Making the case for a communications budget in 2027

Communications leaders in Switzerland and Germany go into the 2027 budget round from a harder position, but the same research shows where a function's case is strongest.

Michael Reaney  ·  6 November 2026  ·  3 min read

For many, the 2027 budget round closes in the coming weeks. For communications leaders in Switzerland and Germany, that conversation starts from a harder position than it did a year ago. However, the same research also shows where a function's case is strongest.

The fifth edition of Kommunikation in der digitalen Transformation, the biennial trend study into Swiss corporate communications run by ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences surveyed communications leaders across German speaking Switzerland and added ten in depth interviews, with fieldwork completed in the first half of 2026. Around 40% of the organisations and public administrations surveyed report a shrinking communications budget over the past few years, according to the institute's own summary, rising above half among businesses.

The PR Trendmonitor 2026 published on 26th March, finds the share who call their job secure down from 81 to 71% in a year, with savings measures and restructuring the reasons cited most often after the economy.

The cuts are not falling evenly. ZHAW's ranking of the skills communications leaders expect to matter most over the next two to three years puts handling AI and automation first, and names craft skills such as writing and translation as falling in importance. Read together, the two studies suggest budgets are being trimmed mainly in production that has become cheaper to deliver, much less than the costs involved in taking key decisions. And hiring for that work at the top has not stopped; N26 and ServiceNow both named new chief communications officers in the second half of October.

That gives communications leaders something concrete to take into budget meetings. Production budget savings can serve well in advisory and strategic planning.

Worth reading

• ZHAW, Kommunikation in der digitalen Transformation, Trendstudie Schweiz 2026 (5th biennial edition since 2018; online survey of German-speaking Swiss communications leaders plus ten in-depth interviews, led by Prof. Nicole Rosenberger, ZHAW Institute of Applied Linguistics, fieldwork H1 2026). Roughly 40% of organisations surveyed report a shrinking communications budget, rising past half among businesses specifically, while the skills expected to matter most are shifting away from writing and translation. Figures as reported in the institute's own press release and corroborating Swiss trade coverage (markt-kom.com, mcschindler.com). ZHAW Angewandte Linguistik
• news aktuell x P.E.R. Agency, PR Trendmonitor 2026 (302 communications professionals surveyed across Switzerland and Germany, published 26th March 2026). Job security in the profession fell sharply year on year, from 81% calling their role secure to 71%, with savings measures and restructuring named as the two leading causes after the general economic climate. Figures as reported via Swiss and German trade coverage. Organisator, 26th March 2026

The moves

• N26, the Berlin-based digital bank, has named Michael Steen as chief communications officer, effective 1st January 2027. He joins from Deutsche Bank, where he was Managing Director and Head of External Communications and Newsroom, and earlier held a senior communications role at the European Central Bank. N26 frames the appointment as building on strong operational foundations ahead of its next growth phase. Reported by N26's own press release and FF News, 21st October 2026. N26, 21st October 2026
• ServiceNow has named Cheryl Sanclemente chief communications officer, succeeding Heather Graubard, who left the company in April 2026. Sanclemente joins from Google Cloud, where she led corporate communications, and was previously chief marketing and communications officer at Lattice (the HR software company's first CCO), with earlier senior communications roles at C3 AI, Salesforce and Franklin Templeton Investments. Reported by MarTech360 and O'Dwyer's PR News, week of 28th October 2026. MarTech360, 28th October 2026