{
  "schema_version": "1.1",
  "id": "edelman-linkedin-53-percent-quality-thought-leadership-beats-brand-recognition",
  "slug": "edelman-linkedin-53-percent-quality-thought-leadership-beats-brand-recognition",
  "url": "https://groundedkit.com/claims/edelman-linkedin-53-percent-quality-thought-leadership-beats-brand-recognition/",
  "api_url": "https://groundedkit.com/api/claims/edelman-linkedin-53-percent-quality-thought-leadership-beats-brand-recognition.json",
  "claim": "53% of U.S. B2B decision-makers say brand recognition matters less if a company's thought leadership is high quality",
  "commonly_cited_as": "\"Thought leadership lets challengers beat big brands\"",
  "verdict": "verified",
  "verdict_definition": "Primary source found; it says the same thing, the scope matches, and it is reasonably current.",
  "confidence": "low",
  "rating": {
    "value": 5,
    "best": 5,
    "worst": 1
  },
  "origin": {
    "publisher": "Edelman and LinkedIn",
    "title": "2025 B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report",
    "year": "2025"
  },
  "quote": "53% of both audiences agree that if thought leadership is high quality, then brand recognition matters less.",
  "method": "Online survey of 1,934 business executives recruited on LinkedIn (the report says 'global', but lists the United States as the market surveyed and labels this chart 'Hidden decision-makers and target decision-makers, U.S.'); fielded March 17 – April 3, 2025.",
  "drift": [
    "Stated attitude; sponsors benefit from the finding",
    "Population: U.S. respondents per the chart footnote and markets surveyed, not a global sample"
  ],
  "interest": "Edelman is a PR agency and LinkedIn sells B2B ads.",
  "safe_rephrasing": "In the 2025 Edelman-LinkedIn survey of U.S. business executives, 53% of hidden and target decision-makers agreed that high-quality thought leadership makes brand recognition matter less.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Edelman-LinkedIn 2025 B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report (PDF)",
      "url": "https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2025-07/2025%20Edelman-LinkedIn%20B2B%20Thought%20Leadership%20Impact%20Report_FINAL.pdf",
      "primary": true
    }
  ],
  "kind": "stat_check",
  "as_of": "2025 survey",
  "last_checked": "2026-10-17",
  "stale": false,
  "date_reviewed": "2026-10-17",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}