Many marketers want their messages to reach the top tier of executives in a company. These are the so-called CXOs, who want information that fuels their business lives and personal desire to stay on top, says Simon Staplehurst, associate director for Ipsos MORI Media. A survey by Ipsos found that top executives usually tune in to network television for entertainment, cable television for breaking news and sports, newspapers for reliable and in-depth analysis, business magazines to general business news, and the Internet for the latest financial news. Sixty-eight percent of almost 630,000 senior executives polled said they were influenced by mass media advertising when they made purchasing decisions for their companies. Marketers are challenged to leverage these channels to reach this audience. They must recognize the individual role each medium has and customize their messages to create brand awareness in each one of them. Television is one of the best ways to get the message to top executives. Advertising on television is an effective way to reach CXO types, says Allan Steingmetz, chief executive officer of Inward Strategic Consulting. Television is not appropriate for every market, however. Thought leadership is another way to gain the respect of and access to CXOs. By writing relevant blogs and white papers, speaking at events, and conducting case studies, marketers can reach the CXO audience.