This week's PR Roundup looks at a new study from Morning Consult about CEO popularity and company reputation; Mattel going all in on entertainment with a new TV and film studio; and Wilson, the iconic volleyball, teaching the public about ecology and ocean waste.
Who’s Still Cheering for CEOs? New Data Shows a Country Split
What happened: The American public’s relationship with CEOs is more complicated than ever. According to new data from Morning Consult, public sentiment toward top executives is sharply divided, with nearly equal numbers of U.S. adults saying they view CEOs favorably and unfavorably. The same split applies to trust: about half of respondents believe CEOs will do the right thing, while the other half aren't buying it.
The findings come at a time when business leaders are increasingly stepping into the political spotlight. Consumers and employees alike are feeling the pressure and fatigue of ongoing economic uncertainty. The report also highlights how opinions about CEOs vary widely across age, income and political ideology lines, reinforcing the polarization seen in nearly every corner of public life.
Key findings include:
- CEOs shape consumers’ brand perceptions: An overwhelming majority of U.S. adults (78%) said a company’s CEO impacts their views of that company.
- Opinions of business leaders diverge along gender and political lines: Men and Republicans are much more favorable toward and trusting of the CEO class than women and Democrat counterparts.
- Consumers want to hear from CEOs, but not on politics: While a large share of Americans think CEOs need to have a public persona, those who think business leaders should speak out on political, social or cultural issues has declined notably in recent years.
- “It’s the employees, stupid”: Americans believe CEOs should prioritize employees above all else, even before customers.
- America’s favorite CEOs included Oprah Winfrey of OWN, Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway, Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Ron Vachris of Costco.
Communication takeaways: For comms pros, the message is clear: CEOs and the brands they lead must work even harder to build and keep trust.
Ellyn Briggs, Brands Analyst at Morning Consult, says that the lists “underscore another important dimension of CEO public perception … oftentimes, opinions of an executive are closely tied to (or even interchangeable with) that of the company they work for.”
“Case in point: Unlike Bezos or Elon Musk, Costco’s Vachris isn’t a household name or frequently making news,” she says. “And yet, because Costco is such a widely known and loved brand, he appeared as a favorite business leader for all U.S. adults and several other groups.”
However, the study also notes that potential CEO-related risk increases with an increase in publicity. Briggs cites Tesla co-founder Musk in this case.
“Since … Musk began inserting himself into divisive political and cultural conversations, several of the electric vehicle maker’s brand metrics, including favorability, purchase consideration and sales, have steeply declined,” she says.
And if a CEO screws up once—take Martha Stewart, for example, and the insider trading debacle—companies can still recover. But when a CEO is constantly in the news for crises, that’s tough for any PR pro to overcome when it comes to consumer sentiment.
Hollywood's Iconic Volleyball, Wilson, Brings Awareness to Ocean Waste
What happened: The world’s most iconic volleyball, that you may remember from the movie “Cast Away,” is helping to tell the story of climate change.
Ahead of the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference comes The Odyssey of Wilson, a powerful sustainability campaign that turns real UNESCO oceanographic data into an immersive, 450-year journey that sheds light on the devastating impact of plastic pollution on our oceans.
Viewers of the campaign can follow Wilson’s imagined path through the world’s oceans as a metaphor for the long-term deterioration caused by plastics. The experience traces currents, tides and climate events to visualize the volleyball’s transformation into microplastics—witnessing acidification, ice shelf collapse and rising sea levels along the way.
According to UNESCO, between 1.1 and 4.9 million tons of plastic are already present in the ocean.
Communication Takeaways: Led by the Onda Azul Institute, with technological support from telecom giant Vivo, the campaign transforms complex, sobering data into a story that resonates emotionally and urges action. It’s a prime example of how to make difficult concepts—in this case, high level scientific data—accessible to the regular consumer.
“This project is about making science human,” says André Luis Esteves, Executive Director at the Onda Azul Institute. “By following the journey of a simple object, we illustrate decades of invisible damage caused by plastic waste—and why it urgently needs global attention. We’ve transformed data into a story people can feel.”
Africa Creative, known for bold storytelling and purpose-driven campaigns, led creative development for the campaign. The integrated effort includes an immersive digital platform to explore the journey, a short film, public installations in coastal cities and live activations during major sports broadcasts.
“Science alone doesn’t move people—stories do,” says Raphael Vandystadt, VP of Sustainability at Africa Creative. “By turning complex data into a powerful visual journey, we help make the invisible visible. Communication plays a strategic role in mobilizing collective action for our oceans.”
Mattel to Open Complete Entertainment Studio
What happened: While the entertainment industry seems to be on a downswing as several companies, including Disney and NBCUniversal, announced layoffs this week, some brands are going all-in on entertainment content.
Toymaker Mattel, the home of Barbie, announced it would combine its TV and film divisions this week to form a complete studio. As you may recall, the “Barbie” movie became a summer 2023 blockbuster smash, grossing more than $1.4 billion in worldwide box office sales. It also received nine Oscar nominations.
According to Reuters, Mattel also plans future releases to include "Masters of the Universe," “a live-action film inspired by the He-Man action figures, and "Matchbox," based on its miniature cars,” as well as a possible Polly Pocket movie.
Communication takeaways: Mattel’s announcement yesterday showcases a clear turn for brands. They are no longer just advertisers—they’re becoming their own entertainment companies.
James DeJulio, CEO of Tongal, a longtime Mattel partner and award-winning creator platform, believes that in-house comms must operate like content studios to stay culturally relevant.
“Mattel’s move … is just the latest signal that brands are no longer content to sit on the sidelines of storytelling,” DeJulio says. “It’s about owning the narrative. For communications teams, this marks a critical turning point. To stay competitive and culturally relevant, in-house comms functions must evolve into modern content engines—developing and distributing original content that extends brand messaging far beyond press releases and earned media. Podcasts, newsletters, social video and fan-first storytelling are no longer “nice-to-haves”—they’re the new baseline.”
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.