Why summer is still a smart time for PR and Marketing in Dubai
Summer remains a strategic window for brands to invest in PR and communications across the Middle East. Here’s why.
Summer remains a strategic window for brands to invest in PR and communications across the Middle East. Here’s why.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) adapts content so AI platforms cite and display it in responses. This guide explains GEO’s importance, practical implementation steps, and addresses measurement challenges. Businesses embracing GEO now position themselves for visibility in the AI-driven future of search.
By Stacey Cockram, Co-Deputy Head of B2B Technology Marketing & PR, Europe
Being a CISO is a complex role, and knowing how to market to them no mean feat. This blog explores the evolving profile of the CISO, highlighting strategic responsibilities, AI-related challenges, and key insights for tech marketers. Discover the Aspectus Audience Insights report to help build more effective, resonant marketing strategies targeting cybersecurity leaders.
A decade ago, Deloitte revealed the ‘four faces of the CISO’, arguing they needed to be part guardian, part strategist, part advisor and part technologist. These fundamentals still ring true – good CISOs wear many hats. However, the role is always evolving. Take AI as an example; when Deloitte created its initial report, it could never have imagined the impact AI would have (and the challenges it would cause CISOs).
As a tech CMO or marketer, finding a way to reach these busy people and resonate with them is tricky. Who are they really? What drives their decisions in 2025? What can we offer that they will truly value?
That’s why we’ve created the Aspectus Audience Insights, giving you everything you need to know about tech buyer personas. We started with the CIO audience, and our latest visual report delves into the complex minds of CISOs. We focus on the audiences we know inside out, helping you unlock better ideas, build stronger messaging and shape strategies that stick.
CISOs today are expected to balance technical oversight with boardroom influence, risk communication and business alignment. IBM explains:
“Instead of implementing cybersecurity, CISOs now focus on helping the organization’s leaders understand the importance of cybersecurity and lead the strategic thought for the organization’s cyber strategy. CISOs bridge the gap between the technical language that comes easily to the IT department and the business language of senior leadership.”
Despite this, our research shows CISOs aren’t the only ones involved in cyber decision-making, raising questions about how effectively budgets are being aligned to actual risk. Less than 50% of CISOs say they play a significant role in strategic planning on cyber investments. It seems, they are just one of many cooks.
For marketers, think about how you can you acknowledge this and help enable them to have those conversations internally.
Perhaps the biggest spanner in the works for CISOs is AI. As Jonathan Fischbein, CISO at Check Point Software Technologies for Forbes puts it:
“The use of AI both in production environments and in attacks will continue to increase, while the threat landscape itself expands. CISOs, correspondingly, are more important to organizations than ever… For CISOs, this means balancing the pace of innovation against secure-by-design implementation… Security can no longer be an add-on.”
The problem is, CISOs are battling AI threats without the people, budget, or time to respond effectively – and they aren’t afraid to admit it. 78% of CISOs say AI-powered threats are having a significant impact on their organisations, and 89% of CISOs believe AI threats will continue to cause trouble well into the future.
It’s clear CISOs are looking for partners who can simplify and strengthen their AI response strategy. To address AI stress head-on, tech marketers should promote this message and focus on the value their brand can add.
The Aspectus Audience Insights CISO edition covers:
To market effectively to CISOs, you need to delve deeper than the ‘four faces’ and produce campaigns and collateral that truly make them tick. If you’d like to speak to our global B2B technology marketing & PR team about using audience insights like these in your marketing and comms strategy, drop us an email at globaltech@aspectusgroup.com.
Stacey is Co-Deputy Head of Tech with vast technology and cyber experience, including working with Flexxon, BT and Malwarebytes. She prioritises a multi-channel and audience-first approach for clients that encompasses branding, PR and digital marketing to ensure a cohesive strategy. You can find her on LinkedIn here.
CISOs now act as strategic leaders, bridging IT and business strategy, with growing influence in boardrooms and cybersecurity investments – but they still want more strategic input.
AI-powered threats top the list, along with budget constraints and limited strategic input in cyber planning.
By understanding their evolving role, investment priorities and content preferences, then tailoring strategies accordingly using data like the CISO persona report.
Aspectus Group has been named B2B Agency of the Year, Bronze Winner, for its business growth, unique work environment, and distinctive value proposition
Media training has traditionally been the purview of ex-journalists who have made their way to the dark side. Who better to explain the media interview process than someone who has sat in the newsroom and has done thousands of them?
Don’t just scratch the surface – drill deeper into why UK industrial drilling firms need more than reputation to stay competitive. This blog shows how an integrated PR and digital marketing strategy can fuel real growth.
Explore some marketing ideas and inspiration from this year’s Infosecurity Europe as you prepare for your next big cybersecurity event, from maximizing micro-moments, playful ads to creating contextual messaging and beyond.
AI’s exponential growth is reshaping the utilities landscape, creating a complex new trilemma: data, power, and water. This blog explores how infrastructure is adapting, the sustainability challenges that arise, and why strategic communication is critical in navigating this evolving narrative.
In 2025, corporate travel is evolving with trends like the ‘work from anywhere’ movement, heightened sustainability efforts, and AI integration. Brands can capitalize on these shifts by aligning their PR and marketing strategies to meet emerging traveler needs and expectations.