Gartner: What’s Ahead for CCOs: 2026 Spend, Structure and Priority Trends
The role of the Chief Communication Officer (CCO) has transformed due to AI, global instability, and increased focus on trust and transparency. Gartner’s recent webinar on What’s Ahead for CCOs: 2026 Spend, Structure and Priority Trends highlighted that 82% of communications leaders say their strategy must rapidly evolve to meet changing audience expectations. But the bigger challenge is execution.
Nearly half of CCOs admit that they don’t have the budget required to execute their strategy this year due to companywide cost-cutting initiatives. So, how can CCOs overcome the challenge of rapidly evolving their strategies to adequately support business transformation whilst lacking the resources to do so?
Rethink Budget Allocations for Maximum Impact
The budget processes for many communications leaders are stuck in the past due to the rigidity of quarterly, half yearly and annual cycles reflecting outdated priorities, rather than allocating budgets to the organisation’s current most pressing needs. With priorities constantly changing, Gartner suggests zero-based budgeting is a useful framework. A zero-based budgeting approach means that stakeholders are reviewing all expenses and making sure that budget allocations align with what matters most to the business.
Amid a backdrop of misinformation and AI-powered search tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, CCOs are also shifting their focus to recognise that integrating communications technology tools such as Meltwater, CoverageBook and Agility are key areas to fund transformation. But they must go one step further by redistributing budgets from paid to owned and earned media to drive the coverage needed for optimal AI search engine visibility in this new environment.
Bring Data and Measurement to the Centre
According to Gartner, 55% of communications leaders report struggling to demonstrate the impact their function has on the business. CEOs are asking tougher questions which involve helping the organisation scenario plan for potential crises, or track audience trends and preferences. For CCOs to showcase tangible business outcomes and their contribution to enterprise performance, increasing investment in data and analytics capabilities is paramount. Although there has been a sizable increase within organisations, with 35% of communications leaders reporting that they currently have communications data scientists or analysts within their teams, there's more to be done. Monitoring data and analytics accounts for 4.1% of communications budgets, whereas marketing allocates around 8% to investment in this area. There needs to be strategic investment in data and analytics to spur growth. An essential part of the CCO role will be disseminating expertise organisation-wide, so data and analytics becomes a crucial part of maximising success.
Update AI Strategies
Given the urgent pace of AI development, many organisations are still experimenting. Notably, nearly half of communications leaders are stating that their AI investments have not yet delivered the value they expected to see by now. Investing in AI blindly is leading to businesses losing thousands of pounds annually and exposing them to security and compliance risks. A shift in mindset is needed. Instead of CCOs viewing AI as an end in itself, the technology should be seen as a means to advance specific, measurable communications objectives and deliver business value. In our recent Webinar on Trust, Visibility and Discovery: Rewriting the Rules of PR in the Age of AI, Danielle Le Toullec, Chief Marketing Officer at Erevena, emphasised this point, stating that ‘storytelling, taste and curiosity’ and recognising what ‘cuts through’ the noise is essential, instead of haphazard investment in AI without an overarching strategy.
Another pivotal area to consider is talent. 86% of communications leaders believe that they need to update their team’s skillsets to realise the benefits of generative AI. Upskilling teams and introducing training opportunities that highlight the core capabilities that matter, such as prompt engineering, content validation, critical thinking, ethical reasoning and collaboration, will directly influence the rate of success of AI implementation and better impact business performance. Upskilling doesn’t need to be at the expense of general capability building, having strong communicators who can judiciously apply AI will involve developing the core competencies that already exist within the team.
Looking Ahead
CCOs can’t afford to wait. Success in this evolving digital landscape will require acting decisively on budget planning, prioritising data and analytics tools, and building confidence in AI. Moving beyond outdated budgeting and media reporting will enable CCOs to deliver on CEO expectations, build resilience, gain a competitive advantage, and drive business change.
Written by Iqra Ahmad