| Once the preserve of large consultancy firms, TLM is rapidly becoming an established field within marketing. |
| Gartner: Thought leadership marketing can be a powerful tool for IT services providers |
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| | Thought leadership
marketing (TLM) can be a
powerful tool for
improved marketing
success in IT services,
according to Gartner,
Inc. While thought
leadership has been used
by consulting firms for
a long time — often
accounting for as much
as 20 percent of
marketing expenditure —
an organized discipline
of TLM is only now
emerging, allowing
marketers to use this as
a manageable tool to
drive business.
Gartner defines TLM
as the giving — for free
or at a nominal charge —
of information or advice
that a client will value
so as to create
awareness of the outcome
that a company’s product
or service can deliver,
in order to position and
differentiate that
offering and stimulate
demand for it.
"The principle of TLM
is simple enough: You | |
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| | give away a little
valuable intellectual
property to establish
your potential
usefulness to the
client, in the
expectation that the
client will use your
expertise and services"
said Rolf Jester, vice
president and
distinguished analyst at
Gartner. "Its essence is
to show, rather than
tell what a company can
do, and to do so in a
way that positions and
differentiates that
company’s offering for
the chosen target
audience"
Jester cited some
examples of leading IT
services organizations
that use TLM:
* Under the heading
"Capgemini Point of View
— the way we see it"
Capgemini publishes
future-oriented
"TechnoVision" documents
for vertical industries.
* Deloitte’s many | |
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| | "Institute of Business
Value" to publish
business research.
Gartner’s review of
the TLM activities of IT
services providers has
shown three types of
program. These are not
mutually exclusive but
will often be combined:
* Opportunistic. This
type of program tends to
be short-term and
promotional-campaign
focused. It boosts
interest in and
therefore sales of a
specific offering.
* Door-opening. This
type of program can help
establish or expand
permission to play and
is ongoing, although it
evolves as acceptance
grows to build
visibility and
credibility in the
market.
* Brand support. This
is the most sustained
type of TLM program and
is used to reinforce the | |
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| | brand promise and image.
Regardless of the
programs employed,
Gartner analysts said
that the company’s brand
and positioning must
form the basis for the
development of TLM
strategy, and that
strategy must be kept in
alignment with the
evolving direction and
capability of the
service firm.
"A clear business
plan, driven by the
brand and positioning
strategy, and accepted
widely by multiple
levels of leadership, is
the essential starting
point" said Christine
Adams, managing vice
president at Gartner.
"External intelligence
on competitive activity
is critical, as is a
good understanding of
what is already being
done in your company and
why." | |
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| | activities in this
category include a
series of debates
published on its website
and publicized via
e-mail, drawing out
opposing views on
current key business
issues and highlighting
considerations that
executives need to take
into account.
* IBM, among its many
other activities,
maintains a substantial | |
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