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CEOs are increasingly being expected to serve as the face of their organization, but the strategies used to implement that increased visibility vary, according to a new report from V2 Communications.
V2’s CEO Visibility Report, conducted in partnership with survey-research consultancy and SaaS firm Researchscape, says that the case for increased visibility is clear. Responding to a more charged political and social climate, in which the speed of information is constantly increasing, stakeholders “expect direct, transparent communication from leadership.”
As a result, executive visibility has evolved from a brand-building exercise into a strategic business imperative.
There are several benefits that survey respondents said follow from increased CEO visibility. Almost two thirds of respondents (64 percent) ranked customer and market trust as the top benefit, followed by investor and partner confidence (47 percent), media presence and thought leadership (46 percent), internal morale and cultural alignment (43 percent), and competitive differentiation (42 percnt).
A majority of respondents (63 percent) say that they are taking advantage of those benefits and “already position their CEO as an external voice and face of the brand.” Only 13 percent say their CEO has “low or nonexistent visibility.”
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In addition, more CEOs are willing to step up and meet the demand for increased visibility. Almost half of respondents (48 percent) said that their CEO has become more willing to engage publicly, with only six percent noting a drop in interest.
The push for more visibility, the report says, has several sources. At the top are investor or stakeholder expectations (51 percent), followed by customer retention needs (48 percent), a tougher sales environment (37 percent) and the admiration of other public CEOs (33 percent).
Respondents also noted several strategies for building a CEO’s visibility. Here, social media thought leadership was seen as the number-one method, cited by 51 percent. Industry event presence and/or speaking engagements (46 percent) and media and press visibility (45 percent) were also top scorers.
However, one audience that may be slipping through the cracks, even for more-visible CEOs, is the organization’s employees. Only 14 percent of respondents said their CEO is currently as visible internally as they could be.
V2’s report comes alongside its launch of Executive Visibility, a comprehensive service offering designed to help organizations build influential executive brands, strengthen customer and stakeholder trust and prepare leaders for complex communications environments.
“CEO and executive visibility has reached a turning point,” said V2 Communications founder and CEO Jean Serra. “As expectations continue to rise, companies need a strategic, integrated approach that places leaders consistently and credibly in front of every audience that matters.”
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