an interesting blog on all things PR.  You can visit his blog at  http://craigpearce.info/

1.      Craig you are in the process, and a successful one at that, of positioning yourself as a thought leader in the PR industry – are there some tips you can give to aspiring thought leaders in other industries?

I am not so convinced I am in the process of positioning myself as a thought leader for one main reason: I think it is rare for me to put forward original thinking. Most of my discussions on public relations and marketing – my area of, um, expertise… – are based on ideas that have been promulgated by academics like James Grunig or that I have learnt off my peers.

There are occasions, certainly, where I have articulated notions that you don’t seem to hear too much of, such as when I wrote that marketing should report to public relations, social media belongs to public relations and PR is not media relations. But that might be more to do with one of the attributes that I do believe characterises thought leaders: bravery.

There are some that might say this is more like stupidity, or career suicide, but after a year in which I was retrenched and felt forced, to a large degree, to enhance awareness of my skills and knowledge, I have no regrets.

But you need to have some sort of point of difference. It doesn’t have to be huge, but there needs to be a point of view you are putting forward. In the best case scenario, this point of view adds value to those who you want to interact with or position yourself favourably with.

An inherent dimension of learning off others is that it may well be that even if your stakeholders recognise you are no genius, if you are making the effort to reflect on original thinking or issues, and occasionally shine a perceptive light on this thinking or issue, maybe that’s enough.

Certainly, there are lots of watchers and critics in this world: those of us that are actually contributing, or going beyond the bounds of what is absolutely necessary are in the minority. Because of that, we’re of some value.

For a thought leader to be positioned as a thought leader they need to engage in two essential activities: think and articulate that thinking.

Whilst I don’t claim to be an intellectual or a great original thinker, I do at least put the grunt in. The posts on my Public relations and managing reputation blog are not something I quickly reel off. It takes a considerable amount of time to get them to a point where I am (relatively) happy with them. It is not a walk in the park.

A third stream to this is going to the trouble of bringing your thinking to people’s attention. In the context of a blog, this includes SEO and using networks like Twitter, LinkedIn etc.

I think having a problem solving, aspirational attitude and/or approach is a good one to have. Being fixated with the negative is all too easy. I leave that to the media. Another dimension of attitude (and the bravery mentioned earlier) is that it is good to disagree with others, it is good to challenge the orthodoxy and taken-as-read assumptions, which are all too often arrived at in a lazy, undisciplined manner.

This will not always make you friends, but I have plenty of friends. And I don’t expect them to agree with me all the time, either.

One approach to thought leadership is looking at it from a strategic, or SWOT-centric perspective. Look at the information/topics out there and the approaches existing thought leaders are taking. Then a ‘strategic approach’ can be taken to the generation of a thought leadership platform or program.

And there is nothing wrong with this, but it does sound a bit contrived, doesn’t it? If the platform is not sincere, if it doesn’t add value, then it won’t get cut through. I don’t think the importance of passion to all this can be underestimated.

2.      What do perceive as the key benefits of a thought leadership position for an individual? 

Creating that point of difference between yourself and all the other hens in the chook yard is the main one.

What does that mean? Career opportunities, helping your organisation stand out from the crowd to win new and bigger business, enhanced self-esteem and peer recognition are some benefits.

The snowball effect of learning even more from those wiser than you is another positive, as is the constant challenge you feel in needing to come up with new topics. This brings with it a sense of ‘edge’ that I enjoy.

3.      In a previous life you were heavily immersed in the corporate world.  What are some of the barriers that stand in the way of corporations becoming thought leaders and what would your advice be to overcome these?

I think of the world’s leading public relations academic, Professor James Grunig, and his notions of two-way symmetrical communication in this context. Organisations, to be effective in their ‘management’ of stakeholder relationships need to recognise that they may need to change to meet stakeholder needs and wants. And they may need to give their stakeholders information they want if they are to satisfy them.

Essentially, organisations should open themselves up more, share their expertise and not be so control-centred. They need to realise that there are profoundly important issues at play here, including the survival of the planet and the future of the human race.

Corporates rule the world, not governments, and most of them should be taking a much broader socially-centric (not shareholder-centric) view of the world and behaving in this manner, too. Public relations can help them do this.

Until they get real in this context their thought leadership is all about product and financial bottom lines. Yes, this pays our bills as PR folk but it doesn’t do much for the soul.

4.      What is the key differentiating factor between a thought leader and others in their industry?  

Well, one key differentiating factor is that they care about what they are talking about. In fact, they are probably passionate about it. I certainly am in my field.

If you are passionate and you are constantly making a contribution, I think you can be forgiven a lot. You are putting yourself at risk by challenging orthodoxies (and if you don’t ever challenge orthodoxies then I don’t think you are a thought leader). It is hard to pull that off without being passionate about it. You might get away with it for a while, but people will see through you in the end.

Not only are thought leaders passionate about their topic, they are often passionate about helping others, whether it is their peers, customers, the community etc

5.      Thought leadership and innovation – do the two necessarily go hand in hand?

The easy answer is yes, but I don’t think that is necessarily the case.

As I implied earlier, the distillation and/or crystallisation of ideas/thoughts into a form that is useful for stakeholders is an important criteria that I don’t think should be underestimated.

Innovation – first and/or best of species – certainly helps kick thought leadership along, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. Customisation of this innovation in a relevant way to stakeholders is also important.

Great examples of two different thought leaders

In the past 24 hours I have come across two great examples of thought leadership aimed at the SME market.

The first is blogger,  Chris Brogan  http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ I subscribed to his newsletter and in his latest article, he recommended a site called Small Biz Survival  http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/ .  What struck me about both these sites was the wonderful abundance mentality when it comes to sharing useful information.  Both characteristics of true thought leaders.

For all those aspiring thought leaders out there I suggest you visit these sites to gain a view as to how powerful a) online can be as  a repository for thought leadership content, and b) how generous both sites are in the way the discuss and share solutions with their target audiences – no strings attached.

Chris advises businesses, organizations, and individuals on how to use social media and social networks to build relationships and deliver value.  Becky McRay started Small Biz Survival because as she says on her site, she is “a small town entrepreneur.  I write about small business and rural issues, based on my own successes and failures.”

Here are two thought leaders who have built a niche for themselves in their respective areas of expertise by following the basic steps of driving a thought leadership position.

If you have any other examples you’d like to share of people like Becky and Chris, please let me know.

Thought leadership case study – Dove

Dove – the quintessential thought leadership case study:

When Dove launched its Campaign for Real Beauty, little did it realize the global impact it would have on women and the debate around real beauty, let alone double-digit growth for the brand in the second business quarter of 2005, a sales increase of 11 percent in the first quarter of 2005 and a total US dollar sale increase of 6 percent to $500 million.

This was a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) product launched in a truly unconventional way, through a website that does not carry one advertisement nor mention any of Dove’s products. It took very brave marketing executives at Dove to make that decision and hats off to them, because this has to rank as one of the world’s best examples of a great thought leadership campaign.

Effectively what the campaign did was create a forum for women to participate in a dialogue and debate around the definition and standards of beauty. The campaign aimed to ‘change the status quo and offer in its place a broader, healthier, more democratic view of beauty’. The dedicated website http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com is a wonderful example of how to engage with a target audience online.

The campaign started with a research paper, ‘The US Dove Report: challenging beauty^’ ,  http://tiny.cc/Fu4Sf which was followed by publication of a second major research report: ‘The real truth about beauty: a global report’ http://tiny.cc/VTxv4 . And while there are many elements to the campaign, Dove initially invited women to the website to participate in a conversation about beauty stereotypes. Advertising, billboards and a PR campaign helped direct women to the site, but it was the website which became the spiritual hub of the campaign.

Thought leadership in action – engaging with your consumer

The site was designed to be a ‘starting point for societal change’ as well as a sanctuary for women, and it represents what Dove believes. Dove invited women to engage in a global dialogue about beauty stereotypes that it says had a ‘profound effect on the self-esteem of women’. The website is personal and private, and encourages women to express how they feel, while giving them the opportunity to have their voice heard through an online voting system. It also has a variety of tools to help improve the self-esteem of girls and women.

To this end, the Dove Self Esteem Fund was recently launched to help free the next generation of women from self-limiting beauty stereotypes. It aims to reach five million young women by the end of 2010.

Long-term thought leadership

Dove tapped into something deep and enduring. It engaged with its customers in a way it never has before and in a way many products never will. In so doing, it has created customer evangelists and great word-of-mouth for the brand. It is also used in presentations around the world as an example of a company truly engaging with its customers on issues which really matter to them.

The Dove campaign for real beauty is the quintessential thought leadership campaign for four key reasons:

• It taps into the needs and hits the hot buttons of its target audience
• It identifies the passion and emotion in the brand
• It readily provides great content
• It cuts the umbilical cord with its products and focuses on issues which matter to its target audiences.

The issue, real beauty and self esteem, became synonymous with the brand and Dove now owns that space.

The Dove campaign is a great reminder to all of us marketers, brand, advertising or public relation professionals about why we should be brave with our work.