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The last few years have seen executive communications evolve considerably. Sweeping socio-political change and continuing economic challenges, new platforms and new technologies, and a renewed emphasis on purpose, transparency, authenticity, and engagement have all contributed.
Our expectations as consumers, employees and stakeholders have changed too: we want leaders to be visible and vocal. And the leaders are responding, with LinkedIn seeing a 30% rise of UK execs on the platform in the last five years (and 35% in the US).
But in a world where major political decisions split countries 50/50, business leaders face a real challenge in not alienating half their customer or employee base by sharing their beliefs.
So, what will exec comms look like in 2025?
While the overall idea of “marketing to humans” has become clichéd, we are more willing to accept less polished personas. That doesn’t mean everyone has to be an Elon Musk or Michael O’Leary, but we’re willing to trade a bit of roughness around the edges for execs who are genuinely engaged with their audiences and attuned to what’s impacting their employees, partners, customers etc.
The political and economic backdrop will, of course, continue to influence exec comms strategies. Many economies face inflation, supply chain bottlenecks, and talent shortages and as a result, leaders are expected to communicate in ways that reinforce competence amid uncertainty. Transparency on tough topics – cost-cutting, restructuring, major changes to company strategy – can make or break reputations. Exec comms in 2025 will be about conveying not just a message but the calm, clear confidence that reassures stakeholders.
The biggest challenge facing executives is to choose what they want to talk about (and finding the time to work with their teams to make those choices well.) Every executive who uses the media and/or social is putting him or herself out there to be both praised and criticised. The lowest risk approach is to confine the content shared to news about the company and its customers. While not overtly exciting or engaging, that approach will generate awareness and some engagement. An extension of this is to talk about industry issues relating to the company; this will gain greater engagement (including, of course, people who disagree). Some posts around the executive’s personal life will definitely drive further engagement but that comes with risks both to the individual and their family if something goes wrong. Finally, the executive can respond to the growing desire many of us have for execs to have a point of view on the world and values to match, and engage on broader societal issues – Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase or Greg Jackson of Octopus Energy are good examples here. This comes with all the challenges – and considerable benefits – national visibility generates.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Preparation is key for success; tactical decisions made on the hoof are a recipe for disaster.
The choice of platform, tone and type of posts all have a role. Spontaneous posts – responding to news in real time, or quickly thoughts in the moment – can convey innovation and agility, whereas more traditional approach with carefully timed appearances on established media channels or well-curated LinkedIn updates suggests stability.
Thinking further about platforms… there’s so much opportunity for execs to experiment with new formats, from live Q&As on TikTok or VR-based interactions to connect authentically with different demographics. And if their audiences are there, then brands need find senior execs who are comfortable with this technology and platforms, even if the CEO isn’t.
Video’s certainly something we’ll see more execs taking advantage of in the months ahead. LinkedIn’s COO, Dan Shapero, speaking in the Financial Times, talks about how “video offers a different level of connection and is becoming the language of the internet. Videos from executives are among the most engaged content on the platform, because people want to get to know these folks that are leading organisations that matter to them.”
Podcasts too continue to rise, giving leaders the chance to go deeper than a brief TV appearance or short quotes in a media article. (We’ve loved the candid conversations about the childhoods, inspirations, highs and lows of the C-Suite execs we’ve featured on our Brands Transforming Our World podcast.)
And what about X? Its demise has been heralded for years, but the number of brands vocally moving away from the platform – increasingly to BlueSky – has snowballed in recent weeks. It is also as if people will choose one or the other depending on their political allegiances. Whether X, BlueSky or something else entirely, there will be a place for a ‘town square’ style social platform for the latest news where journalists, policymakers and thought leaders spend their time. So, let’s see what happens over the coming months.
Generative AI will, unsurprisingly, play an ever-increasing role in exec comms. On the face of it, content that’s partly created by a machine feels like it flies in the face of authenticity. But used in the right way, it’s a powerful tool to create tailored, scalable content that allows leaders to reach more platforms, audiences, and cultures more easily. It’s already becoming commonplace to use AI tools to help leaders craft posts for different audiences and even generate simulated “spokesperson” appearances on virtual platforms.
Generative AI tools will evolve to offer hyper-personalised messaging with executives, supported by their comms teams, starting to rely on it to draft, localise, and distribute content across geographies and languages, refining their comms in real-time based on analytics and feedback. The best communicators will be those who combine AI’s power with a distinct personal touch, ensuring that their voice remains recognisable and real amid the digital noise.
We’re seeing – according to Korn Ferry’s 2025 leadership trends – a transformation in what makes a leader effective, with ‘empathy’ and ‘purpose’ increasingly benchmarks by which employees and customers evaluate leaders. The best execs have been all over these trends for some time, but now all leaders are expected to be visible advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion within their industries and beyond. This isn’t limited to occasional blog posts or speeches; it has to show in their public partnerships, the issues they champion, and the people they empower within their organisations. Exec comms in 2025 will require messaging that builds a bridge between executive leadership and the social values their audience holds close, reflecting corporate commitments to sustainability, DEI, and social responsibility.
The assumption might be that all execs are fully in control of their message, but we conducted a media and social audit of 100 chief executives to test that assumption and our findings paint a picture of patchwork involvement and huge variations in quality. So, the need for strategies incorporating strong thought leadership platforms and carefully curated, tightly managed, programmes across social, traditional media, internal employee forums, events and embracing emerging technology is vital.
There will remain been plenty of situations where execs want – and need – to stay out of the limelight, but it doesn’t alter the need for proactive strategies of continuously listening to stakeholders, inspiring with authenticity, and executing across the right channels with agility. The leaders who master this will not only amplify their personal brand but also deepen understanding of what the company stands, build trust with stakeholders, make issues management manageable and drive meaningful impact.
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