CEO social media best practice examples
Our new research on FTSE 100 C-suite / CEO use of social media showed some notable strong performers, with key areas driving success:
Personality – sharing things which relate to your individual experience
Issues leadership (e.g. mental health) – but not ESG as a general area
Engaging with people – not just shouting with your profile as another news channel
Not just duplicating corporate news…
Particular standouts were Bernard Looney (BP), Alan Jope (Unilever) and Amanda Blanc (Aviva) who prioritised these behaviours.
We concentrated our research on Exec Directors in the FTSE 100 because these are some of the highest profile businesses, but also because they face very similar constraints on behaviour (listed businesses with multiple constituencies to address), and therefore broadly comparable communications frameworks.
Outside of the FTSE 100 there are fascinating examples of UK CEO / C-Suite communicatiors, many with different communications and a wider array of communications objectives and constraints. Here’s some of our favourite examples:
Representing very distinctive points of view, and engaging with current affairs . topical issues – often in areas which don’t match the status quo, often means using Twitter:
James Timpson (Timpsons)
Richard Walker (Iceland Foods)
Luke Johnson (Risk Capital Partners)
Perhaps un surprisingly, Instagram usage is higher amongst those working in creative industries, such as fashion:
Angela Ahrendts (ex-Apple / Burberry)
Paul Smith (Paul Smith!)
Meanwhile whilst LinkedIn is a more predictable choice for a leader, there are some notable examples of especially effective usage:
Umar Kamani (Pretty Little Things)
Timo Boldt (Gousto)
