The Chief Data Officer (CDO) has, you guessed it, data on the brain. Information alone isn’t enough — they need the numbers to drive meaning. Their objective is to collect, curate, and transform organizational information into actionable intelligence.
Reaching the CDO buyer requires PR messaging that delivers tangible strategies for data governance and management.
PAN’s C-Suite Signals report offers a look into the mind of this data-obsessed persona. Let’s break down the insights to help craft PR strategies.
What’s on the Mind of CDOs?
The CDO loves transforming chaos into clarity and building business systems that help teams trust and act on data. While some of their interests overlap with the Chief Information Security Officer, CDOs focus on data’s integrity and strategic value, rather than protecting the overall organization from threats.
Establishing foundational rules and architecture for trusted data is top of mind. This persona is googling terms like “data management and data governance,” “airflow alternatives,” and “semantic layer architecture.”
AI and analytics also feature prominently in searches, specifically in terms of “news data analytics,” “trends in data science,” and “machine learning classification models.”
Where Do CDOs Get Their News?
Half of B2B decision-makers turn to LLMs before Google, and the CDO is no exception. When this persona prompts ChatGPT, the platform frequently returns answers citing:
- Forbes
- Harvard Business Review
- Analytics Insight
- Dataversity
The content they seek out centers on strategic data science, AI innovation and solving business problems.
Examples of who they follow on social media include CNET and MIT Technology Review. Favorite YouTube channels include DataKitchen and Data Council AI. CIO.com actually falls into both the YouTube and social media categories.
Their top podcasts focus on technical aspects and the strategic future of data, such as:
- Tech Talks Daily
- The AI in Business Podcast
- AI for Humans
- Super Data Science
- Syntax
As with other C-suite personas, consulting firms Gartner and Forrester show up in both ChatGPT searches and social media following.
So What Does This Mean for My PR Strategy?
What we know: CDOs are driven by data integrity, strategic value creation, and establishing the robust, governed systems necessary to achieve both. They view data as the organization’s primary asset for innovation and competitive advantage.
You can apply this knowledge by offering practical guidance on designing data architecture and demonstrating how to effectively leverage AI. Case studies or real-life examples are particularly powerful.
Out with the theoretical trend pieces and in with specific, actionable angles that use the CDO’s search terms.
Tired: Maximizing Data Strategy in the Age of AI
Inspired: Using Machine Learning Classification Models to Deliver Predictive Business Outcomes
For instance, we secured coverage for our client AppKnox in CIO.com with the title: 8 steps to ensure data privacy compliance across borders. Specific. Actionable.
Pitch data science, business technology, and thought leadership media to reach this persona, prioritizing podcasts and developer channels.
Relationships with analysts will prove incredibly valuable in reaching multiple C-Suite executives. After establishing these connections, keep them updated on your brand’s product vision and customer success stories.
To learn more about specific search phrases and outlets that interest CDOs, download PAN’s C-Suite Signals report.
Ready to move from insights to impact? Reach out to us for guidance on executing a persona-specific PR strategy.