The first study of PR satisfaction among IT companies in Central Asia

Alexander Lichtman, founder of ITCOMMS, an agency for IT companies
You cannot change what you have not measured — this applies to any field of activity. Until now, no one had systematically measured the attitude toward PR, its perception, or even the quality of PR services. I am glad that we have done this, and now PR specialists in IT, like us, will be able to better serve the business goals of their clients.

About the study

The conclusions of the study are based on a survey of top management of IT companies, including CEOs and founders, commercial directors, marketing and communications directors, as well as PR heads. The geography covers primarily Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, as well as other countries in the region. The survey examined the organization of the PR function, annual goals, satisfaction with results, alignment of goals and metrics, budget dynamics and plans, impact on KPIs, used indicators, and existing barriers.

PR models and results

Below, the "scores" reflect the average self-assessed satisfaction with PR on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means "completely dissatisfied" and 5 means "very satisfied."

Companies with a dedicated PR function show higher scores:
— hybrid model — in-house plus contractors — about 3.7 out of 5
— fully in-house — about 3.7
— PR performed by the marketing department — about 3.5
— without dedicated PR resources — about 2.5.

The difference between companies with a PR function and those without it is approximately 1.3 points. This confirms that effectiveness is determined not by the scale of activities, but by the presence and proper organization of the PR function: even a small dedicated unit combining in-house staff and contractors provides a noticeable increase in effectiveness compared to improvisation or the absence of PR.

Alignment with management

The main factor of success is unified goals and consistent measurement rules. With full alignment, the average score is about 4.5. In case of conflict and lack of a common language, it is about 2.0. The gap is large and stronger than the effect of any single tactic. This indicates that managerial synchronization is key to PR effectiveness: first agree on goals and metrics, and only then choose channels and scale activities.

Does company size affect PR?

Business size does not make PR more effective. At first glance, large companies show higher satisfaction, but when accounting for PR organization and alignment with management, the size advantage disappears. In other words, results are driven not by scale, but by a properly structured function and unified goals. A small company with clear processes can easily outperform a larger one that lacks them.

Budgets and function maturity

Investments grow where the function is already established. Among companies with a hybrid model, about 82% plan to increase their PR budget next year. Among in-house teams — about 64%. For PR within marketing — about 67%. Where there are no PR resources, plans for growth are fewer — about 29%. This is a threshold of maturity: as soon as a dedicated function appears, the company begins to invest systematically.

Are companies satisfied with their PR?

The rating scale considered ranges from 1 to 5. Average scores by company size are as follows:
— more than 1000 employees — about 3.8
— 201-1000 employees — about 3.5
— 51-200 employees — about 3.1
— up to 50 employees — about 3.1.

However, these differences are explained not by company size, but by the presence of a PR function and its alignment. In companies where the PR budget grew last year, scores are higher — up to 3.9; with stagnation or budget cuts, they are lower, approximately 2.8-2.5. Organizations that have not yet decided on plans for the next year rate current performance worse than others — about 2.6.

Thus, the key factors are function maturity and strategic clarity: when the PR function is established and investments are regular, effectiveness is higher; uncertainty and frozen budgets reduce results.

Metrics and KPIs

Real impact appears where management and PR have pre-agreed on goals and use consistent methods for measuring them. Simply believing that PR affects KPIs is not enough without aligned actions. A large number of metrics does not increase effectiveness either. What matters is not their quantity, but their connection to real tasks — leads, sales, hiring. A few clear and useful indicators are more valuable than a long list created just for reporting.

Different countries — different maturity levels

Kazakhstan, on average, shows more mature processes and higher scores. The market is heterogeneous — strategies should be tailored to the country-specific context.

Diana Jumagulova, PR Manager at ITCOMMS agency
The conclusion is simple: PR works better where there are specific people responsible for PR, clear goals, and unified measurement rules. A small, well-structured team delivers greater impact than a large, uncoordinated process. This study is important for the industry because it provides an objective basis instead of opinions: the numbers show which models and practices actually work, which ones yield no effect, and where budgets should be directed.