Thought Leadership
Thought Leadership in Practice
Executive Summary
Thought leadership is evolving from a marketing-led activity to a strategic enterprise function. Yet despite its growing visibility and ambition, many organizations still lack the structure, research capabilities, and measurement tools to realize its full potential. This report—based on a global survey of 1,000 professionals involved in producing or purchasing thought leadership—captures where the discipline stands today and what it will take to unlock the next chapter.
iResearch
The solution
Case Study: IBM Institute for Business Value
Few organizations have invested more deliberately in thought leadership , or measured its returns more rigorously, than IBM.
The IBM Institute for Business Value has served as IBM's independent thought leadership think tank for two decades, producing approximately 120 reports per year, including five major research studies that draw on interviews with 2,000 to 4,000 global executives annually.
The flagship program is the annual CEO Study. What began in 2004 with around 400 CEO respondents has grown to more than 3,000 CEOs, making it one of the most cited executive research programs in the world and a consistent driver of IBM's positioning as a strategic advisor rather than a technology vendor.
The business impact is documented. IBM researchers surveyed more than 4,000 C-level executives to calculate the return on investment of thought leadership, concluding that the discipline generates measurable commercial value — influencing business decisions and purchase choices at the highest levels of organizations.
The result: IBM is consistently invited into conversations its competitors cannot access, not because of product superiority alone, but because its ideas arrive first.
Source: IBM Institute for Business Value / Wiley, "The ROI of Thought Leadership," 2025
Company size surveyed
53%
New business growth
49%
Existing customer retention
43%
Market share increase
38%
Partnership opportunities
