Over the past year, business leaders worldwide have been sensing that confidence is low – but where’s the data to support that? The 2019 Worldcom Confidence Index fills that void with hard data gathered using a survey methodology powered by artificial intelligence.
Worldcom Public Relations Group commissioned research company Advanced Symbolics Inc. (ASI) to assess the social media activity of more than 58,000 business leaders around the world and identify the topics that matter to them most. This tech-powered method produced a global perspective on the business issues of the moment and where they rank in terms of leadership attention. Worldcom’s forward-thinking approach to gathering and analyzing data is emblematic of its commitment to outstanding results and is one of the reasons RH Strategic is proud to be a partner in this global PR network.
Here are the top three takeaways from the 2019 Worldcom Confidence Index:
Influencers
Influencers rose in importance in 2019, growing their share of business leaders’ attention by a massive 160% in comparison to last year’s Worldcom Confidence Index. Customers slipped to No. 2 and saw their share of focus decline by 44%. Despite this, leaders remain concerned about their ability to reach the right influencers for their brands. For PR agencies, this means that coming to the table with proven strategies for engaging influencers will speak directly to the number one concern of business leaders.
Employee-Related Topics
Employee-related topics dominate the issues discussed by leaders – representing five out of the top six topics and six of the top 10. Upskilling or reskilling current employees was the number one topic for leader engagement, showing that business leaders see this as an essential step in the battle to retain talent. We expect upskilling and reselling to become even more important as AI and automation threaten to make a variety of jobs obsolete.
Retaining Talent
Retaining talent was the No. 2 topic in terms of leader engagement. Leaders in the UK have the lowest confidence about retaining talent by country (14.75), but North America has the lowest confidence of any region in the world, with the United States displaying the lowest confidence in the region (14.98).
For more details on these and other insights, download the 2019 Worldcom Confidence Index Report. The Worldcom team has also created regional reports that take a deep dive into the results by region, including Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and South America. These reports will allow you to compare your own thoughts with those of more than 58,000 of your global peers – an invaluable exercise for thinkers and innovators trying to stand out and build their brands in crowded industries.
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RH Strategic is a Seattle and D.C.-based communications firm with a nationwide presence and additional global reach via membership in the Worldcom Public Relations Group. We provide strategic public relations for innovators in the technology, government and healthcare markets.
