For B2B businesses seeking to rise above commodity status and establish themselves as strategic partners, thought leadership has become an essential capability. But what separates truly impactful thought leadership from the flood of content that overwhelms decision-makers daily?In a recent episode of the Trust and Influence in B2B podcast, host Joel Harrison spoke with Ananda Roy, VP of Thought Leadership at Circana—a market research powerhouse formed from the merger of IRI Worldwide and NPD that recently won gold in the thought leadership category at the 2024 B2B Marketing Awards. Their conversation revealed how thought leadership can evolve from marketing activity to strategic business function.Thought Leadership as Strategic FunctionUnlike many organizations where thought leadership operates as a marketing subfunction, Circana positions it as a core strategic capability with representation at the executive level."I get the feeling that I'm an outlier," notes Roy about his senior position. "You don't necessarily see the leaders of thought leadership practices getting a seat at the strategy table. Thought leadership is pretty much central to what we do in our advisory role with our clients."This positioning reflects Circana's broader objective: transitioning from data provider to strategic growth advisor for its 7,000+ global clients across consumer goods, retail, technology and other sectors.Beyond data dumpingDespite analyzing $4 trillion of retail sales data annually and investing $500 million in AI capabilities over six years, Circana recognizes that data alone doesn't drive decisions."Data is increasingly becoming a commodity," Roy explains. "It's really what you do with it that is the difference between success and significant impact on client behavior."The company's award-winning approach transforms their comprehensive "Demand Signals" report from dense data into story-driven, commercially relevant insights. Instead of overwhelming executives with statistics, they provide "tools for thinking" and strategic options that inform decision-making.The Three-Question FrameworkRoy shared the elegantly simple framework guiding their thought leadership strategy:What are the big business questions clients are grappling with, and do we have answers?Where do clients go when seeking these answers?Wherever they go, are we the easiest to find?This approach ensures their content appears precisely where decision-makers look for guidance on pressing business challenges.Measuring Success Beyond LeadsWhile traditional thought leadership often struggles with ROI measurement, Circana takes a more sophisticated view of success:Invitations to bid opportunities previously closed to themAbility to command premium pricingSuccessful negotiations despite competitive disadvantagesEstablishment of domain authority (their content generated 2.1 billion views and engagements)Expanded access across client organizations"We don't attribute sales directly to thought leadership," Roy notes. "But when we are invited to bids where Circana would not have been otherwise invited, where we are able to justify a premium on our fees... those are the areas where thought leadership is one among many enablers towards a decision."Building Trust in an Era of Data SkepticismWith growing concerns about data veracity and AI biases, establishing trust has become increasingly critical. Circana builds credibility through:Evidence-based, independent viewpointsCreative, accessible presentation of complex dataTeam-based approach rather than individual "guru" voicesCross-functional relevance that extends beyond insights teams"We are not flash-in-the-pan data analysts," Roy emphasizes. "We take...

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