C-suite prefers longer form print content to generate fresh insight

More than a third of c-level executives prefer to consume longer form data-based print content to receive business insights, according to a report from Forbes Media.

The Thought Leadership in Action: Strategic Content to Help CxOs Learn and Lead report set out to analyse how top executives prefer to receive business insights.

Bruce Rogers, chief insights officer of Forbes Media, said: “Short-form content serves as a gateway to more information. But c-level executives need to think and act strategically, which is why they want access to longer pieces, which take them from hypothesis, through case studies, to conclusion, and are based on credible data.”

The findings showed there is a mixed opinion of big data; and while 63% of the 300 c-level executives surveyed considered it to be a critical source of information, but 62% felt the insights that arise from big data are not always useful.

Half of the c-suite said reading business insights in print is still critical, particularly for longer pieces, and over 84% said they would choose to read a four to five-page report offline, followed by on a PC (75%), tablet (70%) and smartphone (59%).

Moreover, the c-suite need to find a way to process all types of data, as only 30% say their organisations value the judgment of executives over insights from customer data.

The study was produced by Forbes Media’s thought leadership arm, Forbes Insight, in collaboration with the Deloitte Center for Industry Insights.