Communicators Struggle To Prove Value Amid Transformation
Communications leaders face challenges in demonstrating their function's value as technology and market forces change the nature of their work. Proving business impact is key to their success, according to PR Daily.
Original reporting · prdaily.com
Original: “‘Serve everyone’s needle’: why proving comms’ value keeps getting harder”
Read “‘Serve everyone’s needle’: why proving comms’ value keeps getting harder” at PR Daily →
How this was written. Awesome B2B wrote this article with a language model from PR Daily’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from PR Daily’s report
- Communications leaders face challenges in demonstrating the value of their function amid transformation.
- Proving business impact is key to the success of communications leaders.
- Trust is emerging as a key way to frame the impact of communications.
- AI is delivering productivity gains but also creating new challenges for communications.
- Risk mitigation is a source of value for communications, although it can be difficult to quantify.
Communications leaders gathered at a leadership roundtable to discuss the value of their function amid widespread transformation. The event, held at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, brought together leaders to share their experiences and challenges in proving the value of communications, PR Daily reported.
The leaders were asked to pick a meal that captures the state of communications heading into 2027, with answers ranging from traditional dishes to more modern options. Despite the different choices, a common theme emerged: versatility, layering, and constant change, served in a format that is quick, portable, and easy to digest.
As organizations plan for 2027, communicators are under pressure to deliver satisfying results, which means showing business impact, not just activity. Leaders want proof that communications is 'moving the needle,' rather than just producing content. Some executives even request raw survey data to analyze themselves.
Trust is emerging as a key way to frame the impact of communications, with one team asking trust-related questions in every quarterly town hall survey. Employee engagement data also offers a lens on the value of communications, with one participant noting that their team's supported division consistently outscores others on engagement and trust.
Risk mitigation is another source of value for communications, although it can be difficult to quantify. One participant described a cybersecurity incident where the communications team made its case by showing that the news cycle moved on quickly and internal blowback stayed minimal.
The conversation also turned to the role of AI in communications, which is delivering productivity gains but also straining governance and raising concerns about authenticity. AI could help solve the measurement problem in communications, but it also creates new challenges, such as the ease with which other business groups can write and send their own communications, creating noise and making priority messages harder to land.
Despite the challenges, trust remains the foundation of successful communications, and small missteps can quickly become amplified. Looking ahead, many hope that 2027 will bring a more realistic 'new normal' as the AI hype cycle settles, giving communicators a chance to rebuild belief and work with what they have.
Questions and answers
What is the main challenge facing communications leaders?
Communications leaders face challenges in demonstrating the value of their function amid widespread transformation, according to PR Daily.
How can communications leaders prove their value?
Communications leaders can prove their value by showing business impact, rather than just activity, and by framing their impact in terms of trust, employee engagement, and risk mitigation.
What role is AI playing in communications?
AI is delivering productivity gains but also straining governance and raising concerns about authenticity, and it is creating new challenges for communications, such as the ease with which other business groups can write and send their own communications.
