The First (and Most Prolific) Researcher on Thought Leadership Best Practices

Many companies now research the topic of thought leadership: IBM, Momentum ITSMA, Edelman PR/LinkedIn, The Economist Group, Harris Poll, iResearch Services and others. However, Bob Buday and his two companies (first Bloom Group, then Buday Thought Leadership Partners) conducted the earliest studies on the profession. And they have conducted more – 11 — than any other organization.

Here is a chronological list of studies that Bob led:

• 2007: Attaining Thought Leadership: How Professional Services Firms Capture and Market Their Intellectual Capital (Bloom Group).
• 2010: Thought Leadership Rewired: How Consulting Firms are Using Social Media to Market Their Ideas (Bloom Group and BlissPR, on behalf of the Association of Management Consulting Firms).
• 2011: Social Media and Thought Leadership (Bloom Group and AMCF).
• 2012: How Consulting Firms are Making Their Marketing More Sociable (Bloom Group, AMCF and ResearchNow).
• 2013: Thought Leadership and Social Media Marketing in Consulting (Bloom Group and AMCF).
• 2014: Thought Leadership: Cutting Through the Noise (Bloom Group and Rattleback, on behalf of AMCF).
• 2016: Obsessed with Substance: How the Best Thought Leadership Marketers are Difference(Bloom Group and AMCF).
• 2018: The 7 Capabilities of Exceptional Thought Leadership Marketers (Bloom Group, Rattleback and Phronesis Partners).
• 2020: The State of Thought Leadership Marketing in B2B Companies (Buday TLP and Rattleback). Survey of 304 marketing professionals in consulting, IT services, technology, financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, accounting and other sectors, in North America, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
• 2023: Rethinking Thought Leadership: What Customers Want, and How B2B Firms Can Deliver It (conducted with Rattleback and Phronesis Partners). Report here.
• 2025: What the Best IT Services Firms do Differently with Thought Leadership (with Alan Alper and Curious Insights). Report here.

We will continue to lead the way on researching best practices in the thought leadership profession. Our studies and vast client experience help us guide our clients on their thought leadership strategies, train their people to master key skills, and improve their companies’ ability to bring superior expertise to market.