A year and a half into the second Trump Administration, corporate communicators are contending with a more fragmented media landscape, accelerating AI disruption, and a political environment that continues to raise the stakes for every message that goes out the door.
GSG has spent over 15 years tracking how companies communicate through exactly these kinds of moments — and this report puts that experience, and the latest data behind it, to work. Our Communicating in Chaos 2026 draws on new national polling and expert analysis from senior practitioners to give communicators a clear picture of where things stand and what to do about it.
Key findings:
- About half of Americans — and even more so, younger voters — feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they’re faced with, making clarity and simplicity essential in every communication.
- 54% of voters say the most believable corporate content clearly explains what happened and why — ahead of data-heavy responses or content that pushes back on criticism. In a chaotic environment, clarity isn’t just good practice. It wins.
- Audiences trust experts (84%) and journalists (76%) far more than companies or CEOs (64%) directly — and the CEO role is now a communications role. The executives who break through are the ones who show up as genuine subject-matter experts, not brand ambassadors.
- 59% of voters say the content they encounter online has often been shaped by AI, raising the bar on authenticity.
Given what we know, our experts recommend that companies show up consistently in earned media, owned content, and niche and trade outlets to build credibility and breakthrough in ways one single top-tier hit no longer can.
Read the full report to get all the data, analysis, and recommendations.