Greentarget

Blog

by

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.

by

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.

by

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. 

by

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.

by

It’s been a difficult year for journalism. Over the last 12 months, we’ve watched as some of the biggest newsrooms of the digital age have shut down or teetered on the edge of failure. Layoffs are happening at a dizzying pace at marquee publications including The Washington Post, Time, Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal. More than 500 journalists were laid off in January alone, adding to an already record-breaking streak in 2023.

Yet journalists do not shy away from adversity. They cover global catastrophes, dropping into war zones and braving dangerous environments to bring us the news we need to make informed decisions. So while they’re probably less used to being the story, they know how to face a tough situation with grit, creativity and resilience. And as Greentarget’s own research reveals, the next generation of journalists is positive about the future of the fourth estate.

To learn more about what that future may look like, we recently spoke to Hanaa Tameez, a staff writer for the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University who covers innovation in news media.

Over the last four years, Tameez has followed and reported on new business models, audience engagement strategies, the financial stability of traditional media outlets, and anything that challenges the status quo—including artificial intelligence (AI). Perhaps surprisingly, Tameez is also “generally and genuinely optimistic about the state of the news industry.” Here are three positive takeaways from our conversation.

#1: AI doesn’t spell the death of journalism

In a year when five Pulitzer Prize finalists disclosed using AI in the process of researching, reporting, or telling their submissions, we were keen to get Tameez’s take on how AI may impact journalism in the future.

While she said that “AI can be a threat, especially if it’s in the wrong hands and used for generating mis/disinformation,” Tameez also pointed out that (as some journalists have already discovered), “it also has many capabilities that can advance journalism if used correctly.”

As many commentators and journalists have said, we can’t operate from a position of fear when it comes to AI. Tameez reminded us that, in fact, we’ve been using AI technologies like Google Translate, audio transcription services, Siri, and Alexa for many years—a fact underscored by our own research.

Generative AI platforms are the next iteration of these tools, and they can make our lives and our work easier. However, Tameez cautioned that when it comes to the use of AI, “if you can do it ethically and offer more transparency in journalism, this is always better.”

#2: Niche publications are on the rise

As the news industry continues to fragment and segment, Tameez believes we will see “an increase in publications that cover niche issues” as consumers look to subscribe to outlets that offer in-depth reporting on their interests, such as parenting magazines or sports sites.

Industry and trade publications that target business-to-business (B2B) readers may see a similar boost. Jacob Donnelly, founder of A Media Operator, a publication that focuses on building digital media companies, is “pretty confident about the financial health of the B2B media space right now,” he said on a recent American Society of Business Publication Editors webinar. According to Donnelly, “publishers are starting to realize that smaller, more engaged audiences are where their livelihoods will last.”

Not only are trade publications and niche outlets faring better under the ad revenue model—not entirely surprising, considering their target audiences—they’re also still securing reader subscriptions. The combination helps drive revenue on two fronts.

Semafor’s Max Tani also wrote about the pivot to niche as publications focus on building stronger bonds with their readers:

“You see that everywhere now. The collapse of mass brands like BuzzFeed and Vice, the rise of a generation of much more narrowly focused ones, including this one, and a scramble to rescue beloved outlets like Pitchfork by returning them to a smaller, dedicated audience.”

#3: College journalism is filling local reporting gaps

As local news outlets struggle to stay afloat, an unexpected group is helping to keep local journalism alive: students.

The Christian Science Monitor recently covered how universities are stepping in to fill the gap as local news deserts grow. For example, the college newspaper The Daily Iowan recently purchased two struggling weekly publications. While that move was a first, other universities are stepping up to fill America’s news void in different ways, with initiatives ranging from student-staffed statehouse bureaus to newspapers run by journalism schools.

Tameez told us she has always been “a big proponent of student journalism” because that’s “where journalists learn to work.” She was the editor of her college paper, an experience that taught her how to be a journalist. While her team broke stories that made local news and national stories years later, “they weren’t given the platform in the same way student journalists have a platform now. Because of the challenges in local news, college journalism is filling the gaps.”

That’s not to say that journalism and journalists aren’t struggling—they are.

Despite Tameez’s overall optimism, she said that it’s been challenging to watch “real-life journalism getting lost” in layoffs. And while new news outlets are starting up, the rate at which other media outlets are crumbling is accelerating much faster. “It will take time to build a sustainable organization that can engage people in ways they deserve,” she said.

As news organizations adapt to these new challenges and opportunities, Greentarget will carefully monitor and report on the resulting data and trends. The principles of journalism drive smarter conversations, and true authorities have a responsibility to participate skillfully in the ongoing discussion. Quite simply, we all need the services journalists provide.

From our standpoint, Greentarget will strive to continue being empathetic to reporters in an era of smaller staff and a 24-hour news cycle. We know journalists need authorities with perspectives that serve the rapidly evolving needs of their audiences. We will continue to deliver. 

by

The public tends to trust businesses and CEOs more than NGOs, government, and the media. That trust is fragile, though. And in the wake of headlines about everything from social issues to geopolitical conflicts, the way executive leaders navigate the pressure to speak out can either strengthen or undermine their stakeholders’ trust in them.

Entering the fray is not without risk, and it’s all too easy to make a PR misstep. That’s why so many executive leaders struggle to know when to make a statement — and what to say if they do.

In our recent webinar, Greentarget’s Executive Positioning experts — Vice President Abby Aylman Cohen, Director of Content & Editorial Strategy Jennifer Smith, and former Senior Vice President Steve DiMattia — laid out a compelling argument for why leaders can’t afford to be caught unawares by the issues that make headlines. Then, they offered practical advice to help firms protect their reputation and maintain trust with their audience in an age rife with polarization and unrest.

Here are three takeaways from the event.

1. Your Authority Hinges on Proactive Communication Planning

Of the respondents who participated in the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer survey, 62% said they expected CEOs to actively communicate around changes occurring in society as a whole, not just those affecting their businesses. Gen Z employees in particular said they value CEOs who speak out about societal issues.

But considering how fraught and emotional the landscape of public discourse is, it’s easy for executive leaders to fall into one of two camps: Ignore the headlines completely and focus solely on the issues that directly affect the business, or release statements that attempt to please everyone but say nothing meaningful.

Furthermore, it’s common for unprepared leaders to lose control of difficult conversations, especially if they’ve never practiced talking to the media and other stakeholders about challenging topics. When executives are unable to navigate all-eyes-on-them moments, they risk undermining their own authority and harming their organization’s reputation.

For example, the acute need for proactive communications planning was never more apparent than in 2022, when the Supreme Court’s draft Dobbs v. Jackson decision leaked. Between the time the leak made headlines and the final decision was announced, corporate and firm leaders had about five to six weeks to think about how they were going to communicate with their audiences. Yet very few did.

Unlike Dobbs v. Jackson, most events hit the news cycle without warning. But even so, it’s possible for leaders to create a framework that guides if and how they respond. This can underscore their authority and build trust with stakeholders — if they take the time to develop a smart, informed, and flexible communications platform long before there’s a breaking news story.

2. Don’t Scenario Plan for Every Possible Communication Challenge

Over the past several months, Greentarget’s Executive Positioning team has identified some of the top threats we predict will cause communication conundrums for executive leaders. You can do a deep dive into each of these topics by downloading our Executive Positioning Guide or by perusing our blog.

Our guidance has covered topics such as:

  • Polarized rhetoric around DEI and ESG
  • The promise and peril of artificial intelligence
  • Seismic generational shifts in the workforce
  • The 2024 election cycle and social unrest
  • Geopolitical conflicts

This list is by no means exhaustive because the world is always changing. But the good news is there’s no need to create a specific communication plan for every conceivable headline, world event, or threat to your firm’s reputation. 

The crux of our advice around responding to issues like those above is this: Think about how your firm will respond to a crisis. Which stakeholders will you need to consult? How will you develop a response that aligns with your firm’s values?

By doing so, you can turn tense situations into an opportunity to engage your employees and clients and strengthen your firm’s position as a trusted authority. When you do this, you take an important step toward building a flexible framework that will guide when and why you respond to any issue.

3. Now’s the Time to Develop an Executive Communications Platform

The news cycle moves at warp speed, and you can’t afford to be reactive when weighing in on the issues that matter most to your audience. Foresight, forethought, and careful preparation are key.

By taking time now to decide how and when your firm will respond to salient issues, you can ensure your messaging lines up with your firm’s priorities and reinforces your position as an authority worth heeding with the audiences that matter most.

Our Executive Positioning Guide provides in-depth advice on how to get started, but it comes down to taking the following steps:

  • Consider your audience, and the best channel(s) to reach them
  • Invite a diverse cross-section of stakeholders into the process
  • Get clear about your firm’s values (and make sure your messages align with what your firm stands for)
  • Make your firm’s approach to deciding how and when to speak out public — and communicate your “why”
  • Embrace a commitment to authenticity (i.e., walk the walk of whatever you speak out about; don’t just talk the talk)

Engaging Greentarget to lead you through a rigorous planning process can bring significant clarity here. Entering into this process now — before an urgent PR situation occurs — gives you time to thoughtfully consider all the angles and arrive at a position that’s authentic, well-reasoned, and nuanced.

Want to Learn More About Greentarget’s Executive Positioning Practice?

Exemplifying our 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—as well establish proactive internal and external communications campaigns around other pivotal moments, be they related to company purpose, talent initiatives, succession plans, and more.

We’ve helped clients navigate how to communicate about racial justice, the invasion of Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, the repeal of Roe v. Wade, artificial intelligence, and so much more. We’d love to help you, too — so let’s talk.

Close
Close