CEOs are probably the most important multipliers for their companies. They are the face to the outside world and play a key role in determining debates. How do they use social media to enhance their reputation? This question posed by Netzpiloten founder and CEO Wolfgang Macht was the starting point for the collaboration between Macromedia University and Netzpiloten Magazine.
Study basis and analysis period
Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dr. Castulus Kolo and Oliver Hellriegel, Macromedia students of Media and Communication Management M.A. analyzed the quality and quantity of social media postings of the German DAX 30 CEOs in the period from January to November 2019 based on the number of followers of the executive board members (audience), the feedback of the followers (buzz) and also the number of their posts (commitment) on the platforms LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
Manager Magazin presents study results
The result of the study is extremely exciting; Manager Magazin presented it in an exclusive article.
For example, SAP’s then CEO Jennifer Morgan is Germany’s most successful DAX 30 company boss on the social Web. On the LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter platforms, she communicates significantly better than her male competitors. On a scale of -10 (very poor) to +10 (very good), the – former – SAP co-head received a score of 3.7, well ahead of VW CEO Herbert Diess with a score of 2.7 and her SAP Executive Board colleague Christian Klein, who received a score of 2.6. Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte (2.2), Timotheus Höttges from Deutsche Telekom with a score of 1.8 and Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser (1.7) follow in the other places.
Macromedia develops methodology to quantify opinion leadership on the Web
“For the first time, we have successfully managed to quantify opinion leadership in the Social Web. But the enormous differences – at least for the time being – in the way which platforms are used and with which messages requires an elaborate algorithm in order to be able to draw meaningful conclusions for future communication strategies,” sums up the president of the Macromedia University of Applied Sciences Prof. Dr. Dr. Castulus Kolo.
“Our study shows that the leaders of DAX-listed companies have not yet fully discovered the Social Web for themselves and instead are obviously still relying primarily on the impact of traditional media. They have not yet really arrived in the new media reality. They are thus giving away an enormous potential to bind stakeholders to themselves,” comments Netzpiloten founder and CEO Wolfgang Macht on the results of the study.
Research team of the Macromedia University
The research team of the Macromedia University of Applied Sciences included not only the lecturers Prof. Dr. Dr. Castulus Kolo and Oliver Hellriegel, but also a group of students from the Master’s programme Media and Communications Management M.A., in particular the students Annika Küppers, Marike Labus, Sabrina Kowalski, Sofia Matt, Songsita Pouphunthong and Yasemin Arnold.
Picture Jennifer Morgan: Wikipedia / Jolds777 – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0.