Deloitte, which first appeared in the top five in 2013, has taken top spot in the White Space Thought Leadership Rankings. This bi-annual report ranks twenty-four firms based on four evaluation criteria (Resilience, Differentiation, Appeal, and Prompting Action).

The latest White Space report analysing content from the first half of 2015 identifies Deloitte (1), IBM (2), Capgemini Consulting (3), PwC (4) and Boston Consulting Group (5) as the leading producers of high quality thought leadership.

Rachel Ainsworth, Head of Thought Leadership Strategies and Solutions from Source Information Services (Source), publishers of the rankings, said: “Deloitte’s impressive performance is driven by the consistently high quality content featured on Deloitte University Press. The regulator of tomorrow is one such piece that caught our eye. It addresses a topical issue and analyses an extensive array of secondary research and real-life examples to provide concrete suggestions for the reader.

“All of the leading firms are producing examples of relevant, insightful and engagingly presented thought leadership – and are continuously striving to generate even greater impact through their content.”

Lack of input from subject matter experts holding back other firms
The report says that many other consulting firms are being held back by failing to garner sufficient input from subject matter experts. These reports are easy to spot, because they tell industry insiders what they already know and fail to deliver fresh insights. There may be significant investment in a survey, but then the results become the focus of the report rather than being used to support an existing learned viewpoint. Where quotes are used from internal experts, they tend to be short and superficial. There might have been a good investment in design and writing, but the underlying content isn’t substantial, and the end product quickly disappoints the reader.

Rachel Ainsworth added: “Really good content brings together the best of both approaches. It is driven by subject matter experts who have a clear point of view but supported by broader research to test the hypotheses. It may well be drafted by the content experts, but it also enjoys the support and guidance of writers and marketeers who spend their days creating engaging content.”

White Space includes thought leadership from about 30 of the world’s leading consulting firms, all categorised and searchable by service, sector and geography. In addition to White Space ratings reports, users are offered research and guidance on how to create impactful thought leadership.

For more information on Source reports contact alice.noyelle@sourceforconsulting.com or telephone +44 (0)20 3700 5462/visit www.sourceforconsulting.com