More strategic, more exposed and confronted with emerging trends such as AI, the expectations placed on Chief Communications Officers (CCOs) and Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) are evolving in 2026 — and are already impacting communications agencies.
Conducted by Comfluence in June 2026 among “105 Chief Communications Officers from French companies, federations, institutions and organizations,” the second edition of the “Annual Barometer of Communications Directors” highlights a function undergoing profound transformation.
While the study focuses on the French market, its breadth, covering 105 organizations, combined with my experience working with international clients, makes many of these insights highly relevant and applicable well beyond France, if not across the communications industry as a whole.
The 6 key concerns and needs of CMOs in 2026
- Declining human and financial resources. This is the number-one concern for 41% of Chief Communications Officers and CMOs.
- Internal cohesion: Maintaining a strong sense of collective purpose is becoming a major challenge for organizations facing growing tensions and uncertainty.
- Information fragmentation. Chief Communications Officers and CMOs must navigate an increasingly fragmented information landscape.
- Distrust: Restoring and maintaining trust is becoming a central responsibility of corporate communications and marketing leaders.
- Fake news and disinformation. Identifying, verifying and responding to information is becoming a strategic priority.
- Hyper-reactivity and increasingly polarized debates. Companies must be able to respond quickly in increasingly sensitive and divided environments.
Chief Communications Officers are moving closer to the center of decision-making
The growing influence of the Chief Communications Officer within organizations confirms this shift: 77% of communications leaders have direct contact with senior management, and nearly 60% now sit on their company’s executive or management committee.
However, this proximity to senior leadership does not yet translate into full strategic recognition. Only 47% believe that “communications is fully recognized as a strategic function.” This is the paradox highlighted by Comfluence:
The Chief Communications Officer is increasingly present at the top of the organization, but their legitimacy and influence in decision-making remain limited.
In this new role, the CCO is no longer simply responsible for promoting the company. They must navigate sometimes conflicting interests, engage with multiple audiences and help maintain trust in the organization. This is why Comfluence describes the Chief Communications Officer as an “organizational diplomat.”
Growing responsibilities, but resources remain under pressure
This growing influence comes in an increasingly challenging environment. For 41% of Chief Communications Officers and CMOs, the primary concern is the “loss of their ability to act,” whether due to reduced staffing or budgets.
Their concerns now also extend far beyond traditional communications and marketing challenges: internal cohesion, information fragmentation, distrust, fake news, hyper-reactivity and increasingly polarized debates have become systemic concerns.
Chief Communications Officers and CMOs are expected to manage more issues, sometimes with fewer resources, in an environment where companies are expected to respond faster than ever.
For agencies, this raises a straightforward question: how can they deliver greater value when budgets and resources are under pressure?
AI is already changing the role and value of agency work
The other major shift comes from artificial intelligence. More than 70% of Chief Communications Officers say that “AI is already transforming the way they work,” while nearly 80% are increasingly bringing editorial production in-house thanks to these tools. AI therefore enables communications teams to produce more content internally and reduce their reliance on certain executional services.
In other words, as AI makes content production easier, agencies’ ability to understand, advise and anticipate becomes increasingly valuable. For agencies, the question is no longer simply what they can produce for their clients, but what they can bring to the table that CMOs and Chief Communications Officers cannot easily do themselves with AI.
The 5 main takeaways for advertising and communications agencies
- Strategy is becoming more valuable. As execution becomes easier to bring in-house thanks to AI, the ability to provide a clear vision and help inform decision-making becomes a stronger differentiator for agencies working with Chief Communications Officers and CMOs.
- Discernment is becoming a critical skill. In an environment shaped by fragmented information, fake news and polarization, knowing what to say — and what not to say — is becoming just as important as knowing how to say it.
- Expertise silos are becoming less relevant. Corporate communications, social, influence, reputation, public affairs, marketing and internal communications are increasingly converging around a common goal: building and maintaining trust.
- Understanding the broader ecosystem is essential. Companies are increasingly expected to engage with issues that go far beyond their brands and products. Agencies therefore need a deeper understanding of their clients’ economic, political and societal challenges.
- Production alone is becoming less differentiating. With nearly 80% of Chief Communications Officers saying they are bringing more editorial production in-house thanks to AI, as mentioned above, agencies need to demonstrate value that goes beyond their ability to simply produce content.
The role of the Chief Communications Officer is at a tipping point — and this represents both a threat and an opportunity for agencies
In this new landscape, the best partner for a CMO or Chief Communications Officer may no longer be the one that produces the most, but the one that provides the best counsel.
- The threat is to gradually become nothing more than a production supplier in a world where production is becoming cheaper and can increasingly be handled in-house.
- The opportunity is precisely the opposite: to become the partner capable of providing what AI cannot yet deliver. Vision, discernment, foresight and a deep understanding of the issues facing the organization.
