“Communication without control is just occupational therapy” – Reimer Stobbe on the future of communication controlling

“Communication without control is just occupational therapy” – Reimer Stobbe on the future of communication controlling

Interview with: Dr. Reimer Stobbe

In many communication departments, communication controlling is still considered an unloved duty: too number-heavy, too complex, too far removed from the actual craft of communication. For Reimer Stobbe, this is a dangerous misconception. The long-standing communications manager and co-developer of the DPRG/ICV impact levels sees communications controlling not as a reporting discipline, but as a strategic management model for corporate communications. In the AG CommTech webinar, he showed why communication can hardly have an impact without clear objectives, why reputation is a strategic asset – and why AI is more of a boost than a threat to communication controlling.

AG CommTech: Reimer, many communications departments now measure all kinds of things. Why is that not enough?

Reimer Stobbe: Because measurement alone is not control. Many organizations today produce vast amounts of dashboards, KPI lists and channel statistics without first clarifying what communication should actually achieve. This results in data cemeteries. Communication controlling does not start with figures, but with a strategic question: What contribution should communication make to the success of the company?

AG CommTech: And what is your answer to that?

Reimer Stobbe: Communication creates potential for success in the future. That is its real value contribution. Communication does not directly produce profit in the P&L. It ensures that stakeholders remain willing to cooperate: Employees, investors, customers, political players or NGOs. Without this support, no company can be successful in the long term. That is why communication is not an operational cost item, but a strategic investment.

AG CommTech: That sounds much more strategic than traditional press relations.

Reimer Stobbe: This is precisely the flaw in the thinking of many organizations. Communication is often reduced to content production or media relations. In reality, it is about stakeholder relationship management. Communication must understand the stakeholders’ perspective and ensure their willingness to cooperate. Reputation is therefore not a “soft image issue”, but a strategic asset.

AG CommTech: Many communication managers still struggle to prove their value contribution.

Reimer Stobbe: Because the goals are often missing. Without measurable goals, you can’t prove success. That sounds banal, but it’s the core of the problem. In many communications departments, there are measures, channels and activities – but no clearly formulated impact targets. Then attempts are made afterwards to prove some kind of success. This does not work.

AG CommTech: You differentiate between “success of communication” and “success of communication”. What do you mean by that?

Reimer Stobbe: That is an important difference. The “success of communication” relates to measures, campaigns, channels or touchpoints. In other words, reach, usage or interaction. The “success of communication”, on the other hand, describes the contribution to the company’s success. The two belong together, but are often mixed up.

AG CommTech: You helped develop the impact levels together with DPRG and ICV.

Reimer Stobbe: Exactly. The impact levels have been the industry standard since 2009. They help to manage communication not only operationally, but also systematically. It’s not just about reach or media resonance. The actual impact comes later: in terms of perception, knowledge, attitudes and ultimately behavior.

AG CommTech: However, many companies get stuck precisely with reach.

Reimer Stobbe: Yes, because reach is easy to measure. But reach alone is not an effect. Just because someone has seen a post doesn’t mean that attitudes or behavior will change. That’s why communication managers have to learn to think along the entire impact chain.

AG CommTech: How does this work in practice?

Reimer Stobbe: We always start with the desired behavior. For example: What should stakeholders ultimately do? Only then do we consider what attitudes are necessary for this, what knowledge needs to be built up, what usage should take place and what communication offers are required for this. This turns communication from a barrage of measures into a strategic chain.

AG CommTech: That sounds like a lot more structural work.

Reimer Stobbe: Absolutely. Communication controlling is above all governance work. You have to define standards, harmonize key figures and merge data sources. If every campaign uses different KPIs, nothing can be compared and nothing can be aggregated. This is precisely why companies need standardized controlling models.

AG CommTech: You often talk about a “single source of truth”.

Reimer Stobbe: Yes, because communication data is generated everywhere today: Social media, websites, CRM systems, events, social listening, media response analyses. If this data is not brought together, silos are created. Then each unit builds its own truth. Communication controlling must strategically integrate this data.

AG CommTech: And this is where AI comes into play?

Reimer Stobbe: Absolutely. AI will massively change communication controlling. But not primarily because everything will suddenly become automatic. The greatest benefit lies in automating routine tasks. This will finally free up time for strategic work.

AG CommTech: What strategic work do you mean specifically?

Reimer Stobbe: Developing target systems. Understanding stakeholders. Modeling impact chains. Interpreting data. Communications departments still spend far too much time on manual reports or operational content production. AI can reduce this burden.

AG CommTech: Many still see AI primarily as a tool topic.

Reimer Stobbe: That doesn’t go far enough. AI only unfolds its benefits when the database is clean. If you have chaotic data, you will only get chaotic results faster with AI. That’s why data strategy and governance are now even more important.

AG CommTech: So structure first, then AI?

Reimer Stobbe: Exactly. Many companies are buying tools without having clarified their control logic. That’s the wrong approach. First of all, it must be clear which goals are being pursued, which stakeholders are relevant and what impact is to be measured. Then AI can bring enormous benefits.

AG CommTech: You also warned against “arbitrariness” in the webinar.

Reimer Stobbe: Yes, because today anyone can access any data. That sounds democratic at first, but it quickly leads to contradictory interpretations. Communication controlling therefore also means taking responsibility for data interpretation. Not every key figure is self-explanatory.

AG CommTech: What is your advice for communications departments that are just starting out?

Reimer Stobbe: Start small, but systematically. Don’t want to build the perfect dashboard straight away. First develop a common target image. Then define standards. Track the most important channels properly. And above all: get people on board. Communication controlling does not work by instruction. You have to explain what benefits it brings for the individual teams.

AG CommTech: What is the most common mistake?

Reimer Stobbe: Understanding communication only as an internal service provider. Then you optimize processes, but lose the strategic role. Communication must be an advisory partner to management – not just a content supplier. This is exactly where the relevance of the function is decided in the long term.

AG CommTech: And where will communication controlling be heading in the next few years?

Reimer Stobbe: Even more in the direction of integrated management. The boundaries between communication, data analysis, reputation management and AI-supported decision support are becoming increasingly blurred. Communications departments will have to work more data-based – but at the same time think more strategically than ever before.

AG CommTech: Does that mean less gut feeling?

Reimer Stobbe: No. Good communication will always require experience, intuition and contextual understanding. But gut instinct without data will no longer be enough in the future. And neither will data without strategic interpretation. It is precisely at this interface that the new role of communication is emerging.