Influence 100 Evolution: Lower Budgets, Shorter Tenures & Red Flags For Agencies

(MENAFN- PRovoke) It is, if nothing else, gratifying to see the ever-growing impact of the Influence 100 over the past 13 years, and this year's edition once again provides plenty of insight in terms of how the in-house communications role is evolving.

44% of this year's class is new, which might well be the highest turnover we've seen on the list - thanks in part to a more deliberate focus on communications (rather than marketing) leaders. While that makes year-on-year comparisons of the research findings a little more difficult, examining the data over the past decade is particularly illuminating.

Regrettably, not all of these comparisons make for easy reading, but they are worth highlighting. The full research for 2024 can be accessed here .

Tenures are down

The average tenure of an Influence 100 communications leader is down to less than seven years, after hovering above eight years or more for most of this study's existence. In 2015, for example, the average tenure was 9.5 years. CMOs are considerably more notorious for their short tenures; are we seeing a similar trend afflicting the CCO role?

So are budgets, unfortunately

While budgets have seen incremental changes over the years, it's worth noting that 11% oversee a budget of more than $100m in 2024. A decade ago, 28% of our Influence 100 held a $100m+ budget. Meanwhile, 30% of this year's class manage a budget of less than $10m, compared to 16% in 2015. If nothing else, the findings support the notion that existing comms budgets have stubbornly resisted significant expansion.

Red flags for agencies

When it comes to agencies, 43% of the Influence 100 cite tactical and execution support as their greatest benefit, well ahead of creativity and strategic counsel. And only 29% are very satisfied vs 45% in 2021. These are somewhat dispiriting findings, particularly when you consider that the results have effectively reversed over the past decade; in 2015, 43% cited idea generation as the top benefit of working with an agency.

There are many factors that may have contributed to this trend, with in-housing, commoditisation and the shift to paid social just three that are commonly cited. In-housing emerges as a particular driver among this year's Influence 100 class, with more than a third willing to insource media relations and content production - two areas that are not exactly unimportant from an agency revenue prespective.

DEI support declines

While diversity within the Influence 100 has grown significantly, the same cannot be said for the diversity required of their agencies. 69.5% of this year's class expect an ethnically-diverse account team, well below the level recorded when we first started asking this question in 2017, and the 83% who agreed with this statement in 2022.

AI still uncertain
The rise of generative AI can also be expected to exacerbate pressure on the traditional agency model. Of note, 23% of Influence 100 teams are regularly using gen AI tools, which is some way below the averages recorded from other studies of AI usage in the PR industry, although the latter surveys typically include agency professionals as well. A more relevant comparison may come from the 2023 Asia-Pacific Comms Index , in which more than 40% of in-house comms leaders reported regular usage of AI tools, despite a range of concerns.

Measurement results are mixed

On measurement, the results are mixed. 90% say their CEOs measure PR/comms by reputation benchmarking, compared to 63% in 2017, when we first asked this question. But tactical analytics (including impressions, media reach and social media engagement) are the second-most used metric with 59%, compared to just 10% eight years ago. I'm not sure that counts as progress.

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