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Corporate America’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs are facing aggressive scrutiny—and professional services firms are not immune.  

Recent headlines are telling. Many, like Walmart, Google and some BigLaw firms, have retreated from the DEI efforts that were so widely publicized in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Others, like Costco and Coca-Cola, aren’t shying away.  

But there are risks no matter how you approach the new landscape. Leaving DEI efforts intact may open some organizations to lawsuits and government enforcement actions. Doing away with them altogether, however, risks drawing negative attention to the organization. Either choice will likely incite backlash from employees, customers, and other stakeholders. Target, for instance, is currently being sued by shareholders who claim it concealed the risks of its DEI approach and facing boycott calls from consumers who support DEI.    

Whichever route your organization takes with its DEI decisions, communications will play a pivotal role in maintaining the trust of talent, as well as current and prospective clients. Amid ongoing uncertainty, a smart, multi-faceted communications strategy can lend stability to your firm, mitigate reputational risks, and lay the groundwork for what’s next.  

The Shifting DEI Landscape: Key Learnings for Communicators  

When it comes to DEI, it’s a murky time for employers of all shapes and sizes. The instability presents not only legal and workplace challenges, but a communications problem. How can you communicate authentically about a topic that remains in flux?  

Saying nothing—the path law firm K&L Gates chose before removing DEI language from its website—might exacerbate the problem. But saying something, however clearly, may backfire, too. A January statement about McDonald’s “Commitment to Inclusion,” for example, led to reports claiming that the fast-food giant had killed DEI—even though the statement itself was much more nuanced.  

Before laying out a plan, consider these three key learnings and how they may influence your communications.  

Put today’s climate in perspective. It can be tough to see outside of the whirlwind that is the current news cycle. But remember: the idea of creating an inclusive workplace and prioritizing diversity of perspectives was around long before 2020—and will likely be around in some form or another for years to come. Companies that are quick to walk back their DEI commitments perhaps never really believed in them in the first place. 

Those that do stand fast need to focus internally first. Regardless of how your firm wants to move forward, a big-picture perspective can help professional services organizations imbue these communications with a note of thoughtfulness and historical precedent. It’s genuine, for instance, to want to take a beat to reevaluate DEI programs as regulatory and other pressures shift—sometimes at blistering speed. You need to be honest about what a reevaluation entails and why you’re doing it.   

Disruption=opportunity. This reevaluation can be positive as every organization would probably do well to reexamine what’s working and what’s not when it comes to their DEI efforts. Honestly evaluating these programs is a tactic that most stakeholders can get on board with. It can also drive transparency in communications around DEI initiatives to audiences of all types, demonstrating that your organization is “doing the work” to make thoughtful decisions moving forward.  

Prioritize your people. As the backlash against McDonald’s shows, even the best intentioned communications can ignite hostility (the company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Desiree Ralls-Morrison, suggested—probably correctly—that most critics hadn’t even read the full statement).  

High-profile organizations should expect as much in today’s climate. Yet while the public conversation is important, internal communications are where firm leadership has more control and should focus their attention. Despite the scrutiny facing DEI programs today, recent research by labor and employment law firm Littler reveals that these programs remain an important tool for attracting and retaining talent. 

Whichever direction they intend to go with on DEI, leaders should provide communications that keep employees up to date, acknowledge their concerns, reiterate that creating an inclusive workplace environment is still paramount, and offer a clear roadmap and timelines for what’s to come.  

Don’t forget: assume that anything you say internally can be leaked. While it’s understandable that some DEI communications will not be proactively external in nature, that doesn’t mean what you say internally should be in misalignment with your general public-facing posture. In fact, the internal to external progression of a stance or statement may be a smart, “people-first” strategy. 

Three Foundational Questions to Jumpstart Your DEI Comms  

Given the rapid-fire policy shifts, organizations are right in taking steps to avoid legal risks. Yet communications—internally and externally—must go hand-in-hand with any DEI pivots to mitigate reputational harm and any impacts to employee morale or recruitment efforts.  

To get started, consider the following three questions:  

What is the business case for your DEI programs?  

This will be critical not only from a legal perspective but a reputational one—especially when it comes to public-facing statements. In effect, it’s a return to pre-2020 DEI efforts.  

“Pre-George Floyd, most of this work was internal. There wasn’t a big external piece to it,” one Am Law 100 Chief Diversity Officer said in January. “George Floyd made it public, and very quickly all of the people who do this work were thrust out into the public space without a lot of warning or training, and now we’re all public figures on some ways. That’s a very new part of the job.” 

Be sure you can tangibly tie these efforts to business goals and that they align with your stated mission and values. Costco, which includes DEI in its “Code of Ethics,” has been successful in this regard. Its investors overwhelmingly defeated a shareholder proposal that would do away with the company’s DEI programs, which leadership recently said helps “bring originality and creativity to our merchandise offerings” and “enhance[s] our capacity to attract and retain employees who will help our business succeed.”  

Does your current and prospective talent understand the organization’s commitment? (Are you sure?)  

Pivots are only successful when stakeholders know what they’re pivoting from and to. This is where transparent communication about the findings (and why they were done in the first place) can play a role. Make sure your people understand what your commitment to DEI (or whatever you choose to call it) is moving forward, if at all.  

That can be easier said than done. For instance, many leaders may not fully have their fingers on the pulse. Finding ways to appropriately solicit feedback from employees and clients—and assess benchmarking data on other firms’ actions—is therefore critical.  

Do you have meaningful action items lined up?  

One lesson from the post-2020 era of DEI is that words without actions are sometimes just as consequential as the actions themselves. Stakeholders—especially internal audiences and consumers—are tired of hearing empty rhetoric, no matter where they stand. They want a clear sense of what actions will be taken moving forward and why. A recent study from Columbia Business School reveals “…if companies want to be seen as authentic allies, they must demonstrate a consistent commitment – with words that are supported by action.” 

A reevaluation of your DEI programs may buy you time, but eventually—whether you want to or not—you’ll have to communicate something. When you do, don’t show up with broad or overly ambitious statements that use a lot of grandiose language to say very little of substance. Be clear, brief, and targeted about what actions you’ve taken and will continue to take—and why.  

“A heartbreaking conundrum”  

That’s how Jocelyn Samuels, one of the Democrats removed from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, articulated the current challenge facing employers on the topic of DEI.  

But while obstacles abound, so do opportunities. Now is the time for professional services firms to reevaluate what’s working and what’s not—as well as who they are and what they stand for.  

None of this can be accomplished effectively without strategic, transparent, authentic, empathetic, and action-oriented communications from firm leaders. 

We’re here to help.  

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As AI-generated answers and content hog the search spotlight, pushing high-quality owned content through owned channels is a winning strategy for professional services firms 

By now, we’ve all seen AI-generated answers in response to human-written questions. Google’s AI Overviews — powered by the Gemini Large Language Model, or LLM — now takes pride of place in search results, often directly over the content it references.  

That’s worrisome for marketers at professional services firms, whose experts have suddenly been thrust into competition with the AI noise. If searchers can get the answers they need without clicking through to your firm’s website, your thought leadership can’t attract attention or build authority for your business. After all, according to Greentarget’s latest State of Digital survey, firm or company websites are still the second most valuable source of information for professional services firm leaders, trailing only — you guessed it — search engines.  

At least, that’s the case for now. To maintain their firms’ positions of authority, marketers will need to pivot to smart owned content and distribution strategies. Here’s why and how they can do so.  

How AI-Generated Answers Inflame the Fight for Attention  

As communicators, we’re trained to compete with other ideas. Now, we must compete with infinite permutations of ideas, and the AI-generated syntheses pushed by search and social platforms.  

That’s a problem, because for years publishers have relied on search to send an audience, with 63.4% of traffic referred on the U.S. web coming from Google as of January 2024. Even with that high number though, Google was keeping most searchers to itself — only 36% of Google searches send users to non-Google-owned, non-advertising websites. Almost 60% of searchers never go anywhere; they either accept the Google summary or search again. As AI answers continue to roll out in search, that number is only expected to go up.   

Publishers are already feeling the impact: At a recent conference at Columbia University, the President of Scientific American estimated that traffic to the site from Google is down over 30% since AI summaries were introduced. Meanwhile, an editor at 404 Media observed that an AI content farm’s copies of 404’s articles had outranked the source material in search.  

Provide Reliable Information, Then Publish Everywhere 

Professional services firms won’t be spared.  

That’s why, instead of relying on Google to send people to your site, today’s marketers must build their own audiences. That’s not impossible: though Google refers the most traffic, social holds the most attention, comprising 20.75% of web visits. A further 21% goes to productivity apps like email.  

With quality owned content like articles and research reports — the preferred content types for in-house counsel and C-suite executives — professional services firms can build an audience elsewhere. Social media channels, email newsletters, YouTube and podcasts all rely on original insights and create an opportunity to take back control of content marketing campaigns. Targeted owned content can also lead to earned media opportunities, as the insights can be leveraged to gain the attention of reporters or repurposed for bylines in external publications. For instance, when Greentarget, working with consulting firm Berkeley Research Group, published an article about how to avoid retail bankruptcies, Law360 reached out to see if the authors could adapt the article for their readers.  

Individual subject matter experts can also use owned content for direct email outreach, personalized social posts, or as the foundation for in-person events or webinars. Even better, invite current or prospective clients to collaborate with your thought leaders on the content itself. Finally, consider leveraging paid media (e.g., LinkedIn Ads) to amplify the pieces that perform best organically. 

The key concept to remember is create once, publish everywhere. The entire process can be broken down into four steps:  

  1. Maximize owned: Prioritize in-depth content and manage what you can control. 
  1. Leverage your owned content to secure earned media opportunities.  
  1. Broadcast and share on social. 
  1. Utilize paid to further amplify pieces that perform the best organically. 

Accept the State of AI in Search Today 

While we can no longer rely on search to provide a ready-made audience for our content, we can still earn some benefits from the platform. There are plenty of searches that don’t earn an AI overview, and those are usually the niche, industry-specific queries that professional services firms benefit from most.  

Professional services firms should continue to optimize content to compete in traditional search results — less traffic is still traffic, after all. Now though, they must also think about how their content engages with AI-generated answers. Most AI summarizers cite and link to their sources, and those links are a new opportunity to earn traffic, and perhaps more importantly, position your brand as a key source on a relevant topic.  

Utilizing a wide range of platforms, as outlined above, will help with that. LLMs build answers based on the language most often used. If your brand is associated with a particular subject, you are more likely to be cited as a source in AI answers for that subject. In this way, it’s similar to PR: the more often you’re mentioned, the more likely you are to be mentioned.  

Plan for an Even More AI-Powered Tomorrow 

This analysis and these recommendations deal with the AI tools of today. AI answers are appearing in search, traffic from search is decreasing as a result, and what it means to search-optimize your content is changing. But this is not the end. Almost all projections show AI tools improving to some extent, and thus playing a greater role in how we gather information. It may not be the full takeover some are predicting, but even a 10 or 20% increase will be keenly felt by those who publish original, relevant content.  

We don’t know what the future holds for AI. But we know what the trendline looks like. If you want to stay ahead of it, reach out.    

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Every organization wants an engaged, aligned, and high-performing workforce propelling their business. But many don’t realize the role internal communications plays in creating employees of this caliber.

When done well and intentionally, strategic internal communications positively impact employee engagement, which, in turn, impacts business performance. Conversely, the cost of not making internal comms a priority is staggering. Gallup reports that employees classified as “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” were responsible for $1.9 trillion in lost productivity nationally in 2023.

A new report just published by the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism in partnership with Staffbase found that nearly two-thirds of employees (61%) who are considering a job change cited poor internal communication as a key factor in their decision-making. More than half (54%) of respondents said they feel unfamiliar with their organization’s goals and vision; and 65% said they are unsatisfied with the amount of information they get that is necessary to do their jobs.

For professional services firms — where human capital is the primary asset — the impact is especially profound. Engaged employees are more productive, provide better client service, and are more likely to stay with the firm, reducing costly turnover. 

Helping professional services firms establish effective internal communications strategies and strengthen employee engagement is a priority for Greentarget and a professional passion of mine. And it’s an area in which many firms are hungry for guidance. So when a friend recently introduced me to Matt Goebel, a communications expert who has helped lead sweeping change initiatives at Fortune 500 companies, I asked him to sit down with me for a conversation. 

The lessons Matt has learned and the impact he’s made offer valuable lessons for firms that want to communicate with internal stakeholders more effectively. Here’s what he had to say.

How did your career path lead to internal communications and what has kept you invested in the role?

I’ve always loved to write and communicate, leading me to study English in college and in journalism in grad school. But to my surprise, I soon discovered I didn’t truly want to be a journalist. 

Instead, I put my writing and communication skills to work for a large global public relations agency and learned the ins and outs of external communication and media relations. During that time, I was handpicked to be part of a group launching a new service focused on helping clients with internal communications. 

And that’s where I discovered my niche: The unique ability to get into the heads of executive leaders and translate what they’re trying to say into messages employees can understand and internalize.

After transitioning to a smaller, boutique agency, I eventually took an in-house position at Abbott and later Novartis, where I discovered that internal comms is a big tent with so many facets and challenges. From strategic communications and crisis management to organizational culture, there’s so much to do, which keeps me energized and motivated.

It all comes back to being a translator — helping senior leaders communicate effectively with employees at all levels of the organization to foster engagement and buy-in.

How have internal communications changed since those early days piloting a new service? And what kinds of lessons have you learned about how to do it well? 

When I first got started, internal comms were rote, even mechanical. Much of the messaging centered around disseminating basic facts such as the date of an event or the deadline for benefits enrollment. While these elements remain important, modern internal communications have evolved into a strategic function that touches every aspect of an organization.

When prioritized and executed effectively, internal comms can help employees understand the firm’s strategy and their role in it, facilitate change management and organizational transformation, and even support talent recruitment and retention. Internal comms enable leaders to listen better, collaborate more fully, tell engaging stories that highlight successes, rally employees to make needed improvements, paint a compelling picture of the future, and put their team on a concrete path to get there. 

What I’ve learned over the course of my career is that you can’t throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Nor can you keep important strategic matters and organizational decisions close to the vest. There needs to be a middle ground — one that’s thoughtfully sussed out. It really does take intentionality and commitment (and oftentimes an expert partner) to find the right balance.

Of all the internal communications programs you’ve managed over the years, which had the most impact? 

One of the greatest adventures I’ve been part of was at Abbott when they decided to carve out their pharmaceutical business and create a new company, AbbVie. As part of a smaller team that helped separate AbbVie from Abbott and take it public, we were faced with a significant challenge: How do we pull 35,000 people across 70 countries out of an existing company and help them feel part of this new organization?

It felt very much like the world’s largest start-up, and it took about a year and a half to create AbbVie out of Abbott, culminating in a bell ringing ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange. During that time, I worked closely with our new senior leadership team — the new CEO and C-suite that had been pulled out of Abbott — to help communicate with their “new” employees.

Our internal comms strategies centered around helping Abbott-turned-AbbVie employees understand the rationale behind the strategic decision and break down the complex separation process so everyone understood what would happen and when. This was far from easy, especially since various countries around the world underwent this separation at different times.

Along the way, we weighed questions like: Who are we going to be as a new company? What are we bringing over and leveraging from Abbott in terms of strategy, culture, ways of working, vision, mission, and values? Where are there opportunities for differentiation? And how can we help all employees understand where we’re going rather than hold on to where we’ve been? 

Of course, it was critically important not to answer those questions in a vacuum. We engaged employees through focus groups and surveys to get their input and sentiments. Then, as we made decisions, we cascaded the information to employees and asked for ongoing feedback to foster two-way communication.

It was an incredibly complicated and challenging time — but it was a truly phenomenal experience. 

Some professional services firms don’t have a mature internal communications function — or even a dedicated role. If you were pitching the idea of building the function to a leader of one of these firms, what would you say?

That’s an easy one. I’d say: Imagine dividing your employees into two groups. Employees in each group are equally equipped to succeed in terms of education, experience, skillset, and drive.

But members of the first group know the ins and outs of your organization. They understand your firm’s values, business goals, and strategic direction. And they’re fully informed about their role in the organization and what they’re expected to contribute to help the firm thrive. Members of the second group don’t have that deep well of knowledge.

Which employees would you rather entrust with a key client account? 

Since the answer to that is obvious, the next thing I’d do is offer some encouragement. For many professional services firms, especially smaller ones, building a dedicated internal communications function is daunting. The good news is leaders don’t have to boil the ocean, nor should they. Perfection is not the goal. I’d tell them to simply make internal comms an organizational priority and then get started.

Many professional services firms utilize partnership structures, where leadership is made up of an owner or owners who are leading other owners of the business. How might this dynamic complicate internal communications — and where might it open up new opportunities? 

Alignment and consensus are crucial any time an organization is introducing a new priority — but it’s even more important when leaders share power and authority. You can’t have one leader saying one thing and another leader saying the opposite if you want messaging to stick.

One way to achieve that alignment is to involve select partners in the process of developing the firm’s key messages and strategy. I realize this can be a “be careful what you wish for” situation that can create an overwhelming amount of feedback that paralyzes the process. But I also think there’s a way to foster a sense of ownership without inviting everyone to become an editor.

An area of opportunity to consider is assigning different partners as the “face” or point person for different types of communications, playing to their strengths and areas of expertise. This can help get key messages across more broadly while fostering widespread buy-in.

What advice would you give to an executive who is stepping into a leadership role for the first time? What steps can they take to make internal communications a priority and, in turn, foster support for the organization’s strategic initiatives?

Think about your role from a short-term and a long-term perspective. In the short-term, what is the immediate impact you want to make? What are your top priorities? And what do your internal stakeholders need to hear from you?

But don’t stop there. Take time to envision the legacy you want to leave behind and the indelible impact you want to make. How do you want to be remembered after you’ve moved on? What do you want to leave behind for the next person? 

Big picture, let the answers to those questions inform your communications strategy. And then tactically, begin the communications process by putting yourself in your audience’s shoes and identifying one or two primary issues — like your business strategy and organizational values — that you’d like to focus on. Engage employees consistently on those things. Then, once you’re sure employees have internalized what you want them to know, move on to new topics and messaging.

Be sure to include leaders and supervisors at all levels in the process and provide materials and training to help them communicate and disseminate messages effectively.

Return-to-office announcements are still all over the news, and some company decisions have been met with criticism. How should leaders communicate about RTO?

It can be challenging to share difficult news in a way that doesn’t make it worse. The most important thing is to communicate a clear rationale for the decision — one that’s focused on the benefits the company and employees stand to gain. For example, in professional services environments, in-person work is often key to training junior talent, assessing performance, and helping up-and-coming professionals rise through the ranks.

Storytelling can be particularly impactful here. Employees may be unimpressed by statistics or hard facts, but if you can tell stories that tap into their emotions, you’ll be more likely to persuade them and win support. Look for stories of impact that demonstrate the value of in-person work and communicate them broadly in a variety of channels. 

Any final thoughts you’d like to share? 

Building a robust internal communications function is not an overnight process. It requires consistent effort, ongoing resource allocation, and a commitment to continuous improvement. 

It’s a significant investment in a firm’s most valuable asset — its people — but it’s an investment that’s guaranteed to pay dividends for years to come.

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Professional services firms face an uphill battle to stand out and promote their expertise, as overwhelming amounts of content flood target audience’s inboxes and feeds each day.

How, then, can your firm avoid contributing to the noise — and instead rise above it? The answer lies in bespoke research that informs distinctive, high impact thought leadership campaigns. 

The Power of Research-Backed Thought Leadership

True thought leadership isn’t just about reposting articles or chiming in on the latest news. It’s about unleashing fresh and unique insights and practical guidance that can address the critical issues facing your key audiences. In doing so, you can differentiate the most important practices at your firm and open doors to new business opportunities.

Research-based PR and marketing campaigns offer unique advantages over run-of-the-mill content, enabling your firm to:

  • Go deep on a topic. While most content just skims the surface, well-crafted research reports provide original data and in-depth analysis that clients and prospects value.
  • Fuel content for multiple channels. A single research initiative can drive articles, presentations, infographics, videos, podcasts, and more — creating a content engine that keeps producing long after you launch the report itself.
  • Strengthen relationships with clients and stakeholders. Research gives you insights into the concrete needs and challenges of your internal and external stakeholders. When you understand these deeply, you can deliver clear and actionable guidance that makes a difference.
  • Leverage findings as a catalyst for business development. When you connect the dots between your research findings and your prospects’ needs, you’ll be able to more easily open doors to high-value sales conversations.
  • Establish authority. Staking a claim on key topics and building your position on those topics year after year is an effective strategy to elevate visibility and deepen trust with your audience.

Of course, research-backed campaigns will only drive results if the research they’re based on is both salient and sound. Rather than go it alone, it can be helpful to partner with a firm that specializes in this work.

Greentarget conducts approximately 50 major research-based campaigns for our clients each year. Of those, about half are ongoing campaigns that we iterate over time to help clients build their brand, strengthen their reputation, and drive growth.

Let’s take a look at what it takes to conduct research and market intelligence projects that drive results.

6 Steps to Create Research-Backed Thought Leadership Campaigns

Effective research must be tied to the issues that matter to your audience and help your firm differentiate itself. So what tools and strategies should you use to effectively move from idea to insight? Here’s a look at what it takes to develop research that delivers tangible results.

  1. Identify your audience and brainstorm relevant topics. Conducting research for research’s sake is an exercise in futility. To make an impact, your research must be targeted and purposeful, relevant to thought leaders’ expertise, client needs, and timely news hooks.
  2. Conduct a white space analysis. White spaces are where you have an opportunity to differentiate — where you can bring something new and valuable to the conversation, and your audience. 
  3. Choose the ideal research methodologies for your objectives. Whenever possible, leverage a combination of secondary research (e.g., existing industry reports, academic studies, and publicly available data) and primary research (e.g., quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews or focus groups). 
  4. Execute the research. This step involves developing your research instruments, recruiting participants, and conducting fieldwork. But bear in mind: It takes experience and know-how to gather high-quality data with statistical significance. Partnering with a firm like Greentarget helps ensure you reach the right respondents and maintain methodological rigor.
  5. Analyze findings and develop strategic guidance. After you’ve collected your data, you need to extract meaningful insights from it. Be sure to invite internal stakeholders and subject matter experts back into the process at this stage. They have the insight and expertise to help you interpret the results accurately, contextualize key findings, and identify the most significant implications for your clients.
  6. Create the cornerstone report and supporting content. Package your insights into a report and related content items to distribute to your audience. Make sure all pieces of content are relevant, urgent, novel, and useful to provide maximum value to your audience.

Remember, the goal is to create multiple touchpoints that reinforce your key messages and position your firm as a thought leader in your chosen area. Monitor the performance of different channels and content pieces, and be prepared to adjust your strategy based on what resonates most with your audience. Directing smarter conversations requires powerful insights that are rooted in sound market intelligence. Greentarget can help you find them. So let’s talk.

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CMOs came into their own as C-suite utility players in 2021, when the leaders of Twitter, Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon did something no elected representative in Congress can do to the head of our federal government. Each imposed severe, unprecedented limits on the powers of a U.S. president.

Responding much faster than Congress to the will of the people — not as voters but as consumers — the chief executives demonstrated publicly and conclusively that they can more effectively circumscribe a government leader’s power than members of any other branch.

This led the Chief Financial Correspondent at Axios to conclude that CEOs have now become the fourth branch of government. “They have money, they have power, and they have more of the public’s trust than politicians do. And they’re using all of it in an attempt to preserve America’s system of governance.”

With this power comes a new kind of regulator, more powerful than the courts or the legislatures. Consumers can use their buying power and collective social influence to keep the “fourth branch” — let’s call it the C-branch — in check.

In such a world, the CMO becomes the CEO’s most valuable, versatile ally — a critically important conduit between the C-branch and consumers. The CMO-as-utility-player must do more than simply articulate positions, craft messages, and disseminate information internally and externally. In an era where corporate decisions can have far-reaching political and social implications, they must guide their organizations through turbulent waters. 

By learning and transmitting what’s on consumers’ minds — their predilections, pain points, and latest causes for social, economic, and political concern — CMOs can help the C-suite make decisions that protect and strengthen their position in the market. Like whether it’s time to take a stand on a contentious Supreme Court decision or how to position the company in the lead-up to a divisive election.

What it Means for CMOs to be the C-Suite’s Utility Player Today

Geopolitical and social unrest, contentious election cycles, fast-moving technological innovations, economic challenges, and far-reaching generational shifts continue to elevate the role of CMO. The C-suite faces ever-escalating pressure to communicate about everything from where their firm is heading to what role they expect it to play in an increasingly fractious society. And the CMO is the person who is best-positioned to help them do so effectively.

Recent events — the Supreme Court’s Chevron decision limiting federal agency power, the Israel-Hamas War, the widespread adoption of AI, and the backlash around DEI programs to name a few — continue to refashion the landscape in which CMOs operate. These developments have further solidified the CMO’s position as the C-suite’s indispensable utility player, bridging the gap between corporate strategy, consumer sentiment, and societal change.

Far more than just a chief marketing messenger, the CMO is now something of a CIO too — an executive who, if not working directly with information technology, must understand it well enough to take full advantage of the growing array of digital marketing tools. This includes leveraging AI to gain unprecedented insights into consumer behavior and sentiment, allowing CMOs to get closer to the ground than ever before in understanding their audience.

Additionally, the roles of the CMO and Chief Communications Officer are becoming more integrated by the day. They must be in order to achieve what Maja Pawinska Sims calls a better alignment with “brand and corporate narrative.” As honest, relevant, human storytelling becomes even more closely connected to the P&L, the C-suite’s storytellers are increasingly relied upon to develop new narratives.

It is not incorrect, then, to refer to the CMO as the C-suite’s new utility player, the executive who must know a little bit about every other position in order to help the CEO make sense of challenges and opportunities, especially in relation to the Three Rs: Revenue, Relationship, and Reputation.

Revenue & Relationships are the CMO’s Job, Too

Reputation has long been in the domain of the CMO. Marketing’s ties to revenue run deep, but the new order makes them inseparable. Relationship management, on the other hand, has traditionally resided outside the chief marketer’s purview. That’s not the case anymore.

Using a deep understanding of both customers and community, CMOs can and must actively identify and broker new kinds of relationships for their companies. Success will make them indispensable lieutenants, especially when it comes to helping CEOs influence “constituents” — as elected officials do.

A focus on revenue means CMOs need more than just hallway collegiality with the CFO; they need to develop an active, healthy relationship. They must also help persuade the finance chief that today, what’s good for customers and communities is good for the company’s bottom line.

Rather than be put off by such a prospect, chief marketers should view the present as an opportunity to, as Jann Schwarz writes, “reclaim a more strategic role” through a key relationship with the CFO.

“[The CMO’s] creativity and imagination (combined with commercial discipline and a customer lens) can drive a sustainable and competitive advantage” through such a rapprochement, writes Schwarz.

Clearly, this is not your mother’s or your father’s CMO.

The New Corporate Narrative: Social Responsibility

In this brave new world, the CMO is the CEO’s eyes and ears, both messenger and oracle, watching how our market-society, and the people who comprise it, are moving, shifting, aligning and re-aligning.

This means that CMOs can no longer compartmentalize company narratives, social responsibility and profitable growth. As the last Business Roundtable made eminently clear, these are now intertwined and interdependent considerations. That’s especially true given the rise of Gen Z and the expectations these emerging stakeholders bring to the business world. 

CMOs who are paying attention and playing the long game know that social responsibility is a key narrative and that terms such as “social impact” and “sustainability” are something more than fleeting hashtags to be expressed merely through a sprinkling of green on the logo. It will remain the narrative until norms have changed so dramatically that it becomes an unspoken expectation.

Perhaps the CMO’s greatest value, then, will be in perceiving what is moving the market. Or more accurately who is moving it: consumers and clients who are not data points, who are not math problems, but real, live people, governed by ever-shifting social norms and fickle human nature.

And who can vote any time, from anywhere, for unelected leaders in that fourth branch of government using something that may soon be more powerful than the ballot: their credit cards and their voices on social media.

About the Executive Positioning Practice

Exemplifying Greentarget’s commitment to being a trusted advisor to clients, Greentarget’s Executive Positioning team provides c-suite executives (managing partners, CEOs, executive committees, and boards) with insights to anticipate, understand, and respond to important global and social developments, analyzing key issues that can impact reputation and compel leaders to communicate. 

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Too many aspiring thought leaders are more concerned with simply being part of the conversation than adding to it in a meaningful way.

Some may feel an intense pressure to keep pace with competitors, even if they don’t have anything new to say. Others may have plenty to say, but hesitate to speak out for fear of offending stakeholders and losing current and/or future business.

Whatever the reason, this lack of confidence in what to say and when to say it presents a problem. In almost every case, it strips would-be thought leaders of a true point of view — a critical element in establishing and demonstrating authority.

What Are the Hallmarks of a Strong POV? 

At its core, a point of view (POV) is a statement or position that others might disagree with. It’s not merely a statement of fact.

Like a good piece of writing or a coveted dinner guest, a solid POV invites further conversation and sparks new ideas. And like those thesis statements we learned about in middle school, a good POV is evidence of an underlying argument that’s well-constructed and fully considered. One that persuades, excites, and pushes the conversation forward using supporting evidence, engaging storytelling principles, and illustrative examples.

By contrast, what too often passes for thought leadership actually closes conversation off by  repeating what’s already been said, stating the obvious, or saying something patently false or outrageous. 

There is a middle ground here. Just because someone might disagree with a point of view doesn’t mean their response is inherently controversial or combative. They might just be saying, “Hmm, you’d do it this way? Interesting. Here’s why I think you should do it this way instead…”

Alternatively, sometimes a compelling, subjective point of view shines through thanks to the voice and distinct personality of the writer — even if the opinion expressed isn’t intrinsically novel. For example, most movie critics agreed that Moonlight was an exceptional film (see as evidence its 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes). But just because they all agreed doesn’t render each critic’s review moot. 

Good critics know how to express the same overarching opinion in a new and unique way — by drawing on their individual experiences, layering in interesting historical and industry context, and infusing their prose with a memorable style. These elements set each review apart and open up more space for conversation and debate.

Similarly, a consultant might agree with the majority of her peers that there needs to be more focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations at the board level. But she might have her own unique perspective on the best ways to go about it. Or she might offer salient, industry-specific advice on how ESG should be talked about and prioritized. She may even bring first-hand experience to the table (e.g., a stint serving as a consultant in South Africa during apartheid or advising directors who were early ESG adopters) that lets her speak to the issue in a completely different way from everyone else. 

Nobody needs to hear another clarion call about the need to adopt ESG practices at their organization (or read generic content about any other trending topic). But advisors who draw on their own experiences can make the case for ESG — or for the topic at hand — in a way that nobody else is making it.

Put simply, true authorities develop statements and positions that are made more compelling by virtue of their unique perspective.

[Ready to start honing your firm’s unique POV? Download our 4-Step Guide to learn how.]

It’s Time for Professional Services Firms to Develop True POVs

If you’re a marketer or aspiring thought leader at a professional services firm, you may be thinking that this is all well and good in theory, but that the consensus-driven partnership structure of your organization makes it difficult to put any kind of real stake in the ground.  

You’re not wrong. It’s rare to find a lawyer or consultant who wants to go out on a limb and risk offending their partners, clients, or potential clients.

But here’s the rub: Going out on a limb is often what makes the best points of view. (Just look at any newspaper’s most read op-ed pieces.) More to the point, weighing in on the conversations that matter most is exactly what your audience needs from you right now. 

The 2024 EdelmanTrust Barometer reveals that the public’s trust in government, media, and science continues to deteriorate. Conversely, people trust businesses more than they trust these traditional helms of authority. 

As a result, more and more of your stakeholders expect the leaders they trust to speak out and carve out positions of authority about things like: 

  • The increasingly polarized rhetoric around DEI and ESG
  • Geopolitical concerns and their effect on business decisions
  • Social issues that become heightened during election cycles
  • The promise and peril of emerging technologies like AI
  • Generational shifts in the workforce and their impact on recruitment and retention

In pivotal moments, your firm’s silence can speak louder than words. And your lack of response will be particularly noteworthy if your employees, clients, and community stakeholders look to you as a trusted authority and advisor. Abstaining from active, important, timely conversations might make your audience wonder what you stand for. 

By contrast, when you participate skillfully in the conversations that matter, you can reinforce your authority and strengthen your firm’s relationship with your audience.

Greentarget Can Help You Find the POV You’re Looking For

It can be challenging to uncover the positions of authority that will resonate most with your audience — especially if you’ve never taken time to think about thought leadership in this way before. The good news is there’s no need to figure it out alone. 

Greentarget can help you artfully combine your subject matter expertise with the factual rigor and narrative techniques of traditional journalism to produce POVs that align with your business goals — all while communicating what your audience needs to know. 
So when you’re ready to find your firm’s unique voice, let’s talk.

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