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New research reveals that business leaders trust content from B2B brands more than the media or the government, but law firms lag behind

Transatlantic study by Man Bites Dog demonstrates the impact of thought leadership on C-Suite buying behaviour in large B2B corporates.    

  • 94% of C-suite leaders consume content created by business brands at least once a week.  
  • Legal content is the least-trusted B2B content, while accountancy firms come top in the ‘battle of intelligent brands.’  

A study amongst C-suite executives in very large B2B organisations has found that leaders now regard content from business brands as a key source of truth. However, the research also finds that business leaders are more likely to trust content from accountancy firms, tech companies, management consultancies and financial services firms than content from law firms.  

Alison Sharpe, Divisional Director (Professional Services), Man Bites Dog, says: “Law firms can offer extensive expertise on key corporate topics, from technology regulation to the shifting ESG landscape, but it can be challenging for them to create content that is bold and differentiated enough to stand out in the market. Firms need to find ways to filter their legal expertise through the prism of business, engaging the C-suite as well as general counsel.” 

The Thought Makers study , from strategic marketing consultancy Man Bites Dog , examines how C-suite decision-makers engage with thought leadership. It finds that 94% of business leaders consume content created by business brands at least once a week, and 55% of leaders consume B2B content every day.  

Not all sectors perform equally in terms of the trust in and usefulness of their thought leadership. While 72% of business leaders trust content from accountancy firms more than the media, this falls to just 52% of business leaders who trust content from law firms, the lowest of any sector examined in the study.  

1 

72% of business leaders trust content from accountancy firms  

 

 

 

 

… more than the media.  

2 

69% trust content from technology and IT consultancy firms  

3 

65% trust content from advisory / management consultancy  

4 

63% trust content from engineering firms   

5 

59% trust content from banking and financial services  

6 

54% trust content from law firms   

 

The research shows that 77% of C-suite leaders expect their strategic suppliers to challenge them on emerging trends and issues. Business leaders say that they are increasingly reliant on their strategic suppliers for innovation, insights on where the market is going and to business-case transformation and investment. 

The study reveals that B2B content is not just attracting attention and building trust – it is driving sales: 74% of C-suite leaders say they always consider a strategic supplier’s thought leadership when making a buying decision. 

 
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