The results from the recent CEO survey, conducted by PR News in conjunction with the PRSA Counselors Academy are in, highlighting PR executives' perspectives on what
keeps their CEOs up at night, and what type of counsel their CEOs seek and expect. The results will be discussed at length in an upcoming issue of PR News; highlights
include:
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The regulatory environment, crisis management and sales are the biggest issues PR executives see keeping their CEOs up at night, and of these issues, CEOs seek PR's
counsel first and foremost when it comes to crisis communication;
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Only 5% of respondents cited social media developments as a hot-button issue for their CEOs, suggesting that this challenge is being internalized by communicators; and,
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55% reported a lack of direct access to the CEO as their greatest frustration.
If you would like your perspectives on the results to be included in an upcoming feature, please e-mail PR News Editor Courtney Barnes at [email protected].
PR News/Counselors Academy CEO Survey
1. How often do you speak directly with your/your client's CEO?
Weekly 53%
Daily 18%
Monthly 16%
Rarely 13%
2. To whom do you report directly?
CEO 44%
CMO 13%
Other 43%
3. Which of the following issues/trends do you see keeping your CEO (or CEOs you counsel) up at night? (check all that apply)
Regulatory Environment 16%
Crisis Management 16%
Sales 16%
Changing Investor ?Demands 10%
Consumer Empowerment (due to consumer-generated content) 8%
NGO Influence 8%
Cross-border Mergers ?and Acquisitions 7%
Social Media ?Developments 5%
4. Based on your above response, on which of the following issues/trends does your CEO seek your counsel? (check all that apply)
Crisis ?Communications 21%
Social Media ?Developments 12%
Sales 12%
NGO Influence 11%
Consumer ?Empowerment 10%
Changing Investor ?Demands 9%
Regulatory Environment 8%
Cross-border Mergers ?and Acquisitions 6%
Increased Globalization 4%
5. On a scale of one to five, with five being the most applicable to your relationship with your CEO/CEOs you counsel, rank the following frustrations:
a. I do not have direct access to the CEO
1 55%
2 24%
5 10%
4 7%
3 5%
b. The CEO does not understand what PR does
2 39%
1 26%
3 23%
4 10%
5 3%
c. The CEO does not value what PR does
2 36%
1 34%
3 19%
5 7%
4 5%
d. The CEO only seeks PR's counsel on tactical rather than strategic issues
2 32%
1 31%
3 16%
5 13%
4 8%
e. The CEO sees PR/communications primarily as reactive damage control, not as a proactive function
1 42%
2 36%
3 13%
4 5%
5 5%
f. The CEO makes major business decisions without seeking PR's counsel
4 24%
1 21%
3 19%
2 18%
5 16%
No Response 2%
6. Which of the following responsibilities does the CEO place on the PR/communications department first before seeking counsel from other departments? (check all that
apply)
Media Relations 18%
Reputation Building 15%
Crisis Management 14%
Brand Building 12%
Community Relations 10%
Employee Relations 7%
Crisis Prevention 7%
Social Media Initiatives 5%
Stakeholder Engagement 5%
CSR 5%
7. My CEO understands PR/communications' strategic organizational value:
Agree 47%
Strongly Agree 34%
Neither Agree/Disagree 11%
Disagree 7%
Strongly Disagree 2%
Survey of PR News/Counselors Academy