Yesterday, Man Bites Dog's Claire Mason and Alison Sharpe joined forces with Winmark to host a thought-provoking breakfast roundtable on how to create powerful and effective B2B thought leadership in an AI-driven world. Check out Winmark's post below for the key takeaways and highlights 👇
Yesterday, the Winmark CMO Community had the pleasure of closing out 2024 with a wonderful and insightful discussion on ‘Thought Makers – Creating Effective Thought Leadership in the Age of AI’. Our members were graciously hosted by the fantastic team at Clyde & Co, and we were privileged to be joined by CEO & Founder, Claire Mason and Alison Sharpe, who expertly presented cutting edge research from B2B Thought Consultancy, Man Bites Dog. The presentation was then accompanied by a thoughtful panel conversation, chaired and moderated by the increasingly transformative Chair of the Winmark CMO Network, James Lloyd, in which we were lucky to be joined by Scott Hamilton, Senior Investment Writer & Content Strategist, State Street Global Advisors, and Catherine Qi, Head of Research, Winmark. An extremely interesting morning and some of the key takeaways from the discussion included: 1. The Power of Forward-Looking Insight Thought leaders set trends, not just report them. Predictive trends hold more value than retrospective insights, helping organizations stand out and avoid the trap of creating “state of the nation” reports. Thought leadership should focus on driving unique perspectives tied to future scenarios, positioning leaders as visionaries rather than followers. 2. The Bold Idea: Balancing Risk and Conviction Boldness paired with evidence drives credibility and impact. Effective thought leadership stems from deep conviction and rigorous research. While bold ideas resonate, their success depends on navigating internal advocacy, presenting evidence to senior stakeholders, and taking calculated risks that align with organizational strengths and client perceptions. 3. AI: Amplification, Not Creation Leverage AI as a tool, not a substitute for originality. Generative AI excels at repackaging quality content and tailoring messages to segmented audiences but lacks the ability to craft truly original ideas. Leaders should use AI to amplify well-researched, diagonal thematic content rather than rely on it for ground-breaking innovation. Thank you to our wonderful attendees for joining us in closing out the year with such a valuable morning – see you all in 2025! Anne Blackman, Roger McDowell, Georgia Loustric, Sandra Ibeto, Rhodri Jones, Richard Edgar, Selina Cowell, David Price, Katherine Howbrook, Nigel Gracie, Yvonne Luu, Robert Pinheiro, Nicole Gibbs, Charndeep Khattar, Catherine Clark, Helen Mitchell, Edel Brittle, Andrew Carrier