Up and coming business executives are more likely to trust brand owned content than their more senior colleagues, according to a study by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), in association with communications consultancy Flagship Consulting.
Respondents who have been working for fewer than ten years (Generation Next) are over 50 per cent more likely to find company websites helpful for finding credible business information, when compared with executives that have worked for longer (Business Veterans). They are also 65 per cent more likely to find corporate communications campaigns useful.
The findings reveal that all types of businesses have the potential to become a credible source of online news and advice.
The EIU study of 700 global business executives found that overtly sales focused content remains an issue across the generations, with almost half (46 per cent) of Generation Next and over two thirds (69 per cent) of Business Veterans saying content with a sales pitch makes a negative impression. This highlights the importance of being as useful and authoritative as possible, while minimising obvious sales messages, to build trust and credibility with target audiences.
“Branded journalism is an increasingly vibrant and influential way for companies to engage with business executives,” commented Mark Pinnes, Deputy Managing Director, Flagship Consulting. “B2B marketers must be fluent in their understanding of why, when and how to create blogs, videos, infographics and articles. Importantly; to be credible, content must be useful and objective. Audiences are often turned away by thin, blatantly sales driven or poorly produced information, so developing an effective content strategy and executing professionally is crucial to making it a success.”
The findings confirm that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to content, as behaviours and habits evolve over time. Generation Next spends less time consuming business content – 3h 24m vs. 5h 6m on average per week – perhaps explaining why they are less impressed by long research reports (30 per cent vs. 65 per cent) and white papers (12 per cent vs. 37 per cent). In contrast, they prefer video content (25 per cent to 11 per cent) and content that is highly interactive (27 per cent vs. 15 per cent).
Elena Sukacheva, Managing Director, at The Economist Group said: “One size does not fit all. Whether you are trying to reach the C-suite or the next generation of business reader, this body of research underscores that marketing content requires a tailored approach. To put the reader first, you have to know the reader.”
The survey was conducted with the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Opinion Leaders Panel, made up of more than 100,000 global executives. More than 40 percent of the business executives surveyed are C-level, representing a wide array of industries, geographies, and company sizes.