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5) The Social CEO: Executives Tell All
Weber Shandwick, KRC Research
Why this research is important: Weber Shandwick and KRC research provide insight on the rise of the
social CEO. Together they explore what other executives in the C-suite think about the growing trend of
CEO sociability. This research explored the perceptions of professionals, ranging from managers to the
C-suite, regarding the social participation of CEOs by exploring reputational upsides and downsides of
their online engagement with the public.
Method: A survey was conducted with 630 professionals, ranging from managers to the C-suite
(excluding CEOs), about the social participation of CEOs. Participants represented 10 countries across
North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
Key findings:
CEO social engagement is inevitable and employees want their CEOs to be social.
Most global executives (76%) want or believe it is a good idea for CEOs to be social.
CEO sociability has a positive impact on many factors that drive company reputation, and
CEOs that blog magnify this positive effect more than any other social media outlet.
CEO sociability maximizes stakeholder reach, but comes with risk.
A 50 percent increase in CEOs who participate in social media is expected by 2018.
Link: http://www.webershandwick.com/uploads/news/files/Social-CEO-Study.pdf
© 2014 Institute for Public Relations 6
Weber Shandwick, KRC Research
Why this research is important: Weber Shandwick and KRC research provide insight on the rise of the
social CEO. Together they explore what other executives in the C-suite think about the growing trend of
CEO sociability. This research explored the perceptions of professionals, ranging from managers to the
C-suite, regarding the social participation of CEOs by exploring reputational upsides and downsides of
their online engagement with the public.
Method: A survey was conducted with 630 professionals, ranging from managers to the C-suite
(excluding CEOs), about the social participation of CEOs. Participants represented 10 countries across
North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
Key findings:
CEO social engagement is inevitable and employees want their CEOs to be social.
Most global executives (76%) want or believe it is a good idea for CEOs to be social.
CEO sociability has a positive impact on many factors that drive company reputation, and
CEOs that blog magnify this positive effect more than any other social media outlet.
CEO sociability maximizes stakeholder reach, but comes with risk.
A 50 percent increase in CEOs who participate in social media is expected by 2018.
Link: http://www.webershandwick.com/uploads/news/files/Social-CEO-Study.pdf
© 2014 Institute for Public Relations 6
