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A top ten consulting firm wanted to become better known as a resource for CMOs. Working with their key stakeholders, Executive Summary researchers identified an opportunity to pit public opinion against the entrenched beliefs of senior executives. The resulting studies were divided by industry, including Consumer Services, FSI, Healthcare, and Retail. In addition to generating increased lead SQL volumes, the research fueled a campaign of site traffic, event talks, and social content that resulted in a Y-o-Y increase of 14% in top-of-mind awareness.
Why it worked:
Powerful narratives broke through the noise: We identified tensions between public views and corporate CX investment as an opportunity to capture attention with eye-opening data.
Strong content supported every channel: You can’t expect every CMO to prefer a 20-page PDF. Research provided the intellectual and visual assets to spark interest across the spectrum of paid, earned, and owned marketing.
Tailored research resonated with decision-makers: Executives audiences want to understand their unique market and challenges. Sector-specific findings expanded the reach and increased the authority of the studies.
True thought leadership cast a powerful shadow: By gearing their outreach to the study findings, the client could begin new sales conversations from a position of strength rather than having to establish their marketing credentials.
The ‘shortlist’ is a state of mind: By combining the draw of the research with a year-long supporting campaign, the client radically improved its unaided recall with potential customers in an area where they were established but not yet well-known.
The combined studies gave the client a differentiated position in a crowded market, drove measurable improvements in brand recall and lead quality, and opened high-value conversations with marketing decision-makers across priority sectors.
What began as a single report evolved into a program of reports, dashboards, analyst decks, webinars, podcasts, and wide-ranging video content – all grounded in original research. The program has kept the brand at the center of industry dialogue and decision-making.
It became a trusted benchmark for the client’s C-suite, a strategic asset for internal teams, and a value driver for external stakeholders. It fed sales pipelines, shaped global conference narratives, and unlocked high-profile media coverage.
The results speak for themselves, in one recent year alone:
– Qualified marketing leads reached 85% of the annual KPI within six months
– Qualified leads in the Americas exceeded the full-year KPI by 135%
– Web traffic rose 38% year-over-year in the Americas and 36% in APAC
Why It Worked:
One Research Program, Multiple Commercial Wins: We designed the studies to meet a range of needs – from regional and industry insights to solution-level storytelling – creating commercial flexibility from a single data set.
We Built a Benchmark, Not Just a Message: We earned trust from senior executives and credibility with tier-one media by aligning internal messaging with a broader market lens.
Real Insights, Actively Marketed: We activated insights across high-impact channels, including conference stages, leadership panels, long-form videos, and social cutdowns – reaching decision-makers where it mattered.
Relevance Through Evolution: With every iteration, we refined the survey structure and expanded content formats eto match shifting business priorities and audience expectations.
The program became the client’s most commercially successful global thought leadership initiative, driving consistent lead generation, executive engagement, and sustained brand authority over more than a decade.
Content marketing is often a one-and-done campaign. This company used research to break that pattern and extract maximum value over multiple quarters.
What started as a single report aimed at media coverage evolved into a full-scale, insight-driven content engine. The results speak for themselves: 25% more qualified leads, 30% more booked meetings, and a research program that now powers everything from executive positioning to regional sales enablement.
Why it Worked:
Strategic research without the staffing headache
Executive Summary researchers and analysts acted as an embedded team. From designing the research to delivering the insights, we handled the heavy lifting so their internal teams could focus on turning insight into action.
High-impact content, not high-effort rework
This wasn’t a one-off asset. Each iteration of the research fed a full year’s worth of content, from content at scale to C-suite briefings and regional sales decks.
Speed to insight that actually moved the needle
Static PDFs don’t drive fit the needs of everyone in the pipeline. We complemented traditional reports with interactive dashboards, giving marketers and sellers direct access to segmented, real-time data. This led to a 25% bump in qualified leads in a single campaign, and sales teams armed with relevant talking points, not recycled messaging. Meetings increased by 30% because the content spoke to buyers’ needs.
Content that keeps working long after launch
Too often, content uptake peaks on launch day. Here, 40% of report downloads led to sales conversations – not clicks or shares, but real business outcomes.
This is an example of research-led marketing done right: scalable, revenue-focused, and built to make decision-makers pay attention.