DDi - April/May 2013 - (Page 18)

18 | Shopper Insights Follow the leader L eaders make news, but thought leaders make history. Thought leaders are indeed a rare and distinguished breed. They may hail from the most unexpected echelons of life, and yet become immortalized as icons who changed the world. A true thought leader is someone who envisions the day after tomorrow, and evangelizes the world toward it. It’s a truism that thought leaders tend to be the most successful individuals or firms in their respective fields. Furthermore, in the research literature, there’s a general consensus that being a thought leader—whether you are an individual or employed at an organization and you want to grow the business, or even an association seeking new members, as well as more generous sponsors—can make a very significant and positive difference. When you think of the term “thought leader,” what comes to mind? With all the definitional dispersion around the phrase, as a starting point, it’s usually worthwhile to define just what a thought leader is and, sometimes more importantly, what a thought leader is not. Wikipedia calls thought leadership “business jargon,” and defines it as “content that is recognized by others as innovative, covering trends and topics that influence an industry.” To me, thought leadership is simply about becoming an authority on relevant topics by delivering the answers to the biggest questions on the minds of your target audience. While it can include your unique perspective on hot topics relevant for your customers, the key is that the agenda is set by your audience. They determine what the questions are—you simply need to answer them. So, your level of authority is really determined by how well you answer those most important questions. Attendees at GlobalShop 2013 undoubtedly will file into the conference sessions to be privy to some of shopper marketing’s most well-known thought leaders, who will share their insights and views of the ever-evolving retail landscape. But, I can’t help but wonder if those same attendees will seize upon the opportunity to seek out the thought leaders that stand ready to assess and address their biggest needs on the GlobalShop tradeshow floor. Not every thought leader can, nor wants to, stand on a stage delivering a Powerpoint about the big-picture problems facing the industry as a whole; some thought leaders like to interact and engage on a smaller, more intimate level, tackling a client’s (or potential client’s) problems head on. Thought leadership is important for both B2C (business-toconsumer) and B2B (business-to-business) companies, but I think it is especially important in B2B. This is because of the complexity and length of the decision-making process in B2B environments and the large number of people involved. Thought leadership content can help anyone involved in the business decision-making process to gain alignment across their company regarding the problems they are facing. It can help them to “name” the problem. Thought leadership can come from any source—executives, customers, product managers, designers, customer service reps or salespeople. We all have knowledge, experience and a point of view. But, ultimately, thought leaders need to inspire their audience to act—to take the next step in their journey. Of course, the challenge is in the telling! If you find yourself in awe and wonder while sitting in a conference session during GlobalShop 2013, I challenge you to explore the show floor to seek out the thought leaders of tomorrow, who are willing to address your problems today. —Richard Winter is the president of POPAI, The Global Association for Marketing at Retail, an information source for brand marketers, retailers, producers and suppliers. Find out more at www.popai.com. | April/May 2013 www.ddionline.com http://www.popai.com http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - April/May 2013

DDi - April/May 2013
Table of Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Visual Perspectives
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Design Snapshot
Markopoulos Award
Tazo Tea
Tiffany & Co.
Experience Makers
Piperlime
Mattel Experience
CookHouse
Aéropostale
Paris Kids Department
Technology & Customer Engagement Section
Technology Trends
Big Data Column
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Design Leaders 2013
Right Light
GlobalShop Coverage
Special Events
Conference Schedule
Chicago Retail
Exhibitor Products
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Shopping with Paco

DDi - April/May 2013