Executive Interview

The Professional Services CEO’s Expectations of Marketing:
An Interview with Ed Boswell, CEO, The Forum Corporation

Ed Boswell, CEO (and acting CMO) of The Forum Corporation, a world leading training and consulting organization, argues in an interview conducted by Bloom Group partner Susan Buddenbaum that the CMO should be at the CEO’s right hand whenever business strategy is being developed. "I want a CMO who is in my face every day, pushing my thinking and challenging me with new ideas," says Boswell. For more of Boswell’s views on marketing, the importance of integrating sales, R&D, and marketing in professional services firms, and on how a "good story" can be as important as reams of quantitative data when demonstrating marketing’s value to the business, read the full interview here.

Thought Leadership Insight

Creating Economies of Content: The Power of a Point of View

After 10 years of beating the drum for thought leadership, we are heartened to see so many professional services firms embracing the idea that the best way to sell expertise is to demonstrate it, not just assert it. Yet given the content we see many professional firms trying to pass off as "thought leadership," thought leadership marketing may soon become another fad that fades away. That’s because the core requirement of thought leadership marketing is not some marketing activity at all—thought leadership marketing requires leading thoughts, not just extensive marketing. Leading thoughts are powerful points of view on problems in the business world and substantiated solutions to them. Time and again, we have seen professional firms with powerful points of view gain a big advantage over competitors—even if those competitors outspent them on marketing. Read the article.

Bloom Group News

Does Web 2.0 Compute for Professional Firms? Bloom Group to Discuss New Study Results at PM Forum in Boston

More than two years after our first research on the topic, we have been conducting a new study this summer on how professional services firms use Websites and other online activities to boost market awareness and leads. Bloom Group Principal Tim Parker will review the initial results next week in Boston at a meeting of professional services marketers, the PM Forum.

At the July 31 morning event, Tim will discuss our latest evaluation of the Websites of the 80 largest professional services firms (consulting, IT service, law and accounting). He will also review innovative Web 2.0 initiatives at Deloitte, Oracle, Wilmer Hale, Accenture and other professional firms. We will issue the final report this fall.

Non-PM Forum members can attend the event for $50. (For PM Forum members, the event is free.) For more information, go the PM Forum website at www.pmforumusa.com/newengland or download the registration form here.

You can find out more about our first study here.

About The Bloom Group

The Bloom Group helps professional services firms determine their marketing strategy, attain thought leadership and grow their business through effective thought leadership marketing and campaign execution. For more information, e-mail us with your inquiry at info@bloomgroup.com or visit us on the Web at www.bloomgroup.com.