By Celyphos S.A.
Curated by Georgios Zeritis, Chairman
Markets Don’t Just Price Cash Flows — They Price Conviction
Two companies can post the same numbers and sell comparable products, yet evidence suggests that the one that pushes its official disclosures directly to stakeholders and lets people hear the CEO — clearly, consistently, and on camera — may be rewarded.
Why? Because the way firms disseminate their official communications changes how markets perceive and access information. When firms broaden the reach of the same news through direct, high-engagement channels, information asymmetry falls and market liquidity improves (Blankespoor et al., 2014); this is further enhanced via richness of the dissemination tool and channel used. Video is a rich medium, which carries voice, face, and context in one; it can push disclosures broadly and let audiences hear the voice and see the face.Evidence shows that vocal signs carry predictive information and audiences use them — often implicitly (Mayew & Venkatachalam, 2012).
Define the Visibility Premium (Celyphos Operating Heuristic)
Visibility Premium = Frequency × Clarity × Credibility × Distribution
- Frequency (cadence): Predictable cadence builds familiarity.
- Clarity (message + visuals): One idea per clip; plain language, clear visuals.
- Credibility (governance + proof): Separate facts, forecasts, and opinion.
- Distribution (owned + social + IR): push the same official disclosures through direct-access channels to broaden reach; tailor the cut to each channel (!)
Why this matters: Media-richness theory suggests richer media (e.g. video) are more effective for equivocal/ambiguous topics, because they convey multiple cues and enable quicker feedback (Daft & Lengel, 1986); separately, dissemination research finds that broadening reach is associated with improved information assymertry. Taken together, systematic CEO video updates — paired with and linked to the official releases — can reduce ambiguity and frictions in understanding.
The Mechanisms That Move Money
Each row gives you the why, what, and how we measure results, so readers never have to context-switch.
1) Investors — Trust & Price Discovery
Why (Logic): Direct-access dissemination of the same disclosures is associated with lower abnormal spreads and higher liquidity (Blankespoor et al., 2014). Vocal cues carry incremental information beyond words and influence market reactions (Mayew & Venkatachalam, 2012). Richer media aid interpretation under equivocality (Daft & Lengel, 1986).
What (Mechanism): Broader dissemination improves market quality; vocal/nonverbal cues add incremental information.
How (Play): Monthly 90-sec “What changed & why” (non-material unless IR-cleared) + earnings-week CEO recap.
Metrics: Watch-time near disclosures, search lift, bid-ask spread/volume (with IR), inbound investor requests.
2) Talent – Recruiting Efficiency
Why (Logic): Two decades of rigorous reviews show that employer image and branding meaningfully relate to applicant attraction and job acceptance decisions. Leader-led, people-centric video sharpens that image, increases perceived fit, and removes ambiguity about vision, mission, and values. When candidates can “meet” the CEO regularly in brief, substantive clips, organizations often see higher attraction and stronger acceptance rates (Lievens & Slaughter, 2016).
What (Mechanism): Employer image drives attraction and job choice.
How (Play): Weekly 60–120s “How we work” explainers + monthly “Meet the team” with CEO framing.
Metrics: applicants per req, time-to-accept, senior-hire mentions of CEO content, 90-day quality-of-hire.
3) Sales – Product Launches
Why (Logic):Complex B2B deals can stall when buyers don’t quickly grasp the “why” and “how.” Processing-fluency research shows that messages with clear structure plus clean visuals (and audio) are easier to process – so people judge them more favorably and, at times, as more likely to be true (Reber, Schwarz, & Winkielman, 2004). Leader-led video, three-part explainer (Celyphos approach) — Problem → Approach → Proof of Solution (customer testimonial) — is a practical way to increase perceived clarity and credibility and reduce friction during evaluation.
What (Mechanism): Processing fluency (audio/lighting/structure) increases perceived clarity, credibility, and truth in complex evaluations.
How (Play): 3-part micro-series per launch — Problem → Approach → Proof (with a customer testimonial).
Metrics: win-rate delta; cycle-time compression; ACV lift on content-assisted deals.
4) Firm Value – Recognition, Risk, Reach
Why (Logic):Emerging evidence links CEO public recognition on social media to higher firm value via sales, reputation, and risk-management channels — though effects are context-dependent. It is also associated with higher valuation multiples, often measured as Tobin’s q —the market value of a company relative to the value of its assets (higher q = the market is pricing a premium) (Bao, Sun, Han, Lin, & Lau, 2023).
What (Mechanism): CEO prominence/media recognition can lift value via sales, reputation, and investor attention—context matters.
How (Play): Quarterly “State of Strategy” film + targeted exec media (earned) + disciplined CEO social cadence.
Metrics: Favorable exec-byline share, investor-day attendance, qualified inbound from media, high-quality follower growth.
Caveat: Some settings show worse financing outcomes with heavy CEO posting—hence the governance section.
5) Reputation & Crisis Containment
Why (Logic):When something breaks, put the CEO on camera, fast — and keep updates brief and fact-focused. Use a prebuilt “Crisis-60” template (Celyphos heuristic) covering what happened, what we’re doing now, and what’s next. Pair each video with the corresponding written release/FAQ and avoid introducing new material information (Mayew & Venkatachalam, 2012).
What (Mechanism): In shocks, vocal steadiness & clear structure shape belief updates and limit churn.
How (Play) (Crisis-60): What happened. 2) Who’s affected (customers/employees/investors). 3) What we’ve done (concrete actions to date). 4) What’s next & when (specific time for the next update). 5) Where to follow updates (URL).
Metrics: time-to-stability (sentiment/news velocity), churn delta vs baseline, inbound ticket volume.
Governance note: Outcomes vary by context; keep visibility strategic, well-governed, and audience-matched (Zhang, 2025).
The Camera-Ready CEO Framework (Celyphos Standard)
Purpose: The design spec for what “good” looks like in leader-on-camera communications. The Celyphos OS (next) implements this Framework.
Message Pillars
- Strategy: What we’re doing and why.
- Customer Value: Problems solved, proof points.
- People & Culture: How we work and grow.
- Risk & Resilience: What we watch, how we prepare.
Formats
- Weekly 60–120s LinkedIn explainers
- 20–40s Shorts/Reels/X cuts
- Quarterly “State of…” films
- Crisis-60 updates
Delivery & Production
- Delivery: eye-line, pace, emphasis, specificity; cut filler.
- Production: clean lav mic, soft key light, stable framing, captions, brand-subtle.
- Length: short wins attention; series wins memory.
Governance
- Comms owns scripting & distribution • Legal sets disclosure guardrails • IR co-signs market-sensitive clipsSLAs: ≥48h for planned pieces; ≤2h for crisis variants.
- SLAs: ≥48h for planned pieces; ≤2h for crisis variants • Audit trail: scripts, edits, approvals retained
The Celyphos Operating System (implements the Framework)
We turn the Framework into repeatable execution across four workstreams — Scripts, Shoots & Readiness, Distribution & Cadence, and Measurement & Governance.
Scripts (Message Architecture)
- Libraries per pillar (6–8-episode explainer series) • Crisis-60 script pack (legal-approved) • Quarterly “State of …” outline aligned with IR
Shoots & Readiness (studio-in-a-box + coaching)
- Clean lav mic, soft key light, steady frame, captions; short for attention, series for memory (fluency → persuasion).
Distribution & Cadence
- LinkedIn anchors: 1–3×/week • Shorts/Reels/X: 3–5×/week • Owned embeds: Careers, Product, IR • Weekly Posting Heatmap
Measurement & Governance (earn the premium, don’t gamble it)
- Talent: Applicants, time-to-accept, quality-of-hire (90-day).
- Revenue: Win-rate delta; cycle-time; ACV lift
- IR/Market: Watch-time; search lift; spreads/volume
- Guardrails: Match message ↔ medium
- Context filters: industry & financing stage moderate outcomes (e.g., negative financing effects found in a Series-A China sample when CEOs post heavily) (Zhang, 2025).
Sidebar: Leadership Mindsets Behind the Camera
Two tier-1 leadership books that sharpen the “why” behind visibility:
- Ben Horowitz, The Hard Thing About Hard Things
- Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, Vikram Malhotra, CEO Excellence
Conclusion: Visibility as Strategy Capital
Markets, customers, and candidates crave comprehension and conviction. Video lets leaders deliver both—repeatedly, at low marginal cost, with richer cues than text. Dissemination improves market quality; clear, well-produced messages feel truer; employer image shapes applicant behavior. Tie these into a disciplined, on-camera operating system and you’re not “doing content”—you’re compounding trust.
The premium isn’t about celebrity. It’s about being the most useful narrator of your company’s journey—week after week.
Disclaimer:
For informational purposes only; not legal or investment advice. Results depend on context and execution.
References
- Bao, X., Sun, B., Han, M., Lin, H., & Lau, R. Y. K. (2023). Quantifying the impact of CEO social media celebrity status on firm value. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 189, 122334.
- Blankespoor, E., Miller, G. S., & White, H. D. (2014). The role of dissemination in market liquidity: Evidence from firms’ use of Twitter. The Accounting Review (working-paper period; study isolates dissemination of press-release links).
- Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), 554–571.
- Lievens, F., & Slaughter, J. E. (2016). Employer image and employer branding: What we know and what we need to know. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 3, 407–440.
- Mayew, W. J., & Venkatachalam, M. (2012). The power of voice: Managerial affective states and future firm performance. Journal of Finance, 67(1), 1–43.
- Reber, R., Schwarz, N., & Winkielman, P. (2004). Processing fluency and aesthetic pleasure: Is beauty in the perceiver’s processing experience? Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8(4), 364–382.
- Zhang, R. (2025). Opportunity or nonsense? Examining the role of CEOs’ social media usage in raising funds. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications (Nature Portfolio).
