In this episode of the 'Trust & Influence in B2B' podcast, host Joel Harrison speaks with Rob Mitchell, thought leadership expert and founder of Longitude, which later became part of the Financial Times Group. Having recently moved on from FT Longitude, Rob brings unique insights from his experience working with major B2B brands including Deloitte, Siemens, and Credit Suisse. With his background in journalism at both the Economist and the Financial Times, Rob offers a distinctive perspective on thought leadership as a sophisticated marketing discipline.

Topics Covered

• The evolution of thought leadership from a niche activity to a mainstream B2B marketing approach.
• The three essential ingredients that define effective thought leadership.
• The distinction between "purist" and "pragmatist" approaches to thought leadership.
• Common mistakes organizations make when developing thought leadership programs.
• How to develop a portfolio approach that aligns with different stages of the buyer journey.
• The impact of AI on both content production and consumption.
• The growing importance of trust and authenticity in the AI era.
• When thought leadership is (and isn't) the right investment for B2B organizations.

Key conclusions

1. Thought leadership as a craft: Effective thought leadership requires three key ingredients: fresh thinking (though not necessarily groundbreaking), relevance to the audience's needs, and brand distinctiveness. "If you're just coming up with messaging or insights that are generic or could be produced by anybody, that's not thought leadership in my book," Mitchell emphasizes.
2. The pragmatist approach: While "purist" thought leadership focuses on intellectual exploration without explicit commercial ties, Mitchell advocates for a more pragmatic approach that aligns with business objectives. This doesn't mean sacrificing quality but rather ensuring content supports specific marketing or commercial goals.
3. Portfolio strategy: Rather than expecting a single piece of thought leadership to accomplish multiple objectives, organizations should develop a portfolio approach. This begins with defining "what you want to be famous for" and cascades from high-level thought leadership to more technical content addressing specific buyer needs.
4. Trust as differentiator: As AI makes content production easier and potentially floods the market with mediocre material, trustworthiness becomes the critical differentiator. "That's going to be a massively important currency going forward for thought leadership," Mitchell notes, emphasizing consistency and credibility as essential attributes.
5. Audience-centric simplicity: Many organizations sabotage their thought leadership by taking an "inside-out" view, assuming audiences share their interests, or by overcomplicating their messages. Mitchell advocates for simplicity, clarity, and an outside-in perspective that starts with audience problems rather than organizational messages.

For B2B marketers navigating complex sales cycles with multiple stakeholders, thought leadership offers a powerful way to build the trust necessary for both initial engagement and long-term relationships. By applying Mitchell's frameworks, organizations can transform their approach from generic content marketing to strategic thought leadership that drives genuine business value.

In this episode of the Trust and Influence in B2B Marketing podcast, host Joel Harrison speaks with Ash Lockett, Head of B2B marketing at Babel PR. They discuss findings from Babel's second annual research study examining what influences B2B technology buying decisions among enterprise organizations in the UK and US.

Topics Covered

• Babel PR's positioning as an integrated PR and marketing agency for B2B technology brands
• Research methodology focusing on 403 technology buyers from organizations with 1,000+ employees
• The continued importance of long-form thought leadership content in B2B tech purchasing decisions
• Trade media's position as the most influential information source for tech decision-makers
• The integration of different marketing channels and tactics for maximum effectiveness
• The relationship between trust and brand awareness in B2B purchasing decisions
• The potential impact of AI-generated content on thought leadership quality
• The critical role of technical champions in the B2B buying process

Key conclusions

1. Long-Form Content Remains Essential: Despite trends toward shorter content formats, one-third of B2B technology buyers prefer reading long-form thought leadership. For high-value, complex purchases, buyers need comprehensive information to build business cases and justify investments to senior leadership.
2. Trade Media Provides Critical Validation: One in five B2B tech buyers regularly consume news from industry trade publications. These specialized outlets offer more targeted impact than mainstream media by providing third-party validation that helps establish credibility and trustworthiness.
3. Consistency Across Channels Drives Results: Success requires an integrated approach where messaging remains consistent across all marketing touchpoints. As Lockyer notes, "68% in our research said consistency is ultimately really important in their purchasing decisions."
4. The "Rule of Three" in B2B Purchasing: Buyers typically only consider three brands when beginning a purchase journey. Establishing brand awareness is crucial to making this shortlist, with trust becoming the deciding factor between finalists: "You might be the most trusted brand on the planet...but if no one knows who you are, they're not going to purchase you."
5. Technical Champions Are Key Influencers: While marketing often targets C-suite executives, Babel's research found technical teams are almost as influential as CIOs and CTOs. These champions typically research vendors, create shortlists, and build the business cases that executives ultimately approve.

For B2B marketers looking to influence complex technology purchases, focusing on substantive, consistent messaging through targeted channels— particularly trade media and long-form content — while addressing both decision-makers and technical champions remains a winning strategy in 2025 and beyond.

In this episode of the Trust and Influence in B2B Marketing podcast, host Joel Harrison speaks with Chris Bailey, who brings perspectives from both client-side experience (as senior director of integrated campaigns at ServiceNow) and agency-side work (at The Marketing Practice). Bailey shares valuable insights on how B2B organizations can develop and deploy thought leadership strategically to drive business outcomes and create memorable impact.

• The four distinct dimensions of thought leadership and how they interconnect.
• Differentiating true thought leadership from standard content marketing.
• How research and data should support storytelling, not lead it.
• Resolving the false dichotomy between brand-building and demand generation.
• Extending thought leadership consistently across the entire customer journey.
• Creating compelling B2B stories that lodge in memory and drive action
• The transformative impact of AI on thought leadership development and deployment.
• Balancing individual thought leaders with organizational positions.

1. Thought Leadership as a Strategic Asset: Bailey positions thought leadership alongside brand as a fundamental business asset that should influence communications at every level. "The power of thought leadership is when you are connecting [all four dimensions] end to end," Bailey asserts, emphasizing its role in shaping perceptions and influencing customer relationships.
2. Story Before Statistics: While data plays a crucial role in supporting thought leadership, Bailey warns against beginning with research: "You could start by doing a piece of research... but sometimes you can get to the end of the piece of research and still realize you don't have the story." The most effective approach starts with identifying the unique customer value narrative, then determining what research will support it.
3. Bridging Brand and Demand: Bailey challenges the common tension between brand-building and demand generation, seeing thought leadership as "the thread that actually pulls the two things together." This integrated approach creates coherent customer experiences where thought leadership narratives flow consistently from awareness through sales conversations to post-purchase success.

For B2B marketers seeking to elevate their thought leadership efforts, Bailey offers this straightforward advice: focus on purpose rather than outputs, and remember that truly effective thought leadership connects an organization's unique insights about customer value to compelling narratives that resonate throughout the buyer journey.