In my 25 years of marketing experience, I have never seen change happen as fast as when AI first entered the mainstream business world. The very nature of marketing was fundamentally, and permanently, altered – and almost overnight.
Three years on, the impact of AI goes well beyond how brands communicate and connect with their audience. It has changed the very way that influence is built. And one of the biggest shifts I have seen in all of this is the growing importance of executive influence; something that can no longer be ignored.
For years, the brand of the business itself is what carried much of the weight. Executives could operate largely behind the scenes while the organisation’s reputation, marketing campaigns, and corporate communications did the talking. That dynamic has now shifted – and executives have a much more active role to play in influencing buying decisions.
Today, B2B buyers have access to more information than ever before. AI is accelerating this further, making it easier to research organisations, compare perspectives, and generate answers instantly. Forrester’s 2026 State of Business Buying research found that 94% of B2B buyers now use AI for research during the buying process and buyers are strongly influenced by AI-generated summaries.
But more information doesn’t necessarily mean more trust. INFUSE’s 2026 Voice of the Buyer research, describes the market as entering an “era of the trust gap”. Buyers have unprecedented access to information, but that abundance has not necessarily created greater clarity or confidence in what they see. AI is also making it easier for almost every organisation to produce content at scale.
When everyone has access to similar tools and can publish more quickly, producing more brand content that looks and feel the same, simply is no longer producing the results. This is where Executive Influence comes in.
What is Executive Influence?
The traditional model of B2B marketing was largely brand led. It was previously the organisation that built its reputation, created its messaging, and communicated its value proposition. The executive was often visible only when necessary: speaking at an event, appearing in an annual report, or representing the business in the media.
That model is no longer enough. B2B buyers are increasingly researching independently, consuming content across multiple channels, and using AI to inform their decisions. In this dynamic environment, the distinction between the brand and the people behind the brand is becoming more convoluted. It is almost as though the executive is in the driver’s seat rather than the company’s outward-facing brand.
An executive’s voice can provide something a corporate brand often struggles to create on its own: recognisable human perspective. That unique, informed, and expert perspective can build authority over time. A strong voice can help to demonstrate expertise, challenge conventional thinking, start conversations, and create relationships before a buyer ever speaks to the sales team.
Executive Influence should no longer be treated as a personal branding exercise sitting separately from marketing or corporate branding but a strategic marketing asset. Don’t get me wrong: the brand still matters enormously. But the strongest brands have credible, authentic, and experienced people behind them; the executives who have helped the organisation become visible, trusted, and willing to contribute to the conversations that matter. They are the people leading the dialogue, shaping the narrative, and influencing reputation, growth, and performance.
In other words, executive reputation and the influence it builds is becoming increasingly inseparable from brand reputation. The influence of the organisation increasingly depends not only on what the brand says, but on who is saying it.
Thought leadership: a key strategy for building Executive Influence
For executives to be an important part of the brand, they need something valuable to say. This is where thought leadership becomes particularly powerful, with 97% of B2B marketers saying thought leadership is critical to full-funnel success.
Thought leadership refers to the development and promotion of valuable ideas, insights, and perspectives through content, articles, interviews, media coverage, speaking opportunities, and other channels. It’s not about self-promotion; it’s about establishing a point of view and contributing something meaningful to the market.
The key is to identify the issues your audience cares about and bring your own expertise and experience to those conversations. Then consistently demonstrate why your perspective is worth listening to.
The goal is not to comment on everything: it’s to become known for something valuable.
Example of our thought leadership strategies at Manning & Co.
As a marketing consultancy Founder / CEO, I often share thought leadership articles about the human touch in strategic marketing; how to balance AI adoption with creative vision and community; the importance of a media presence, GEO and SEO; quality content in building a credible brand in the AI era, women in business; how to do business in Asia – the list goes on. These are topics I’m known for speaking about in the business community, meaning I’m an acknowledged thought leader in this space.
We also share reflections on these relevant topics across our broader Manning & Co. team. Our people are recognised for sharing their own unique insights on their areas of marketing expertise also. This reinforces the Manning & Co. brand as leading the way in modern marketing solutions, backed by a team of skilled client consultants, designers, writers, and researchers.
These are not simply topics we create content about. They are areas where we have a perspective, proven experience, and something valuable to contribute to the wider business conversation. Sharing our perspectives creates a network of individual voices that strengthens the wider brand and creates a more human, credible, and influential brand presence.
Consistency is key to success: three top tips for strong thought leadership
So, how can executives build a voice that cuts through the noise and creates lasting influence?
Here are my three top tips:
1.Define what you want to be known for
In the AI era, a more intelligent approach to marketing is crucial to building both individual and brand capability. To foster influence and stand taller as an industry changemaker, you must shape the right conversations, not just communicate messages on a surface level.
The most influential executives don’t try to have an opinion on everything. They develop a distinctive point of view around the areas where they have genuine expertise and use it to contribute meaningfully to the market.
Shaping timely conversations is at the heart of executive influence and thought leadership. Doing so will help you inspire others and spark positive change across your organisation.
2.Elevate your voice in the market; foster influence over time
To improve your personal brand, you need to foster genuine influence. Achieving a high level of influence and trust as a thought leader will take time and ongoing effort. You must continually share your authentic and evidence-based insights.
Remember that visibility alone isn’t influence. You need to consistently show up in the conversations where your expertise matters. This could include thought leadership content, media commentary, speaking opportunities, interviews, industry events, and so on.
Along the way, network with other industry experts and changemakers. Build the foundations for strong relationships to help you elevate your voice and establish a credible reputation in your industry or field.
3.Leverage the Golden Triangle to get ahead: media, GEO and SEO, and content
I have written extensively about the role of the Golden Triangle in strategic marketing. This is because I believe a holistic approach to media coverage and presence, GEO and SEO searchability, and polished, high-quality content is the secret to modern marketing success.
Media and publications can validate your expertise and strengthen your reputation. GEO and SEO can make your ideas discoverable through search and AI platforms. And polished content gives you a platform to demonstrate your expertise and perspective. Together, these elements create the Golden Triangle: combining thought leadership, reputation, and discoverability to build executives and brands that are authoritative, trusted, and difficult to ignore.
Leveraging the Golden Triangle will help you carve out a differentiated voice in the market so you can build deeper visibility, presence, and trust. It’s a great step towards deeper influence.
The future of influence is human
As I’ve outlined in my top tips above, to establish lasting executive influence, always ensure your brand is backed by valuable, evidence-based perspectives. A strong thought leadership strategy is key to achieving trusted authority in your industry and the broader business landscape. Remember that thought leadership is not purely about self-promotion; it’s about exerting powerful executive influence.
Ultimately, lasting Executive Influence comes from a combination of authority, credibility, trust, visibility, and relevance – or in other words, as we like to define it: the key component of the modern influence equation. It’s about having something meaningful to say, proving why people should listen, having third party validation, and making those ideas discoverable to the audiences that matter.
In a world saturated with AI-generated content, the trusted human voice has never been more valuable. The executives who remain behind the brand risk becoming invisible in a market where audiences increasingly want to know the people, expertise, and ideas behind the organisations they engage with.
In contrast, the leaders who step forward with a clear, authentic, and valuable voice can strengthen their own reputation while building greater trust, visibility, and influence for the brands they represent.
In this way, the marketing dynamic has changed forever. A brand can no longer carry influence alone. Every executive needs a voice in the AI era – so take the first step towards Executive Influence today.
