CEOs on LinkedIn increase personal posts amidst geopolitical tension and declining living standards

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Geopolitical tension and a global decline in living standards means business leaders face a catalogue of difficult decisions. This is the backdrop of the third edition of Kekst CNC’s FTSE100 CEO LinkedIn Tracker, which analyses 1,076 posts published by FTSE100 CEOs during 2022. This is further substantiated by additionally reviewing thousands of posts by CEOs across U.S, Germany, and Sweden.

Whilst general trends show that company announcements still drive content generation, it’s personal posts that are engaging followers. There has been an 87% increase in this type of post – from sharing personal perspectives to one-to-one profiles with employees – accompanied by a spike in engagements. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the Russian invasion of Ukraine inspired personal remarks.

This is following a dip of posting activity detected in the second edition of our Tracker last year, as executive communications teams paused as war began. 

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FTSE100 CEOs: total posts and interactions

Whilst business leaders have faced difficult questions as inflation surged and geopolitical tremors affect Western policy coordination, critics could say business leaders are sidestepping crucial topics in a race for social interaction.

Silence is not an option, especially as CEOs are often regarded as mouthpieces to bring credibility and perspective to difficult issues. However, despite 2022 being the year of two COP Summits, CEOs experienced a dip in engagement around sustainability topics. This also suggests a possible fatigue around ESG messaging or else a shift in what audiences expect to hear from corporate leaders. 

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Sustainability looks to be losing momentum

Beyond the FTSE100, posting and engagement patterns revealed personas from CEOs across other markets. In the U.S, emphasis is placed on communicating brand stories that includes personal perspectives on DE&I. In Germany, 91% of DAX CEOs posted about sustainability and the importance of sustainable mobility. In Sweden, OMX 30 CEOs prioritize talent and team-building activities. 

Read the global report to gain data-led insights on what it takes to master the LinkedIn algorithm and gain a glimpse of how executive communications teams are approaching LinkedIn.

Later this month, I will be hosting a series of Kekst CNC Global Thinking podcast episodes interrogating global executive communications in further detail. 

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Michael White

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