WEALTH September 2, 2026 0 Comments

Why Chasing Audiences Is Killing Your PR Game—and What Elite Marketers Do Instead

Ever wonder how brand trust survives the whirlwind of global uncertainty and the relentless surge of AI? It’s like trying to keep a campfire lit in a rainstorm—but that’s exactly what’s happening in the world of communications today. With AI reshaping how we connect, it’s clear that the human touch is still the secret sauce that builds real rapport. Here at the agency, we’re diving headfirst into this AI revolution, blending savvy PR with cutting-edge search engine know-how, all while keeping our feet firmly planted in human insight. We’ve learned that winning on AI isn’t about shortcuts—it’s about fanning the flames of authentic community, making sure your brand doesn’t just get talked about, but gets remembered. Because let’s be honest, in a noisy media landscape, it’s communities—not just audiences—that carry the real power. Curious how this all fits together? Dive deeper and see what’s next for brand storytelling in the AI era. LEARN MORE

ACTIVITY

Global uncertainty and the rise of AI have continued to place an even higher emphasis on the role of brand trust and reputation, which has continued to increase the importance of communications in the marketing mix.

In line with this trend, we have experienced a consistent increase in demand for our core communications services across consumer, corporate and digital PR.

AI REVOLUTION RESPONSE

As an agency we’re investing time and energy into unlocking how AI can positively impact our business. We have benefited from Enterprise Ireland supports, which have enabled us to bring in AI consultancy expertise to unlock its potential and to make sure our set-up and governance are clear.

While we can rest assured that our industry needs to always be human-first, it’s an exciting space and we’re embracing the technology in a host of ways to improve our ways of working. We’ve also started to use AI to create our own in-house tools.

A question we’re being asked by clients across the agency is, “how do we win on AI?” Having acquired a specialist search agency back in 2021, we have the benefit of being able to combine expertise in both PR and search engine optimisation. AI has ripped up the playbook on search marketing and things are changing rapidly.

The one constant piece of advice since the dawn of generative engine optimisation (GEO) has been to ‘build your brand’. We feel well positioned to do that with this wider range of offering. Brands that are talked about are winning in GEO and will continue to win.

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT

In one sense, the fragmentation of the media landscape has been a positive for PR agencies, with a greater link between specific channels and commercial objectives and messages for brands. For example, earned media providing credibility and validation, social content providing familiarity and podcasts providing more time and depth.

HUMAN-CENTRED

Put simply, people matter more than ever. AI is changing communications, making it faster and more efficient. We see that as a positive. But if every agency relies on the same tools to generate the same ideas, it’s a race to the bottom.

The more AI becomes capable of producing almost anything, the things it cannot easily replicate become more valuable: human judgement, curiosity, empathy, experience and deep cultural understanding.

Technology can help us work smarter, but it’s human insight that turns communication into something meaningful.

KEY TREND

Communities matter more than audiences. People trust people who share their interests more than they trust brands.

That means PR is increasingly about building communities rather than audiences. In its simplest terms, creators, employees, customers and brand lovers are now an important part of the plans and campaigns we’re creating.