What’s inside the Value of Thought Leadership 2025 report?

The survey, now in its sixth year, draws on perspectives from 600 senior decision-makers at some of the world’s largest organizations to uncover the strategies that build trust, elevate engagement, and drive growth.

Thought leadership has never been more influential and the stakes have never been higher. A staggering 99% of buyers say it is important or critical in their decision-making, and 66% say they won’t work with a provider who produces poor thought leadership. 

This means when your clients are facing complex, high-stakes decisions, they turn to your expert insights to mitigate risk, align stakeholders, and make informed decisions. 

The Value of Thought Leadership 2025 survey reveals what C-suite, VP, and director-level leaders value most in thought leadership. The list includes:

• Originality: 49% prefer thought leadership to explore issues from fresh perspectives and offer provocative opinions that influence their thinking
• Actionable advice: 75% say they need thought leadership to provide actionable solutions to their most complex challenges
• Authenticity: 43% say they value thought leadership to reflect and showcase the expertise of the originating firm

Yet, 41% say thought leadership is often unoriginal and unstimulating, and a further 38% of buyers say thought leadership often lacks direct relevance to their specific needs. 

“Our research highlights the gap between what providers might think they’re delivering to customers versus what their customers really need,” says Mark Wellings, Executive Director, Thought Leadership at Momentum ITSMA. “This data is essential to elevating the standard and client-centricity of your thought leadership and should help you refine your strategy to make it more effective and impactful.”

The 600 survey respondents represent multiple functions across the organization, from marketing to operations, HR to finance. As a global study, 40% of the sample is US-based, 40% is Europe-based, and 20% hail from the APAC region. 

Conventional wisdom holds that thought leadership is a top-of-the-funnel activity geared towards building awareness and interest in solution providers, less suited to the latter stages of closing a deal. 

The Value of Thought Leadership 2025 report reveals otherwise. Thought leadership is relevant – and pivotal – at each stage of the buying process, from epiphany through to loyalty. For instance, 38% of buyers say thought leadership helps them evaluate your expertise and insight (interest), while 81% of decision-makers (respondents with final sign-off and/or budget authority) say thought leadership helps the buying group align on key issues (confidence). 

"These findings help thought leadership producers build the business case internally for thought leadership,” says Momentum ITSMA’s Mark Wellings. “When salespeople and senior stakeholders realize the impact thought leadership can have on reputation, relationships, and revenue, marketers can secure the budgets and resources to create much more powerful content.” 

The full Value of Thought Leadership 2025 report is now available here.