A striking 90% of CEOs express confidence in their ability to accurately measure the impact of PR and marketing on profitability, sales, and brand recognition, according to a new report by Outleap, a collective of global technology PR agencies. In stark contrast, only 69% of CCO/CMOs and 72% of other communications and marketing leaders share this confidence.The report says that there is a significant gap between how CEOs and communications/marketing leaders perceive the most effective methods for measuring marketing campaign success. This difference in perception offers an opportunity for communications leaders to reevaluate their strategies for delivering value and measuring impact.This divide extends to budget allocation. Specifically, 34% of communications leaders have been asked to change their reporting methods to justify their PR budgets, compared to only 28% of marketing leaders. Moreover, 40% of leaders withunchanged communications budgets this year have faced similar requests, whilea mere 13% of those with increased budgets have. This suggests that those withstagnant budgets are under greater pressure to validate their PR efforts.Interestingly, says the report, many CEOs are pushing for product-led campaigns, reflecting their belief that product understanding is the key metric for assessing campaign success. However, CCOs and CMOs prioritise brand awareness (48%) and company reputation (44%) as the most valuable metrics for evaluating the impact of PR and social media efforts. This view is shared by marketing and communications managers to VPs, who focus on brand awareness (61%) and company reputation (44%).The new global growth playbookcomms leaders are the neW strategic decision-makers While sales have historically been the growth drivers for the business, a clearpicture is emerging of both communications and marketing leaders driving growth. Today, more than two in five (44%) of comms leaders are directly involvedin business strategy. But despite this shift based on the challenges faced over the past year, more than half (51%) are still developing reactive communications recommendations based on existing business strategy. This shows there is a significant opportunity for many communications leaders to take a more active role, especially when it comes to overseas expansions. After years executing top-down strategy as key ?Ç£doers?Ç¥ in their respective organisations, they are now being called upon to become key decision makers for broader business strategy. This is being driven by two key reasons, which are both related to a new era of tactical growth.The first is an increasing level of understanding of how communications and brand marketing impacts an organisation. The second is the critical need for brand awareness to support expansions into overseas markets. After the value of addressable market (38%), 16% rank already having customers in the market as their most important consideration, and 13% feel existing brand awareness is the most important factor. However, the research also shows that there is still a lack of understanding at CEO level of what is involved in brand marketing and communications. This is being driven by some outdated narratives that marketing should onlybe product-led and ROI-driven. CEOs reported the best way to measure the impact of public relations and social media is product understanding (59%) with share of voice a very distant second(33%). But CCOs and CMOs think the best ways to measure the impact of PR and social media campaigns is brand awareness (48%) and company reputation (44%).Marketing and communications managers to VPs think the best ways to measure the impact of PR + social are brand awareness (61%) and company reputation (44%).When it comes to driving growth with marketing spend, digital marketing is the priority across organisation sizes. It?ÇÖs not the only growth driver though ?Çö for nearlyhalf of later stage organisations, brand strategy is driving the most growth.The report has revealed that companies are adopting new strategies to navigate the evolving global landscape. The report, titled "The new global growth playbook," highlights a shift away from the "growth at all costs" mentality and towards a more targeted and disciplined approach.?Çó Key Findings:?Çó Targeted Expansion: Companies are now focusing on specific markets with untapped potential, rather than expanding into every market available.?Çó Strategic Communication: Communication and marketing leaders are playing a more critical role in business decisions, particularly in overseas expansion.?Çó Brand Building: Building brand awareness is becoming a top priority for companies, as it helps establish a foothold in new markets.?Çó Measurement and Education: There is a growing need for new ways to measure the impact of marketing campaigns and communicate their value to CEOs.?Çó Challenges and Opportunities:?Çó Disagreements between CEOs and communication leaders on how to measure marketing success.?Çó Macroeconomic factors impacting growth.?Çó Opportunities for communication leaders to take on more strategic roles.?Çó Case Study: Speechmatics: The report features a case study of Speechmatics, a company that successfully pivoted its marketing strategy to achieve growth by focusing on brand building and targeted marketing.The report emphasizes the importance of strategic communication and targeted marketing for successful global growth in today's economic climate. Companies that can adapt to these new strategies will be better positioned to thrive in the competitive global market.