Size Doesn’t Matter: Clear Goals and a Strong Operating Model Drive PR Effectiveness

The First PR Satisfaction Study Among IT Companies in Central Asia

PR agency ITCOMMS has conducted the first-ever PR satisfaction study among IT companies in Central Asia. The research shows that PR performance is driven not by company size, but by how the PR function is structured and whether leadership and PR teams are aligned on goals. Where executives and PR work toward the same objectives, communications stop being a cost center and become a growth lever.

The Central Asian IT market is maturing. Amid rising interest in AI and an increasingly competitive attention economy, companies are learning to communicate not louder, but more precisely.

“You can’t improve what you don’t measure — this applies to any area of business. Before our study, no one had systematically measured attitudes toward PR, perceptions of its value, or the quality of PR services at scale. I’m glad we did this. Now PR professionals in IT — including ourselves — have a clearer way to work toward real business goals,” says Alexander Lichtman, Founder of ITCOMMS, a PR agency for IT companies.

About the Study

The findings are based on a survey of IT company executives, including CEOs and founders, chief commercial officers, heads of marketing and communications, and PR leaders.Geographically, the study primarily covers Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, as well as other countries in the region.

Respondents were asked about:

• PR function structure

• Annual PR objectives

• Satisfaction with PR results

• Alignment of goals and metrics with leadership

• Budget dynamics and future plans

• PR’s impact on business KPIs

• Metrics used and key barriers to effectiveness

PR Models and Performance

All scores below reflect average self-reported PR satisfaction on a 1–5 scale (1 = very dissatisfied, 5 = very satisfied).

Companies with a dedicated PR function consistently report higher satisfaction:

• Hybrid model (in-house + agencies): ~3.7

• Fully in-house PR: ~3.7

• PR handled by marketing: ~3.5

• No dedicated PR resources: ~2.5

The gap between having a PR function and not having one is about +1.3 points.

This indicates that scale of activity matters less than structure. Even a small, clearly defined PR setup (in-house plus contractors) delivers significantly better results than ad-hoc efforts or the absence of PR altogether.

Alignment with Leadership

The single most important success factor is alignment on goals and measurement.

• Full alignment: average satisfaction ~4.5

• Conflict or lack of shared language: ~2.0

This gap is larger than the impact of any individual PR tactic. Management alignment is the foundation of effective PR: first agree on goals and metrics, then choose channels and scale activities.

Does Company Size Affect PR Performance?

Company size alone does not make PR more effective.

At first glance, larger companies appear more satisfied. However, once PR structure and leadership alignment are accounted for, the size advantage disappears. In simple terms:

Results come from a well-built PR function and shared goals — not from scale.

A smaller company with clear processes can easily outperform a larger one without them.

Budgets and PR Maturity

Investment grows where the PR function is already established:

• Hybrid model: ~82% plan to increase PR budgets next year

• In-house PR: ~64%

• PR within marketing: ~67%

• No PR resources: ~29%

This reflects a maturity threshold: once a dedicated PR function exists, companies begin investing systematically.

Are Companies Satisfied with Their PR?

Again, on a 1–5 scale:

• 1,000+ employees: ~3.8

• 201–1,000: ~3.5

• 51–200: ~3.1

• Up to 50: ~3.1

However, this gradient is explained by PR maturity and alignment, not size.

• Companies whose PR budgets grew last year report higher satisfaction (up to ~3.9).

• Those with flat or reduced budgets score lower (~2.8–2.5).

• Companies uncertain about next year’s budget rate their PR lowest (~2.6).

This shows that clarity and consistency matter: when PR is structured and investment is sustained, results improve. Uncertainty and budget freezes undermine effectiveness.

Metrics and KPIs

Real impact appears only where leadership and PR teams agree in advance on goals and how to measure them. Simply believing that PR influences KPIs is not enough.

More metrics do not mean better outcomes. What matters is relevance:

• Fewer metrics tied to real business objectives (leads, sales, hiring)

• Not long lists created for reporting’s sake

  
  

Different Countries, Different Maturity Levels

Kazakhstan, on average, demonstrates more mature PR practices:

• More companies with dedicated PR resources

• A higher average number of metrics

• Higher satisfaction scores

The regional market is not uniform, and PR strategies should be adapted to country-specific contexts.

Key Takeaway

“PR works best where there are clearly responsible people, well-defined goals, and shared measurement rules. A small, well-aligned team delivers more impact than a large but fragmented process. This study matters because it replaces opinions with data — clearly showing which PR models and practices actually work, which don’t, and where budgets should be directed,”concludes Diana Dzhumagulova, PR Manager at ITCOMMS.