"I do not meet with the CEO unless I am preparing him for a media interview. C-levels think they know what is best, rarely ask and rarely follow my advice."
That comment, part of a recent survey sponsored by PR News and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) on PR vis-a-vis the C-
level, strongly suggests that, for those PR execs fighting for a so-called "seat at the table," it's going to take a lot more demonstration on how PR can have a positive impact on
the company's bottom line before they can pull up a chair.
The survey, developed by a team of IABC researchers, generated 500 responses comprised of PR News subscribers and IABC members; the majority of respondents are based
in the United States and Canada. However, in a reflection of IABC's global reach, responses also came from Australia, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Spain.
A touch fewer than half of the survey's respondents said they report directly to the CEO.
While some progress has been made in PR execs' efforts to prove their value to their CEOs, in many respects, the status quo remains intact. On the one hand, PR reps
are being given more responsibilty for the entire organization. On the other hand, many PR pros still are called into the C-suite to discuss media relations alone. They're stifled
when trying to discuss the strategic importance of employee communications and, in some cases, they even are forced to justify their existences.
1. I report directly to the CEO
Yes: 199
No: 290
2. I am a member of the top management team
Yes: 198
No: 291
3. I regularly attend meetings of the top management team (whether or not I am a member of the team)
Weekly: 144
Biweekly: 30
Monthly: 109
Less Often: 204
4. How many employees are there in your corporate affairs/PR department?
1-5: 338
6-10: 74
More than 10: 78
5. My CEO:
| Strongly Agree | Neither Agree nor Disagree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a) Understands the importance of communication, not just when there is a good issue to maintain or when there is a crisis |
181
|
216
|
42
|
43
|
8
|
| b) Sees PR as an investment in the future and not just a cost |
125
|
217
|
83
|
49
|
16
|
| c) Asks my opinion about PR implications of future directions of the business |
99
|
145
|
115
|
92
|
37
|
| d) Usually accepts my recommendations |
84
|
241
|
118
|
37
|
10
|
| e) Would say I understand the business |
131
|
236
|
97
|
21
|
4
|
6. My CEO values corporate affairs/PR advice at least as much as that from:
| a) Advertising | 132 | 150 | 136 | 46 | 13 |
| b) Sales | 75 | 121 | 146 | 99 | 33 |
| c) Marketing | 99 | 173 | 122 | 72 | 14 |
| d) Legal | 56 | 133 | 119 | 133 | 42 |
| e) Human Resources | 84 | 158 | 130 | 94 | 19 |
7. My CEO makes an effort (e.g., willingly puts in time) to maintain good relationswith the following stakeholders:
| a) Employees | 179 | 202 | 49 | 45 | 15 |
| b) Stockholders | 158 | 138 | 149 | 15 | 4 |
| c) Analysts | 105 | 124 | 195 | 27 | 10 |
| d) Customers/clients | 203 | 200 | 55 | 25 | 3 |
| e) Business or alliance partners | 199 | 211 | 60 | 15 | 2 |
| f) Media | 111 | 198 | 95 | 68 | 12 |
8. A) What do you mostly discuss at your meetings with the CEO? (Sample)
- Media relations; employee communications; crisis communications.
- Clarification and simplification of messaging; identification of potentially challenging issues and recommendations on how to address them; identification of concerns to the
CEO; justification of PR's existence. - I do not meet with the CEO unless I am preparing him for a media interview; C-level execs think they know what is best, rarely ask and rarely follow my advice.
- The CEO in my organization doesn't understand the strategic importance of employee communications as it relates to ROI for the business. I find that when he wants to talk
about employee communications, it is about tactics rather than strategy.
B) Has the CEO redefined your role or mandate at any stage? (Sample)
- No - my organization considers PR as sending out news releases. Period. Budget has remained the same for the two years I've been here. Media training is slashed each
year. Yes--changed reporting relationship of myself and several others from reporting directly to him to reporting to our EVP/COO. - Expanded my role by having me involved with the review of important documents from the four divisions. They are often told to run it through me before it actually is
submitted to him for review or to Cabinet members. - Upgraded to include more responsibility for influencing company culture, so it's more of an organizational development/effectiveness role; increased responsibility for
individual coaching of exec team members to enhance communications effectiveness. - Demoted it. He does not understand its value to the big picture and is focused on cost savings at present.
9. A) To what extent does your CEO expect PR results to be measured? Is your CEO skeptical of anything without numbers attached? (Sample)
- 100%; takes it seriously but also believes everything should be measurable; expects success metrics and measurement of results tied to cost.
- Although he is an accountant, PR does not have to be quantified to gain his support.
- CEO puts very little weight on PR. Considers it a cost. Measurement is required for all PR projects we do to prove merit.
- He does not expect measurement, per se; however, it would better to convince him of the value of PR and communications, internal and external.
B) What demands does the CEO put on the PR functions that are not being met? (Sample)
- He wants to see our company get coverage in the media. But we don't do anything remotely newsworthy, so that hasn't happened.
- He wants to us to avoid having anyone say anything negative about this company or the industry -- ever, anywhere. Not realistic.
- His own personal reputation management. He doesn't believe we are proactive enough, but we are severely under-resourced, so we are doing all we can to keep our heads above
water. Not enough time to think ahead. - Our CEO expects results to be measured as much as possible. He's realistic about what can and can't be measured directly, and is able to work with "fuzzy" numbers as long as
it is clear to him that we're moving the in right direction." - Web site development and internal communications
C) What three things would you like to see improved in regard to the
CEO and PR/coms function or your relationship with him/her? (Sample)
- 1) Gain a better understanding of PR and communications value; 2) Involve PR in a more active way in their strategic and tactical discussions; 3) Be willing to support the
department with greater resources. I am a one-person department in a $350 million company. - 1) Allow us to take some intelligent risks; 2) Allow us some independent strategic freedom; 3) Provide a venue for regular and direct feedback.
- 1) Willing to put more time into being available and covering ideas that are put forth in PR; 2) My budget was larger; 3) There was a better definition of the goals he expects
from me. - 1) Spend more time preparing for high-profile interviews; 2) Use (more thoroughly) the talking points the PR team assembles; 3) To be less focused on "PR by the pound" and
more focused on PR that strategically supports sales and other business goals.
*Response rates vary. The IABC will be providing an in-depth analysis of this study in a future issue of Communication World.