In an increasingly fragmented geopolitical landscape—shaped by global blocs, rising prices and constant uncertainty—communications and corporate affairs leaders are placing greater emphasis on the values of the societies in which their organisations operate. According to the latest European Communication Monitor, values-based positioning is no longer simply a brand strategy; it has become a fundamental source of legitimacy for companies operating in today’s markets.
At this moment in history, values can no longer be confined to a page in a corporate code of ethics or an annual sustainability report. Values are now performative: they must be visible, experienced and interpreted through action. Storydoing, not storytelling, is what makes the difference.
According to the report, companies and brands must evolve the way they communicate and engage with their stakeholders. A values-led positioning enables organisations to claim a role not only as economic actors, but also as cultural and political agents: aware of the environments around them and responsible for the world of which they are part, particularly at a time of uncertainty and geopolitical conflict.
Research among European communications leaders shows that the values and beliefs of the societies in which an organisation operates are considered the third most important factor in corporate positioning, behind contributions to customers and users, and the company’s past performance and history.
Important factors for a company’s positioning:
• Commercial offering for customers and users: 90.0%
• Internal company values: 83.3%
• Values and beliefs of the societies in which the company operates: 80.0%
• The company’s achievements and history: 80.0%
• Future-oriented promises: 70.0%
In their strategic positioning, Chief Communications Officers align communication with business objectives, manage reputation, analyse the external environment and build relationships with stakeholders to strengthen the brand and generate trust. Their role has evolved from a tactical communications function into a strategic leadership responsibility, integrated into senior management to protect and enhance the organisation’s intangible assets.
Communications directors are also a critical listening channel for what society expects from business. This is where they must help organisations understand which values and principles they need to adopt in order to remain culturally relevant to their stakeholders and commercially resilient in the environment in which they operate.
What concerns Spaniards most right now?
According to the latest edition of the Edelman Trust Barometer, four issues are currently top of mind for Spaniards:
• 80% “I am worried about losing purchasing power because of inflation”
• 70% “I am worried about climate change and its consequences, such as droughts, rising sea levels and other natural disasters”
• 68% “I am worried about losing my job as a result of an imminent recession”
• 66% “I am worried that international trade conflicts and tariffs will harm the company I work for”
Returning to the European Communication Monitor, leading European corporations reveal a growing awareness that values are now essential instruments for strategic navigation. According to the research, values provide coherence in times of ambiguity and differentiation in markets saturated by product parity and purpose-led rhetoric. Values are no longer add-ons: they are strategic assets, particularly relevant in contexts marked by crisis, polarisation and stakeholder activism. Overall, values-based positioning is not understood as a static statement of principles, but as a dynamic and iterative process of organisational meaning-making and cultural negotiation over time.
About the European Communication Monitor
Through a rigorous combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, the study explores three urgent issues in corporate communication, each analysed from an intergenerational perspective: (1) the use of values as a fundamental communication framework; (2) the challenge of retaining top talent in an increasingly fluid and competitive global market; and (3) the role of coaching in fostering empowered leadership, developing future capabilities and strengthening the leadership identity of CCOs (Chief Communication Officers) themselves. To this end, the study is based on a panel of communications professionals from the largest companies in 50 European countries.
