Our 2019 Marketing Insight research explores what operational decision makers really think of digitalisation

We’ve already discussed how decision makers mustn’t be underestimated when it comes to their digital experience level. And that’s what makes our third finding feel slightly out of left field:

Insight #3 — Decision makers are hungry for knowledge about industry concepts.

Although members of this audience are tech savvy and digitally aware, they’re still looking for the right kind of help. Why? It seems to be because 33% of them feel uninformed about big industry concepts, such as the Industrial Revolution and the Industrial IoT.

This perceived lack of knowledge seems to have sparked a quest for information. Above all, this audience values tangible evidence and practical solutions over abstract concepts. Trade events (48%), white papers (43%) and market reports (40%) are all key sources of information, in addition to webinars, videos and trade media.

And whilst C-Level leaders may readily turn to digitalisation consultants, only 11% of operational decision makers look to Management or Strategy Consultants for support — they prefer to rely on System Integrators, OEMs, or analytics and automation partners.
And so, multiple stakeholders have the opportunity to leverage their customer relationships and become a key partner in this space.

Key takeaway: Operational decision makers are hungry for information and support.

• There’s a need for thought-leadership to help readers be smart about specific concepts like Industry 4.0
• Quality content will capture decision makers’ attention
• Decision makers are open to using existing operational relationships to find the right digital solutions