The line that stuck with me was short, almost throwaway, yet loaded with meaning. It was a reminder of how much weight we place on job titles, and how little that tells us about results. My view is simple: we confuse authority with impact. A title can open doors, but only clear, public wins build trust.
He’s chief digital and social officer at Hunter.
That role signals leadership at the crossroads of culture, content, and measurement. But titles like this can also hide a problem. Teams chase platforms, trends, and dashboards while losing sight of why people should care. Digital and social aren’t departments—they are promises brands make in public, every day.
The Job Title Isn’t the Strategy
I hear a title like this and read two signals. First, companies are treating digital and social as one job, which makes sense. Second, the pressure to perform in public has never been higher. A big title can mask thin strategy.
- Digital without a story is noise.
- Social without trust is a stunt.
- Data without action is theater.
Put differently, a shiny role means little without proof of what works for real people. The only scoreboard that counts is attention that returns.
What This Role Must Deliver
In my view, the job behind that title must be ruthless about clarity. Not more posts. Not more channels. Better reasons to return, and clearer ways to measure that loyalty.
Here’s how that should look in practice.
- Teach the company to speak like a person. Strip the brand talk. Say one true thing, fast.
- Set one measurable goal per channel. Reach? Replies? Sign-ups? Pick one, not five.
- Build feedback loops. If people complain, fix it in public. If they cheer, double down.
- Protect creative time. Make fewer, better pieces. Publish on a schedule you can keep.
- Report outcomes, not vanity. Celebrate saves, shares, repeat visits, and conversions.
This is where a title can help. It gives cover to make hard choices. But it is the choices, not the card, that define the work.
The Trap: Chasing Platforms, Losing People
Many leaders with big titles fall into a loop—announce a new channel, post more, chase a trend, repeat. That loop wears teams out and trains audiences to ignore you. Consistency beats novelty. People want reliability and value in their feed, not a tour of every trend.
There is a common pushback: If we don’t try every platform, we’ll fall behind. I disagree. Most brands fail due to unclear focus, not missed platforms. Better to do one place well than five places poorly. The math is simple: one story, one promise, one win, then scale.
Why That Single Line Matters
The title “chief digital and social officer” tells me the company knows where the game is played. It also hints at a mandate: bring discipline to chaos. If that leader can make the company honest in public, the title earns its keep. If not, it’s costume jewelry.
I don’t want fans of titles. I want proof. That means:
- Public problem-solving, not slogans.
- Clear goals people can feel, not vague reach claims.
- Creative with a point, not content for content’s sake.
The internet keeps the receipts. People remember who helped them, who listened, and who wasted their time. No title outruns that record.
My Take, Your Move
I respect anyone who steps into a role with wide scope and constant scrutiny. But respect isn’t results. If the work doesn’t help people, the work doesn’t work. That’s the standard I’ll hold for every leader with “digital” and “social” on their card.
So here’s the challenge. If you lead in this space, simplify. Cut the noise. Pick one promise your audience can test this week. Share the result next week. Repeat. If you’re on the outside, demand receipts before you buy the story.
Titles fill bios. Proof fills carts. Choose which one you want to chase.
