Communicators Make Historic Strides in C-suite Impact

Nearly half (47%) of global survey respondents now report directly to the CEO

Cision, a global comprehensive consumer and media intelligence and communications platform, released its 2023 Global Comms Report: A Seminal Moment in partnership with PRWeek, highlighting an overall elevation of the role of strategic communicators within C-suites across the globe, with nearly half now reporting to the CEO. The sixth annual report examines the positioning of strategic communications professionals outlining feedback from 440 industry professionals across 10 countries about their performance and sentiment.

The report showcases how recent global unrest from COVID, the Great Resignation, the war in Ukraine, and racial justice movement, have accelerated the evolution of the relationship between CEOs and communication teams. Communications professionals are moving into the C-suite with nearly half (47%) now reporting to the CEO directly, a stark contrast from 2020, in which 57% reported communications was part of marketing. Despite the challenges, 58% describe themselves as “optimistic” about the position of communications in relation to the C-suite heading into 2023 in the U.S.

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“The bar for strategic communications has been raised, and the industry is ready to rise to the challenge. Communications teams must be able to demonstrate their value to organizations utilizing data analysis, artificial intelligence and human expertise,” said Putney Cloos, Chief Marketing Officer of Cision.

“The numbers clearly show the C-suite not only understands and respects PR’s value as a business mover, but it actually expects communications to deliver in ways it never has before,” said Gideon Fidelzeid, Editorial Director at PRWeek. “Of course, with great accomplishments come greater challenges and responsibilities, but I’d put my money on PR and the brands they support thriving in this new era of communication.”

Additional Takeaways:

• Global Growth: More than four times as many respondents say their teams are bigger compared to last year.
• Bullish Budgets: Nearly 68% of respondents report budget increases from last year and nearly 67% expect increases next year.
• Social Media: Reliance on both earned (48%) and paid (47%) segments has increased the most year on year.
• Content Challenge: Key tasks like aligning metrics to revenue (50%), converting data into actionable insights (50%), and overreliance on media impressions (49%) are the top areas where respondents globally continue to struggle.

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