With a serious diminution of CEOs because of the ongoing rash of corporate scandals, effectively serving the boss is one of the biggest challenges PR professionals face. And
two recent reports suggest the job isn't getting any easier, as senior PR execs remain well-behind the curve when it comes to both managing CEO speaking engagements efficiently
and assuaging CEOs' declining confidence in the economy.
The "Most Valued Conferences Survey," released last week by New York City-based Burson-Marsteller, sheds new light on how PR pros can vet the number of speaking requests
received by CEOs -- an average of 3.4 per week -- as well as the difficulty PR execs face in getting their CEOs in front of the appropriate audiences. Picking the right
engagements so CEOs maximize their time offsite is essential - but how? (See 'MVPs' for CEOs.)
"It's about the quality of recommendations that [PR pros] can bring to the table," says Carol Ballock, managing director of Burson-Marsteller's Executive Positioning Specialty
Group. "There is no Zagats for the conference world. At the end of the day, this is really about differentiation and how it creates value for the company."
Beyond getting the CEO's message out, PR pros carry the cross of his or her tenuous relationship with the public and, in turn, how the overall "brand reputation" is perceived.
These vulnerable reputations must be bolstered by speaking engagements that properly reinforce the CEO's goals - without falling on deaf ears. Senior PR execs must move their CEOs
from a defensive to an offensive position. "You want to be influencing the agenda," Ballock says, "not reacting to it."
Meanwhile, The Conference Board (New York City) last week released a CEO survey showing a decline in confidence in the economy among the nation's business
chieftains. According to the survey, which queried approximately 100 CEOs in a wide range of industries, in the second quarter of this year 55% of CEOs said the economy is
improving, down from 62% in the first quarater (see chart on CEO confidence).
Given wavering confidence, PR managers need to get ahead of their CEOs and put things in perspective, reinforcing that overall indicators remain positive about slow, but steady
economic growth.
Contacts: Carol Ballock, 212.614.4005, [email protected]; Lynn Franco, 212.339.0344, [email protected].
| 'MVPs' for CEOs | |
|---|---|
| 1 | World Economic Forum |
| 2 | Business Roundtable* |
| 3 | Detroit Economic Club |
| 4 | Fortune |
| 5 | BusinessWeek |
| 'MVPs' for C-Suite | |
| 1 | World Economic Forum |
| 1 | Forbes |
| 3 | The Economist |
| 4 | BusinessWeek |
| 5 | CERA Week |
| 5 | CIO Magazine |
| 5 | Fortune |
|
*CEO-only membership |
|
| CEO CONFIDENCE | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |||||||||||
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | |
| MEASURE OF CEO CONFIDENCE |
66
|
61
|
54
|
58
|
53
|
60
|
67
|
66
|
73
|
70
|
63
|
61
|
62
|
55
|
| 1. Current Economic Conditions vs. 6 Months Ago |
60
|
61
|
45
|
52
|
40
|
55
|
64
|
68
|
78
|
78
|
66
|
61
|
65
|
57
|
| 2. Expectations for Economy, 6 Months Ahead |
72
|
63
|
60
|
63
|
60
|
66
|
73
|
66
|
72
|
68
|
62
|
60
|
60
|
54
|
| 3. Expectations for Own Industry,6 Months Ahead |
65
|
59
|
58
|
59
|
60
|
60
|
66
|
63
|
70
|
65
|
60
|
60
|
61
|
53
|
| Current Conditions in Own Industry vs. 6 Months Ago |
51
|
60
|
42
|
49
|
38
|
52
|
57
|
60
|
71
|
72
|
65
|
59
|
65
|
52
|
| Source: CEO Confidence Survey, 2nd Quarter 2005, The Conference Board. | ||||||||||||||