The CEO's supporting cast
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
The CEO may be the face of the company, but they're not always the person audiences want to hear from most, according to a new report by We. Communications shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: Comms leaders should have a bench of executives who can speak credibly to different issues and audiences while sticking to a cohesive brand story.
By the numbers: The report surveyed 2,000 business decision-makers across seven countries and found that 86% say messages are more credible when delivered by an executive with subject-matter expertise.
- On financial results, respondents favored CFOs over CEOs by 17 percentage points. CTOs held a 19-point advantage on cybersecurity issues, while CMOs or CCOs had a smaller, 5-point edge on brand campaigns.
- Meanwhile, 77% say CEO messages are often more generic than those of functional leaders.
Yes, but: Don't sideline the CEO; 85% still want them included in corporate communications.
- Instead, let the CEO explain the company's direction while functional leaders provide the expertise and specifics.
Between the lines: The trick is getting everyone on the same page without making them sound the same.
- Some 61% prefer messages that are mostly or exactly consistent across executives.
- But that doesn't mean everyone needs to deliver the message together. More respondents prefer a shared message followed by individual executive updates (43%) than a single coordinated communications moment (33%).
What they're saying: "A CFO and a chief marketing officer should not sound like the same person reading from the same page," said GiGi Downs, head of We. Studio.
- "The most influential leaders bring their own expression to a shared idea," she said. "That helps audiences see there are real people behind the strategy, rather than a messaging framework. And this builds belief."
Zoom out: This kind of executive choreography is familiar at investor days, where CEOs lay out the strategy before handing off to their CFO, CTO and other leaders to explain their pieces.
- But it's important for that same coordination to be practiced year-round. If the CTO rarely speaks publicly, will they be ready to share a coherent brand story in the event of a major cybersecurity breach?
The fine print: The online survey was conducted July 17–31 among 2,000 business decision-makers at companies with at least 250 employees across seven countries.
- The findings measure respondents' stated preferences, not the actual effectiveness of different spokespeople.
The bottom line: The C-suite doesn't have to repeat the same talking points; instead, everyone's different experiences should strengthen the brand's story.
