THE INFLUENCE OF THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTENT ON ORGANIZATIONAL CREDIBILITY AND CONSUMER TRUST IN THE DIGITAL ERA

Abstract

In today's digital age, thought leadership content is becoming a vital digital communication vehicle for building trust and credibility for the organization. The study investigated how thought leadership content affects consumers' perceptions of expertise, organizational credibility, and consumer trust, as well as the mediating effect of organizational credibility and the moderating effect of digital platform engagement. The study adopted a quantitative cross-sectional survey design conducted in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data, and content analysis of thought leadership communications was used to supplement. Data were analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), mediation analysis, moderation analysis, reliability analysis, and validity analysis were performed. The results showed that, in general, thought leadership content has a positive effect on the perception of expertise, which in turn improves the credibility of the organization and trust of consumers. The study revealed that organizational credibility was one of the significant mediating variables for the increase in consumer trust as a consequence of thought leadership content. Also, digital platform engagement helped to enhance the trust-building component of thought leadership communication. The study findings demonstrate the positive impact that well-designed, knowledgeable, and well-timed thought leadership marketing can be on the development of credibility and the maintenance of consumer trust in today's digital landscape.