As I wrote in my last “Best practice spotlight” blog, at Source, we’re fortunate to read and review a wealth of thought leadership materials every year, as part of our White Space Quality Ratings Review or our bespoke thought leadership reviews and strategy work. Not only does this give us real insight into what works (and what doesn’t!), it also means that we frequently read about the common issues facing our clients’ clients. Tech evolution, AI, and their impact on the business world, across any sector or geography, is one client challenge no firm has ignored. And rightly so.
The second in our series spotlighting best practice is KPMG’s Global Tech Report 2024 – Beyond the hype: Balancing speed, security, and value. In the words of KPMG, “As tech innovation opens endless potential, tech leaders are afraid of falling behind. This can lead to the temptation to make hurried decisions, which may prove misguided, risky, and expensive.” In its 2024 Global Tech report, the firm describes the need for tech leaders to balance keeping up with applying a strategic approach to achieving genuine value from tech. To drive home this message, KPMG states that it is essential to make evidence-based decisions, to deliver solutions that are resilient, and to scale new tools such as AI safely and responsibly. The research in this report was designed to understand how tech executives are achieving the right mix.
Read on or download this summary to find out what made this report so impressive.
The Source view
This is an excellent example of high-quality thought leadership campaigning over time. In our previous Quality Ratings Review, the 2023 KPMG Tech report achieved the highest score overall (11.98), and this 2024 report has been further strengthened by crystallising the authorship, grounding the evidence in real-world examples, and delivering truly actionable insight—so much so that the score awarded this time was 12.43. Here’s a little more about why.
- Strong message ownership and audience engagement in a crowded space
The landing page delivers a bold, concise introduction that establishes KPMG’s perspective on the tech landscape, emphasising the report’s unique value amid a crowded field of thought leadership. By directly targeting tech leaders and tapping into their fear of falling behind, both the landing page and the foreword address and engage the audience, although the term “tech leaders” could be more specific.
- Visually engaging and enhanced with voices from the market
This is a visually strong and well-branded report from KPMG, featuring clean design, effective use of typography, imagery, and data visualisations, and a well-structured navigational tool that helps aid the reader’s experience. The landing page sets the tone with key themes and actionable tips. The content has a clear and informative style and tone, and is supported by voices from the market, insightful quotes, and relevant case studies.
- Credible research and insights, delivered with a comprehensive methodology
The methodology clearly outlines both survey respondents and qualitative interviewees, with engaging graphics enhancing clarity. The report draws insights from nearly 2,500 global tech professionals and five high-profile executives. Year-on-year comparisons, especially regarding top performers’ behaviours, set it apart from other pieces of research. The foreword effectively positions KPMG’s Global Tech Leader as an expert in the field through a detailed biography. While no complex analysis techniques are used, the straightforward approach allows for clear comparisons and valuable insights across various tech sectors and performance levels.
- Insights from high performers bring to life strategies for successful tech investment
Each section of the report includes a summary entitled, “What do high performers do?” While not immediately actionable, this “high performers” lens is an effective way to link the research to real-world experiences and is likely to inspire those considering their own tech investment. Helpfully, the conclusion outlines KPMG’s seven key strategies for deriving value from tech investment. Strong summaries and links to KPMG’s related solutions and services, as well as further reading, enhance the report’s value and provide a clear path for onward action from the reader.
Insider knowledge from the KPMG team
Following our review, we were lucky enough to speak to the team at KPMG to lift the lid on the 2024 report, the evolution of the research over the last 15 years, and what is coming for the next edition.
- A long history of strategic refinement and success
Since its inception 15 years ago, the KPMG Global Tech report has evolved not just in its content, but in its strategic purpose. The target audience grew from merely the CIO to the full C-suite, as COVID, AI, ESG, and cyber threats drove more cross-functional dependencies. Looking forward to 2025 and 2026, the firm has plans to use its research to help executives lead through disruption in an AI-accelerating world.
- Bringing together firm-wide expertise to have firm-wide impact
The collaboration ecosystem has expanded over time. Data and insights from the report are highly valued by sales teams across the KPMG network, who use them as a key tool in sales enablement to initiate conversations with clients and demonstrate the depth of expertise KPMG has at its fingertips.
- AI as a time-saver in research and marketing
GenAI is used internally to test research hypotheses by assessing how well certain ideas or questions might resonate in the market. Internal KPMG chatbots help validate these ideas by comparing them to competitor material, which ensures perspectives are differentiated. The team says this acts as a “gut check” to ensure the content is relevant and impactful for clients and society.
Some words of wisdom from the team behind this campaign
“Great reports are shaped at the start. The real work begins with aligning stakeholders, clarifying objectives, and investing in discovery and strategy sessions that surface key themes and shape early hypotheses. By taking the time to challenge assumptions and refine the focus upfront, you ensure the research isn’t just a data collection exercise—it becomes a strategic tool with clear direction. When the front-end work is done right, the data has purpose, the narrative writes itself, and the report transitions from a project into a story that speaks to your audience’s most pressing needs time and time again.”
Danielle Moriana, Global Technology & Transformation Marketing Lead
To read the review and interview in full, download the “Best Practice Spotlight” here. If you’re a White Space subscriber, log in to read the Client Perceptions of Thought Leadership report where we feature this spotlight on KPMG’s report and many more thought leadership insights.
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