What’s a CCO to a Company?

This article was first published on Medium.

Having been a Chief Communications Officer (CCO) to a financial firm — a position I created for myself while helping to reorganise the management of the company — I have been asked many times what “CCO” stands for. It is especially in the financial industry that the CCO could be mistaken as the Chief Compliance Officer. Now that I have moved into becoming a CCO-for-hire, I thought it would be useful to help pen down some thoughts and lessons (not exactly wisdom, since I still enjoy learning every other day, and have not reached the pinnacle to offer wisdom) so others in the fields of content, marketing, or even strategic communications can look forward to this role in the C-suite.

As a pracademic (practitioner and academic) in communications, the CCO title and how it’s also the Chief Content Officer or CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) in some companies, is akin to how some universities have their communications school in the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Business or Faculty of Humanities. In companies, we have seen how communications sometimes fall under the responsibility of the marketing team (instead of the other way round), and oftentimes under the HR department.

Why a CCO?

In the current attention economy, content is king. Your company’s digital presence and content strategy can boost or sink your brand, your influence among your stakeholders, and in the eyes of your competitors. As you start building a strong management team by hiring a COO, CFO and CTO, don’t miss out communications. Your CCO will plan, set, develop, drive, and uphold your company’s key messages, brand focus and influence through relationship building and content.

Strong CCOs are deeply rooted in operations, and are leaders in their own right. They are not just writers, managers, or salespersons. They are a jack of all trades and master of communications — they can build and lead your communications team to propel the brand forward.

They might not be the best digital artist or designer around, but they lead and direct these tacticians to help distinguish your company and grow the influence for your business. As businesses are going digital and online, you will need a CCO to plan and coordinate your communications across various channels, and to represent your company as a brand advocate. Be it professional or industry events, academic contributions or representation, your CCO can be the man (or woman) for the job.

What Makes a Good CCO?

The Leader (Transformational) — Having another leader in the team to cover the communication aspect of business means you can focus on bringing your business forward. Your CCO will be your wingman to lead the team to tell your brand story and ensure you won’t miss any PR opportunities.

The Thinker (Analytical) — Apart from thinking out of the box, your CCO thinks ahead for you. CCOs who have the research and analysis instincts prevents lessons learnt by others to be relearned by your team, and predicts trends and finds opportunities where your brand should be.

The Friend (Social) — CCOs tell your brand story to various stakeholders. They are approachable and relatable. They build goodwill and halo effect for your brand by engaging the various stakeholders across various channels.

The Future of Corporate Communication — Finding CCOs

In the current gig economy that we are in, companies are finding it hard to find good CCOs who are not already business owners themselves. Increasingly, we are also seeing outsourced communications team, and brand consultants hired on project basis. The future of corporate communication could really mean companies opening up to the idea of outsourced CCO and communication partnership where an organic communication team is directed and trained by an outsourced CCO.