Why communication is a leadership matter – and how it breaks down silos

Communication is no longer just a departmental task - it is a strategic business lever. In times of MarTech, AI, employer branding, social selling and rising expectations of authenticity, it is no longer enough for marketing, HR, PR and sales to work side by side. Communication must be integrated, centrally managed and driven from the board level.

The new reality: every communicator is potentially everything - brand, HR, PR, sales. Those who fail to orchestrate this dynamic will lose relevance, trust and efficiency.

  1. ‘OneVoice’ instead of silos: Why communication today only works when it's integrated

In many organisations, marketing, HR, sales and PR communicate past each other. The result: inconsistent messages, duplicate budgets and missed synergies.

They all have the same goals - attracting talent, generating leads, building trust, recharging the brand.

„OneVoice“ means:

• Centralised control of messaging and brand vision
  
  
• Cross-channel campaign logic (paid, owned, earned)
  
  
• Orchestration of all communicative roles: internal & external

The board is not a spectator - it's the conductor. Only CXOs can create the necessary commitment to break through silo thinking.

  2. MarTech & AI - tools need clear leadership

Technologies like ChatGPT, HubSpot, Salesforce, Storyblok or Personio offer immense potential to manage communication in an efficiently and in a personalised way.
But tools alone don't create impact.

What is often missing is centralised content management and strategic alignment.

Without clear communication from the board, you end up with a patchwork of isolated actions, personas, channels, and messages – but no brand, no culture, no common ground.

AI needs direction. MarTech needs strategy. Both need leadership.

  3. social media & corporate influencers: H2H is the new standard

In today’s world of communication, it’s no longer about B2B or B2C – it’s about H2H: Human to Human.

LinkedIn, Instagram & co. are not just HR or marketing channels – they are digital stages for real people with real opinions.

Corporate influencers are not a “nice to have” – they are proof that silo thinking is obsolete.

• The HR leader talks about brand values.
  
  
• The tech expert becomes the voice of sales.
  
  
• The head of communications shapes employer branding.

Everyone can - and should - communicate. But with a clear narrative.

This is DigitalMe: making personalities visible - in line with the overall strategic story.

  4. The role of CXOs: communication leadership is a C-level responsibility

Leadership in 2025 means more than making business decisions - it also means communicative leadership:

• What does the company stand for?
  
  
• What narrative connects all touchpoints?
  
  
• How do we use technology without losing our identity?

These questions belong in the boardroom. That’s exactly why we developed the CXO Masterclass — a format designed to empower CXOs to take on communication leadership roles: cross-channel, strategic and authentic.

If companies continue to think in communication silos, they waste impact, speed and trust.

Only those who lead communication from the executive level can truly make an impact in today’s connected world.

No more silos. OneVoice. DigitalMe. With purpose, clarity and technology – but above all: with leadership.

Are you ready to take your organization’s communication to the next level?

Join the CXO Masterclass with Hannes Beierlein – and shape the future of your communication yourself.