Like all thoroughbreds, our spokespeople have been assessed, trained and we have fine-tuned their messages – and for what purpose?
Obviously, we want to build high impact voices that support the marketing efforts and resonate across the market – in short, “Thought Leaders”.
Easily said, but “thought leadership” is over-used and often abused, so let’s be clear about just what it means. According to Business News Daily “a thought leader is someone who, based on their expertise and industry perspective, offers unique guidance, inspires innovation and influences others.”
There are two key characteristics in that definition – “expertise” and “industry perspective.” A thought leader obviously knows their business inside out, and industry perspective is another way of saying they have a clear “big picture” opinion about where their industry is going and how to get there.
Who is a thought leader?
Asking for a list of today’s thought leaders would spark a robust debate, but it would have to include the late Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. Their astonishing innovation has had a lasting influence on society as well as their own industries. Vastly different personalities, they are all authentic leaders; none pretending to be anything other than what and who they are as their own industries. Vastly different personalities, they are all authentic leaders; none pretending to be anything other than what and who they are and they are indeed thought leaders. When they speak, people listen!
Obviously most corporate leaders are not at this level, but identified and positioned correctly, they are relevant voices who deserve a platform.
Where to place them?
At Priority, we frequently pitch qualified client spokespeople to the print media that are themselves regarded as thought leaders; Forbes, Fortune, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times. Their readers want long form written content that uses great story-telling to present considered argument and thought-provoking perspectives. Largely Western in origin, they are global in coverage and essential reading for business and government leaders in our region.
Fortunately we see a growing number of authoritative local media. The Edge in Singapore and Malaysia, BusinessWorld in the Philippines, and Kompas in Indonesia, are building their own credibility for high quality content that informs and educates their readers. Alongside the main daily newspapers in each country, which have Opinion and business commentary pages alongside syndicated columns from major global news sources, these media offer highly credible platforms for our thought leadership content.
Enterprise Publishing
There are enormous opportunities for senior spokespeople to build their leadership voice using their personal and corporate LinkedIn pages, and possible a blog on their company website, material included in annual reports and other stakeholder outreach materials. These are all “owned media,” so the message can be delivered in full without editorial intervention and building a LinkedIn or blog profile for our clients’ leaders is very much part of our strategic client plans.
Follow the rules
There are a few rules around the nature of thought leadership content. Just as during an interview, excessive mention of the company name or a competitor is going to backfire. Relevant storytelling and case studies validate the position but of course, all must be mapped to the news relevance and focus within each country. People too frequently see South East Asia as a homogeneous block, but the reality is far from that with unique nations at polar ends of the spectrum when it comes to development, GDP and national focus.
When the objective is not a quick tactical win, but a longer-term strategic advance, the placement of the right written content in the right publication is an ideal use of the leader’s voice.
Like all thoroughbreds, our spokespeople have been assessed, trained and we have fine-tuned their messages – and for what purpose?
Obviously, we want to build high impact voices that support the marketing efforts and resonate across the market – in short, “Thought Leaders”.
Easily said, but “thought leadership” is over-used and often abused, so let’s be clear about just what it means. According to Business News Daily “a thought leader is someone who, based on their expertise and industry perspective, offers unique guidance, inspires innovation and influences others.”
There are two key characteristics in that definition – “expertise” and “industry perspective.” A thought leader obviously knows their business inside out, and industry perspective is another way of saying they have a clear “big picture” opinion about where their industry is going and how to get there.
Who is a thought leader?
Asking for a list of today’s thought leaders would spark a robust debate, but it would have to include the late Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. Their astonishing innovation has had a lasting influence on society as well as their own industries. Vastly different personalities, they are all authentic leaders; none pretending to be anything other than what and who they are as their own industries. Vastly different personalities, they are all authentic leaders; none pretending to be anything other than what and who they are and they are indeed thought leaders. When they speak, people listen!
Obviously most corporate leaders are not at this level, but identified and positioned correctly, they are relevant voices who deserve a platform.
Where to place them?
At Priority, we frequently pitch qualified client spokespeople to the print media that are themselves regarded as thought leaders; Forbes, Fortune, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times. Their readers want long form written content that uses great story-telling to present considered argument and thought-provoking perspectives. Largely Western in origin, they are global in coverage and essential reading for business and government leaders in our region.
Fortunately we see a growing number of authoritative local media. The Edge in Singapore and Malaysia, BusinessWorld in the Philippines, and Kompas in Indonesia, are building their own credibility for high quality content that informs and educates their readers. Alongside the main daily newspapers in each country, which have Opinion and business commentary pages alongside syndicated columns from major global news sources, these media offer highly credible platforms for our thought leadership content.
Enterprise Publishing
There are enormous opportunities for senior spokespeople to build their leadership voice using their personal and corporate LinkedIn pages, and possible a blog on their company website, material included in annual reports and other stakeholder outreach materials. These are all “owned media,” so the message can be delivered in full without editorial intervention and building a LinkedIn or blog profile for our clients’ leaders is very much part of our strategic client plans.
Follow the rules
There are a few rules around the nature of thought leadership content. Just as during an interview, excessive mention of the company name or a competitor is going to backfire. Relevant storytelling and case studies validate the position but of course, all must be mapped to the news relevance and focus within each country. People too frequently see South East Asia as a homogeneous block, but the reality is far from that with unique nations at polar ends of the spectrum when it comes to development, GDP and national focus.
When the objective is not a quick tactical win, but a longer-term strategic advance, the placement of the right written content in the right publication is an ideal use of the leader’s voice.
