Thought Leadership evolving from marketing to corporate strategy?
この記事は2024年5月8日に公開した「ソートリーダーシップがマーケティングから企業戦略へ進化する？」の英語版です。
This article is the English version of a Japanese article published on May 8, 2024.
I'm Kumi Fujisawa, Chairperson of the Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies (IISE).
Here at IISE, we serve as an independent think tank within the NEC Group, spearheading "Thought Leadership Activities," a management strategy initiative rooted in Thought Leadership, a marketing methodology. It's quite a unique endeavor for a think tank to integrate marketing methods into management strategy. For us, it presents daily challenges and opportunities for growth.
From these daily challenges, we've gained insights into the value and significance of "Thought Leadership" from a management strategy perspective. I'll be discussing this within our new platform, the "Thought Leadership Hub (TL Hub)."
Firstly, what exactly is "Thought Leadership"?
To be frank, as of April 2024, the societal definition remains fluid. Definitive literature is yet to be published, and even after reviewing papers from both domestic and international sources, the definition remains elusive.
After delving into several papers, I've attempted to organize the evolution of Thought Leadership.
Initially, Thought Leadership was often synonymous with "Influencer Marketing." These influencers, whose words and actions could sway public opinion, were approached to promote products through platforms like social media. This not only led to increased sales but also influenced shifts in consumer behavior and values. It's conjectured that this evolution from merely creating markets to altering consumer perspectives led to the term "Thought Leaders," primarily within the BtoC sphere.
What began as BtoC actions with Thought Leadership has now expanded into BtoB, particularly in the realm of "Digital Marketing." Companies now create whitepapers to advocate their solutions or products, distributing them through various online channels to facilitate customer acquisition. Brands positioning themselves as Thought Leaders disseminate their ideologies through these whitepapers. Techniques such as automatically generating potential customer lists from whitepaper download data also fall under the umbrella of Thought Leadership.
Currently, Thought Leadership is evolving into something broader.
Beyond BtoB, the term "BtoS" (Business to Society) seems fitting. This entails businesses addressing societal issues as part of their operations. Thought Leadership, which initially focused on BtoC marketing, has now expanded to engage with broader societal concerns.
In this transition to BtoS, leveraging social networks and disseminating corporate ideologies through mediums like whitepapers is crucial. Collaboration across diverse industries and disciplines, both internally and externally, is essential. Ultimately, this leads to fostering industrial innovation that drives societal change.
IISE is at the forefront of this trend, deploying "Thought Leadership Activities" as a management strategy initiative within our think tank.
In the next issue, we will describe this new trend of "Thought Leadership Activities," with specific examples. Be sure not to miss it by following our magazine, the "Thought Leadership Hub (TL Hub)."
Text: Kumi Fujisawa, Chairperson, IISE
Kumi Fujisawa
After graduating from Osaka City University, Kumi Fujisawa worked for domestic and international investment management companies before founding Japan's first investment trust evaluation firm in 1995. In 1999, she sold the company to the global rating agency Standard & Poor's. In 2000, she participated in the establishment of the think tank, Sophia Bank, where she served as representative from 2013 to March 2022. Since April 2022, she has held her current position. https://kumifujisawa.jp/
Planning, Production, Editing: IISE Thought Leadership Hub