CEOs and investor relations teams are experimenting with retail engagement strategies that could fundamentally change the "Wall Street playbook."

Why it matters: Retail investors are becoming more important yet are incredibly difficult to reach.

• Retail investing flows have risen by 50% since 2023, according to a recent JPMorganChase Institute report.

Zoom in: These investors skew younger. Roughly 40% of 25-year-olds have investment accounts, a 500% increase since 2015, per the report.

• 37% of Gen Z and millennial investors turn to friends or family for investment guidance, and 23% seek advice on social media, according to a World Economic Forum report.

In response, investor relations teams are spending more time on nontraditional platforms.

• Ahead of its listing, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong hosted a Reddit AMA, while Nikola Corporation used the platform as part of its get-out-the-vote proxy campaign.
• Reddit engages its retail investors through a dedicated subreddit and hosts quarterly AMAs where shareholders can ask questions that may be addressed in earnings calls.
• Robinhood livestreams its earnings calls but plans to launch an in-app social platform next year that could serve as a broader hub for "retail investor relations." It will include other companies' live earnings events, vice president of product management Abhishek Fatehpuria told Axios during a demo of the new product.
• Lyft CEO David Risher and CFO Erin Brewer joined web show "TBPN" last week to frame the company's Q3 results for retail investors, a spokesperson told Axios.

Between the lines: Community-building strategies and tactics are being deployed with investors, requiring more involvement from comms and marketing teams, says Matt Joanou, CEO and co-founder at Stakeholder Labs.

• "Traditionally, IR teams have been heavily focused on institutional investors," Joanou says. "But retail investors are starting to get a seat at the table. They're starting to be able to ask questions on earnings calls. They're starting to participate more directly with these companies through shareholder newsletters and through things like shareholder benefits."

Now, business leaders are looking to build rapport with retail investors with sway, as they do with institutional investors.

• "The north star is how do we find influencers who are doing things a little bit differently that have this, rabid, engaged audience — guys like Litquidity, Unusual Whales or Stocktwits — and just leverage that as best we can to reach their audience," says Russ Rubino, co-founder of CorpBridge Advisors and former chief marketing officer at Sporttrade.

What they're saying: It's a product of the evolving media landscape and fragmented investor base, and it presents a lot of opportunity for corporate communications and marketing teams, says Katie Perry, founder of Ursa Major Media and co-host of Stocktwits show "Daily Rip Live."

• "Institutional analysts are also on Reddit. They're on X. They're seeing these retail [trends]," she adds. "If retail sentiment shifts, that could be a risk that might impact their analysis."

What's next: Corporate communications teams are already looking for effective ways to court other influential sources — like chatbots.

Case in point ... 👇🏻

Roughly 6 in 10 millennials and 4 in 10 Gen Zers are using AI to help them pick investments, per a recent eToro report.

• Meanwhile, 41% of young investors say they would let chatbots manage their portfolios, a World Economic Forum report found.

What to watch: Investor relations sites are likely to get a facelift to attract large-language models, says Perry.

• This could take the shape of a comprehensive FAQ or more multimedia content on an investor relations pages.

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There's a new CCO+ title that's trending across the industry: chief communications and brand officer.

Why it matters: With AI upending how consumers discover brands and boycotts spreading at the speed of a post, communications teams are emerging as the real brand gatekeepers.

State of play: Within the Fortune 1000, 84 executives have communications and marketing or communications and brand in their title, according to a Heidrick & Struggles analysis shared with Axios.

• For example, comms leaders from IBM, Dropbox, Anthropic and GM also oversee brand for their companies.
• "As stakeholder influence expands beyond shareholders to include employees, customers, partners and communities, companies are recognizing the need for unified leadership," says Kristin Deutmeyer, global managing partner, marketing, sales and strategy officers practice at Heidrick & Struggles.
• "AI is amplifying that urgency, making it essential to own and shape your brand narrative, leaving nothing up to interpretation."

Between the lines: Seemingly simple marketing decisions can create a political firestorm, as seen recently with American Eagle, Cracker Barrel and Bud Light.

• It's a reality that is also prompting some C-suites to rethink which function owns brand, creative and messaging, says Asheley Linnenbach, partner at PLBsearch.
• "The current stakeholder and political landscape requires whoever is in charge of brand to have a risk management mindset when they're thinking about these campaigns," she said.

What they're saying: "Is the company under intense public scrutiny? Does it have a complex set of stakeholders?" asks Gail Tifford, managing director at True Search. "One could argue trust is really critical in all businesses, but there are some businesses where there's way more on the line when it comes to a brand's reputation."

• In those instances, you're likely to see fewer silos, she adds.

Yes, but: The need for pure-play functions like product marketing, demand generation and growth marketing remains, experts say.

What to watch: OCR recently examined Fortune 1000 companies and found that CCO+ roles have increased by roughly 88% between 2024 and 2019, a trend that continues.

• "I think it comes down to people and priorities," Tifford says. "Is the person a trusted advisor to the CEO and a trusted peer in the C-suite? Do they understand how to unite teams that may be operated in silos before, right? Do they have a grasp on cultural or political sensitivity? Do they have good judgment for how the brand should show up in the world? This is what's required."

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Stagwell has launched SixAM Strategies, a new public affairs firm led by Targeted Victory alum Maggie FitzGerald, Axios exclusively reports.

Why it matters: This comes as the holding company looks to supercharge its lagging advocacy business.

Between the lines: Stagwell's communication and advocacy segment was the only segment within the holding company's portfolio to see a decrease in revenue, according to third-quarter earnings.

• "The slowdown in the communications vertical [reflects] industrywide issues in that segment," Stagwell chairperson Mark Penn said. "We expect the trends in advocacy companies to reverse themselves next year in what promises to be a banner political year."

Details: SixAM will deploy hyperlocal campaigns and outreach on behalf of corporations, trade associations and causes.

• FitzGerald will serve as CEO and Jessie Keady, former chief of staff to New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, will serve as chief operating officer.
• SixAM will work closely with other Stagwell firms — like SKDK, founded by Democratic strategists, and Targeted Victory, founded by GOP strategists — according to a company spokesperson.
• The firm is expected to have 10 full-time employees by the start of 2026.

What they're saying: "In today's polarized environment, corporations and causes can't win from the top down — they have to earn trust from the ground up," says Stagwell president Jay Leveton.

Keep reading.

As chief corporate affairs officer at Synchrony, Sue Bishop is responsible for protecting and enhancing the company's reputation.

Why it matters: Bishop is the first to hold the chief corporate affairs role at the consumer financial services company, which spun out from GE in 2015.

Catch up quick: Bishop started her career as a trade reporter before taking on public relations roles at Textron, John Hancock Funds, Tiller LLC and U.S. Trust.

• She then spent more than a decade at GE, where she served as head of communications for GE Capital and as director of employee communications for GE worldwide.
• Bishop joined Synchrony in 2017 as senior vice president of communications and brand. She was promoted to chief corporate affairs officer in 2023.

State of play: Bishop reports to Synchrony CEO Brian Doubles and oversees the team responsible for corporate communications, events, employee communication and engagement, reputation management, public affairs, and advocacy.

What she's saying: Synchrony has 100 million consumers and partners with more than 400,000 retailers, spanning from Amazon and Walmart, to the local jewelry shop or bike store around the corner, she told Axios.

• "People know us, but they don't really know what we do," Bishop says. "We want consumers to understand the breadth of our product offerings and the value that we can provide, but we also want those opinion elites — especially legislators and consumer advocates — to understand how we play in the credit space."

What to watch: One of her team's priorities in 2026 is integrated storytelling on behalf of the company, she tells Axios.

Go deeper ... read the spotlight in its entirety.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect Synchrony has more than 400,000 partners (not 40,000).

BravoCon returns from its yearlong hiatus Friday in Las Vegas.

Zoom in: Now in its fourth iteration, this reality TV extravaganza is becoming an all-star weekend that attracts mostly women.

• In 2023, the average BravoCon attendee was 37 years old.
• Reps for NBCUniversal say three-day tickets and Bravopalooza meet-and-greet passes were sold out within 10 minutes.
• This year, attendees will travel an average of about 900 miles to join the event. The network says they will come from all 50 states and six foreign countries, with most fans from New York City; Los Angeles; Chicago; Atlanta; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Seattle.

What they're saying: Frances Berwick, chairman of Bravo & Peacock Unscripted, tells Axios that next-day streaming is drawing in younger fans.

• "The audience continues to get a lot broader. We see multiple generations within families" at BravoCon, Berwick says.

💭 Eleanor's thought bubble: In the age of AI, big brands seem to be putting a premium on community building and convening power. As a Bravo-holic myself, no one does it better than BravoCon.

Speaking of convening, I joined Mission North and comms leaders from Google, Waymo, Salesforce, Sony and more in San Francisco this week for a dinner about the future of communications.

What they're saying: AI will eat comms, but not in the way you think, says Bill Bourdon, co-CEO of Mission North.

• "With the mainstreaming of AI, people want to put a human face to your products and brand," he said. "The winners in 2026 will ruthlessly prioritize the fundamentals [like] great stories, authentic characters, consistency and diversified distribution."
• Plus, "optimizing earned and owned content for Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude is table-stakes."