Jakarta, April 25, 2024 — CEOs differ from their corporate communication heads on whether internal or external communication should have priority, suggests one the first surveys on The State of Corporate Communication in Indonesia.

The survey, conducted by PR consultancy Maverick Indonesia and market researchers RB Consulting between October 2023 and February 2024, polled communication heads from 52 State-Owned Enterprises and 30 private corporations and conducted in-depth interviews with five CEOs.

Most corporate communication heads (63%) said their main function, and most of their time spent, was in external communication. Most of the interviewed CEOs, however, said that internal communication was more important because they needed to rally their employees around their vision, values and mission if they are to achieve their business objectives.

The survey also found that most corporate communication heads sought to prove their value to their organizations through media coverage and output measures. CEOs, however, were more concerned by what positive impact communication could have on meeting their business objectives.

One area where CEOs and corporate communication heads agree on is the importance of corporate communication in times of crises, but CEOs caution that this “situational importance” may not be reflective of the function’s importance in normal times.

“The picture that emerges is a fascinating take on the different perspectives between the boardroom and professionals on the front line of their organizations’ corporate communication efforts,” said Maverick Indonesia Partner and Co-founder, Ong Hock Chuan. “As one of the first reports in Indonesia, we hope this survey has shed some light into the state of corporate communications in Indonesia and, more importantly, help spark discussions on where corporate communication functions should be heading in Indonesia”.

Download here: The State of Corporate Communication in Indonesia Report

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About Maverick Indonesia

Maverick Indonesia is a leading PR consultancy in Indonesia. Founded in 2002, the company offers a wide range of services, including corporate communications, public relations, crisis communications, media relations, and investor relations. Maverick Indonesia is a pioneer in the application of integrated measurement and evaluation based on the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation (AMEC) in Indonesia.

About RB Consulting

RB Consulting is a marketing and market research  agency with an ecosystem of different specialist agencies, with knowledgeable quantitative and qualitative researchers, big data analysts, research-based consultants and field operations.