Building credibility and trust has always been a strategic imperative for any business, especially in the B2B world. And in 2025, it has become even more essential, requiring executive buy-in and commitment. However, with the rise of AI-generated content and an overwhelming flood of digital information, consumer scepticism is at an all-time high. What content can you trust in our digital world when so much content is made up? This question is becoming even more pertinent given that most businesses, including multinationals, have jumped on the AI express train, turning to GenAI platforms like ChatGPT and Jasper for their marketing and content. This shift to quantity over quality has led to content overload, mistakes, and inaccuracies, which, in turn, fosters a growing mistrust among consumers.
Additionally, this scepticism is valid, as organisations significantly differ in how they monitor GenAI outputs. A recent McKinsey and Co. survey revealed that 20 per cent or less of content produced by GenAI is checked before use. This research raises alarm bells, considering that AI is known to hallucinate and offer facts that do not exist, underscoring that organisations should be wary about AI content creation and work with a trusted human or expert content creator to ensure content accuracy.
In a landscape with too much “vanilla” content and a sense of sameness, consumers, including B2B customers, crave authenticity—fresh ideas, alternative viewpoints, and genuine stories. They don’t want generic content that only offers word sandwiches that sound nice but offer no key takeaways. While businesses are pursuing quick, cheap, and convenient solutions, these quick fixes often compromise authenticity and don’t lead to the needed recognition as genuine thought leaders that they need. This misalignment between what businesses are prioritising and what consumers seek has become increasingly apparent over the past 18 months.
Thought leadership as a business driver
Thought leadership is certainly not a new concept. Manning & Co has specialised in it since the beginning of our journey over 17 years ago. We could even be considered pioneers of authentic thought leadership, particularly in Australia at that time. We have repeatedly helped businesses build credibility and authority through genuine thought leadership, providing our clients with a trusted voice and, consequently, a trusted partner positioning.
We have witnessed firsthand how thought leadership builds brand equity and, as a trusted partner, helps B2B brands generate revenue and enhance their business value. Undoubtedly, thought leadership is a pivotal business strategy—a valid business driver. According to Survey Monkey, 66% of marketers view thought leadership as a “top priority”, but only 26% consider their current program “very successful”. It takes a particular type of marketer with the expertise to really execute thought leadership, which, when done well, can translate into more than leads but really elevate your business, making it more trusted, recognised and competitive than ever before.
However, it is often overlooked in the current climate by Marketing Directors, C-level executives, and business owners who are focused on quick and easy content and marketing solutions to address the growing demands of modern business (such as SEO content, GEO content, social posts, and more) and meet their always-on customer expectations.
Business benefits of thought leadership in the modern era
Unlike AI-generated content that scrapes the internet for existing material, genuine thought leadership aims to educate, inspire, and challenge perspectives. As consumers become more discerning, showcasing deep industry knowledge through genuine ideas, insights, and actionable expertise allows brands to develop a distinct authoritative voice that sets them apart in an increasingly competitive and crowded marketplace.
Thought leadership addresses the areas you or your business want to “own” from a subject matter expert’s standpoint. By consistently delivering valuable insights and ideas in these focus areas, brands can establish themselves as pioneers in their field, earning consumer trust and recognition. Beyond credibility, the key benefits brands can gain from a strong thought leadership strategy include the following:
- Enhancing brand visibility and recognition: Authentic thought leadership content cuts through the noise; when shared and referenced, it can significantly increase your brand’s exposure, helping you stand out.
- Driving engagement and fostering community: Thought-provoking content encourages meaningful discussions among various stakeholders and strengthens relationships within your operating ecosystem.
- Building brand equity: Having an authoritative voice on relevant topics often delivers greater value and equity to your brand. We have witnessed how a robust thought leadership strategy successfully helped an established SME exit the market.
- Driving high sales performance: Thought leadership is not just a nice-to-have—it is essential for B2B brands. Many may not realise that it can facilitate business deals and make life easier for sales teams.
Taking an analytical approach to thought leadership – knowing the landscape
Some of the most effective thought leadership strategies we have developed begin with an analytical approach. We typically map out the market landscape to define your goals, identify your target audience by creating detailed personas, analyse what your competitors are doing, uncover growth opportunities, and determine the areas you want to dominate. We then identify gaps and strategise authentic thought leadership initiatives that resonate with your brand and help meet your business objectives while establishing authority and trust.
Closing the loop with thought leadership
Effective thought leadership should live and breathe across all relevant marketing distribution channels so that you are hitting several goals – i.e. establishing authority and trust, being discoverable, pulling interested people to your brand, providing ammunition for your sales teams to talk to customers and prospects, and the list goes on. We call it closing the loop – making sure that thought leadership not just builds trust and credibility but is leveraged across all parts of the sales and marketing mix. You can see this highlighted in the following diagram – our purposeful content wheel:
A call to arms
Today, trust is the ultimate currency in brand success. And genuine thought leadership is needed as part of this, but it is becoming harder to find. Thought leadership goes beyond publishing boring, uninspired, or poorly researched AI-generated content; it’s about establishing authority, delivering new, relevant, and credible ideas, fostering trust, and delivering real value. The companies that will survive this time of transformation are the ones that will maintain authenticity and invest in building their trusted market position. Forward-thinking executives and marketing leaders will actively champion brand building and thought leadership as part of this new digital world order.
Partner with Manning & Co. to position your brand as a trusted industry leader. Our strategic, data-driven approach helps craft compelling thought leadership that truly resonates. Check out examples of our thought leadership work here. Contact us for a free consultation.
