CCOs Have Earned Influence. Now Comes the Harder Part.

Communications leaders have the ear of the C-suite. The next challenge is proving what that influence is worth.

For most of my career, communicators have been fighting for a seat at the table.

Some would even say that phrase was used so often it practically lost all meaning. But for a long time, it captured something real: teams were too often brought in after the decision had been made, after the strategy had been set, or after the issue had already become public.

The job was to explain, package, defend or repair. Today, it’s a different ballgame. 

The strongest communications leaders are much closer to the center of the business. They are in the room for decisions about growth, risk, reputation, culture, transformation and trust. They are advising CEOs. They are partnering with CFOs, CHROs, CIOs and boards. And increasingly, they are helping organizations decide not only what to say, but what to do.

That is a meaningful win for the profession. But it also creates a new challenge: once you have influence, you must prove impact.

Arketi Group's CMO Signals & Shifts research, conducted with JM Search, shows just how far the function has moved. Across the executive team, 77% to 84% of marketing, communications and PR leaders report strong relationships with leaders ranging from the CEO to the CFO to the CIO.

In other words, access is no longer the primary issue.

The harder question is whether CCOs are truly equipped to deliver against what is now being asked of them.

The Role Expanded. Did Infrastructure Keep Up?

One of the most important findings in the research is also one of the most telling: only 38% of leaders say their role is fully set up for success. That should give every executive team reason to pause.

The demands placed on communications teams have grown dramatically. CCOs are now expected to shape enterprise narrative, protect reputation, support revenue, guide internal alignment, advise on social and political issues, manage stakeholder trust, navigate AI and help leaders communicate through constant change.

But in many organizations, the operating model has not kept up. 

The function may have more influence, but no additional resources. More responsibility, but no clear authority. More visibility, but no framework or definition of what success actually means. 

The top CCOs I know are not waiting for someone else to close these gaps. They are filling it themselves by demonstrating how communications connect to business priorities. They are building stronger relationships across functions. And they are moving the conversation beyond activity and toward outcomes.

That last point is critical. The future of the function cannot be defended by outputs alone. Press releases, placements, town halls, social posts, messages and campaigns all matter. But they are not the end goal.

The goal is bottom-line business impact. Are we helping the company grow? Are we strengthening trust with the people who matter most? Are we reducing risk? Are we making strategy clearer? Are we helping leaders lead? Are we making the organization more credible, aligned and resilient?

Those are the questions that will define the next era of the CCO.

The Most Important Skill in the Room: Judgement

The research also points to another shift I believe is central to the future of communications: the importance of judgment.

Corporate voice has become one of the most difficult leadership issues inside companies today. Employees expect clarity. Customers expect consistency. Communities expect accountability. Investors expect discipline.

At the same time, organizations are operating in an environment where every statement can be scrutinized, challenged, amplified or misunderstood almost immediately.

That does not mean companies should remain silent. It means they need to be thoughtful.

Our research found that brands are becoming more disciplined about when and how they engage on social issues. Fifty-eight percent say engagement must be grounded in a clear business or values-based rationale. Seventy-one percent emphasize credibility and alignment.

That is the right instinct. The question for CCOs is no longer simply, “Should we say something?”

The better questions are: Do we have standing to speak on this issue? Is there a clear connection to our business, our people or our values? Are our actions consistent with our words? Will stakeholders understand why we are engaging? Are we prepared to support the position beyond the statement itself?

This is where communications leadership becomes enterprise leadership. And in today’s environment, that judgment may be one of the most valuable skills a communications leader brings to the business.

AI Raises the Stakes, Not Just Speed

Of course, no discussion about the future of communications can ignore AI.

Adoption is accelerating. Our research found that 80% of leaders are using AI for content creation, with strong use cases emerging across research, analytics and ideation as well.

That is not surprising. Communications is built on information, language, insight and speed. AI can help teams move faster, spot patterns and create more efficiently.

But speed is not strategy.

If we assume that because AI can produce more, the function is automatically becoming more valuable, we risk mistaking activity for impact. AI may help a communications team move faster. But if it does not make the business clearer, smarter or more effective, then it is not meeting the threshold we should be aiming for.

The opportunity is bigger than efficiency. AI gives communications leaders a chance to rethink how the function gathers intelligence, supports leaders, tests messages, understands stakeholders and measures impact.

The CCO has to lead that conversation with discipline. Otherwise, AI becomes another layer of noise.

The Seat at the Table Was Never the Finish Line

I am encouraged by one more finding in the research: 78% of communications and marketing leaders say they would choose the profession again.

This is a hard moment to lead in communications. The pace is faster. The scrutiny is higher. The channels are more fragmented. The expectations are more complex.

And yet, leaders still believe in the work. I do too.

But I also believe the function has reached a defining point. Communications leaders have earned more influence than ever before. Now they must use that influence to shape the business in measurable ways.

That means aligning directly to enterprise priorities, building the operating model to support the role, applying disciplined judgment to corporate voice, using AI with purpose and making the connection between communications and business impact visible to the rest of the leadership team.

The seat at the table was never the finish line. It was the beginning of a bigger responsibility.

Now comes the harder, more important work: proving what that influence can do.

About Mike 

Written by Page member Mike Neumeier, APR, CEO of Arketi Group, a next-generation marketing and communications agency with 85 team members across offices in Atlanta, Philadelphia and Boston. Arketi brings together strategy, storytelling, digital, PR, search and technology to help organizations engage audiences, fill the funnel, convert prospects into customers and drive measurable growth.