The C-Suite Is Asking Tougher Questions

For years, PR lived in a comfort zone. It was about reach, coverage, and media impressions; metrics that sounded impressive, but often failed to connect directly to business value. But times have changed, now CMOs and CEOs want to know what comms actually delivers. Are we shaping opinion? Are we protecting reputation? Are we supporting business growth?

The 2024 Cision & PRWeek Global Comms Report shows that 92% of communications leaders say expectations from the C-suite have increased, particularly in demonstrating contributions to revenue and brand performance. Despite that pressure, less than half (42%) are using data analytics in a meaningful way to prove impact.

The result of this is a widening gap between what executives expect and what PR is equipped to prove.

Vanity Metrics Are Out, Value Is In

This is especially true in the MENA region, where younger, more digital-native audiences expect transparency and purpose. Communications campaigns that merely aim for visibility without substance no longer cut through; or worse, they backfire.

Impressions don’t equal impact. A media hit that goes nowhere, a tweet that trends for the wrong reasons, or a high-reach campaign with low resonance is no longer a win. Real performance means moving the needle: shifting sentiment, activating stakeholders, protecting reputations, and influencing decisions. These outcomes demand a more strategic approach to measurement.

At Pin&Notch, we’ve seen the shift firsthand. Our clients are asking smarter questions: Did this change perception? Was the message consistent across platforms? Are influencers echoing our values or just our talking points? We use tools like sentiment analysis, stakeholder influence mapping, and cross-platform pull-through evaluation to answer those questions, and reshape what success looks like.

Trust Is a Business Metric

There’s a business case here too. The 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer found that 63% of people will buy or advocate for brands they trust, while just 18% will support those they don’t. That makes trust a tangible performance driver, not just a warm, fuzzy ideal.

This redefines PR’s role. We’re no longer just storytellers, we’re trust builders, and trust is measurable: it shows up in reputation rankings, employer brand perception, analyst sentiment, and yes, in business results.

Strategic Storytelling > Scattered Messaging

To get there, communicators need to evolve from content machines to insight-led strategists. This means fewer but more focused narratives, built on real audience insight and delivered through the right voices — internal and external — not just the loudest channels.

In this new model, PR touches everything: the CEO’s message, the employee experience, the tone of a customer email, the authenticity of an influencer partnership. It’s about alignment across audiences, platforms, and intent.

Performance means showing up with purpose and backing every message with substance. When consistency, credibility, and trust become the output of comms, not just the input, PR becomes a multiplier of brand value.

The Way Forward

This is about directing creativity with discipline. As the lines blur between PR, marketing, and reputation management, the agencies and teams that will thrive are those who can connect stories to outcomes and measure the space in between.

That might mean rethinking how success is reported. It might mean saying no to a splashy but meaningless campaign. It might mean starting every brief not with “what can we say?” but “what do we want to change?”

At Pin & Notch, we believe the future of communications is performance-led, insight-driven, and grounded in trust. If it doesn’t move the audience, it doesn’t move the needle.