New research finds consulting firms switching to new media for their thought leadership

Research by Sourceforconsulting.com launched today has found evidence that consulting firms spent 2010 developing new formats for their thought leadership, eschewing the traditional white paper in favour of podcasts, videos and blogs. But the focus on format appears to have come at a cost: the research also concludes that thought leadership was generally less well researched and of lower quality in 2010 than in previous years.

Using Sourceforconsulting.com’s thought leadership resource, White Space, the research analysed a representative sample from over 13,000 pieces of thought leadership ranging from published articles to blogs and podcasts.  It ranked Booz & Co no.1 for the quality of thought leadership in 2010 – pushing McKinsey (now ranked no. 5.) off the number one slot. The top five also included IBM (no. 2.), PwC (no. 3.) and Roland Berger (no. 4.)

The research concludes that 2010 should be seen as a year of transition where the thought leadership is concerned: not just from old formats to new but also from recession to recovery and from established ideas to something more innovative.

Fiona Czerniawska, Director of Sourceforconsulting.com said:

“Our research suggests that thought leadership is generally less well-researched than it used to be. Although many firms produce excellent, flagship reports, these have to battle for attention with a plethora of smaller, less grounded articles.

The legacy of the recession has taken its toll. Many firms began 2010 uncertain about how much they could afford to invest in thought leadership, and shorter, cheaper articles seemed a more sensible compromise. However, now that prospects look brighter for the consulting industry we expect more investment in this area during the year ahead.”

Sourceforconsulting.com’s White Space is a subscriber-based web service, providing a unique resource for those interested in thought leadership produced by consulting firms.

For further information on White Space visit http://www.sourceforconsulting.com/whitespace or email julie.cleasby@sourceforconsulting.com or telephone +44 (0) 20 3178 6445.