Axios reports that more Chief Communications Officers are reporting into the CEO. The survey, published by Memo, cites an increase of 34% in CCOs reporting into CEOs.
I couldn’t love this stat more! Not just because it shows the elevation of comms in organizations, but because it signals that companies are understanding why the role should be elevated in the first place. Strategic communications helps your bottom line. Period.
I’ve been fortunate to work both agency side and in-house. Whenever someone on the agency side has asked me about my in-house experience, as they considered making the move, my advice has been consistent – make sure you’re going somewhere that values communications from the top-down. If the senior-most people in the company don’t see the importance of communications, that’s a red flag. My best experiences on both sides of the house have been when the CEO believes in the role comms plays in driving growth, brand reputation, and company valuation.
Here’s why comms is critical:
1) Good communication builds trust. And trust is the true foundation of a successful company. Building trust through consistent and transparent communication from the CEO helps attract and retain talent, customers, partners, investors and shareholders. It’s also a critical factor in helping companies navigate through tough times. If you’ve spent time building that foundation of trust, it will serve your company well in moments of volatility and crisis.
2) Communications is not one-size-fits-all. A CCO fundamentally understands what, where and how you communicate to your audiences is critical. That communication needs to be tailored to what the audience cares about most – not what you want to say but what they need to hear. A CCO can guide the CEO in understanding those nuances, developing the right messaging and knowing the right channels for that communication.
3) CEOs are under more pressure to respond to cultural and political issues. The last few years have served up an abundance of challenging and sensitive situations – from a global pandemic, to racial injustice, to war – CEOs are being asked to step up and speak out even when it feels uncomfortable; in fact, especially when it feels uncomfortable. Fortune reports that CEOs are “expected to comment on the news of the day, if not take a stand on hot-button issues… but 26% of companies have no set plan or criteria in place to determine when or how they should respond.” The CCO can help strategically guide in these moments. Even better, they can help prepare a plan for when these moments inevitably occur.
As we close the year, and look to what’s ahead in 2025, I certainly hope we see more CCOs with a seat at the table, working hand-in-hand with their respective CEOs. For our clients who hold this role in their organizations, we see firsthand that that is when the magic happens.
