- Chris Foster, CEO, Omnicom Public Relations Group
- Allyson Park, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, Walmart
- Bradley Akubuiro, Partner & Corporate Communications Lead, Bully Pulpit International
- Dale Bornstein, CEO, M Booth
- Michael O’Donnell, Senior Producer/Director of Technical Services, D S Simon Media
- Megan Kessler, Founder, Dark Horse Strategies
- Portia Young, Director of Corporate Public Relations, Sargento
- Darryl Sparey, Managing Director and Co-Founder, Hard Numbers
- Anne Green, Principal and CEO, G&S Integrated Marketing Communications Group
- Elizabeth Rosenberger, VP, Client Services, D S Simon Media
>> Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and others.
TRANSCRIPT:
DOUG, D S SIMON MEDIA: What’s next for public relations? As part of D S Simon Media’s 40th anniversary celebration, we asked some of the top pros in the industry what they had to say. For me, the biggest change is the pace of change. It’s only getting faster. We need to be flexible and nimble to be able to adjust. Let’s hear what others had to say.
CHRIS, OMNICOM: Organizations are navigating unprecedented change, from AI to geopolitics to shifting stakeholder expectations. And they need advisors, counselors, and PR professionals who understand both business strategy and communications and bring those together, right? Technology is going to change how we work, but our greatest value is going to continue to help leaders make better decisions, communicate more with more clarity, and to lead through change.
ALLYSON, WALMART: AI-enabled.
BRADLEY, BULLY PULPIT INTERNATIONAL: I actually think you’re going to see very similar to White House press secretaries, more heads of communications at organizations truly being the face of those organizations.
DALE, M BOOTH: People matter a whole lot for the future. It’s got to be tech-fed, but human-led. And our Gen Zers, over 55% identify as neurodivergent. So, if we don’t understand how to not just accept that but actually operationalize that and unlock their superpowers so that our clients and our businesses benefit from these young people who think differently, then we haven’t done our jobs today to futureproof our business for tomorrow.
MICHAEL O’DONNELL, D S SIMON MEDIA: Right now, we’re in the process of figuring out where we fit in the AI landscape and how we can use our connection with earned media to help drive generative engine optimization. I think that’s going to be a big theme over the next year, a couple of years, and I think that’s really where the industry is headed.
MEGAN, DARK HORSE STRATEGIES: When I talk to CMOs, what they ask for is clarity and simplicity. They ask for cohesion across their mix. And I think that’s an opportunity. I think it’s not about building multiple agencies that can deliver that service mix. It’s about building one organization that can deliver across that service mix with the right specialist in their pocket.
PORTIA, SARGENTO: I think it is direct to the reporter. And I say that because there are now influencer or creator journalists.
DARRYL, HARD NUMBERS: We need to invest our own and our clients’ sponsorship money, event attendance money, award entry money and all that other stuff on, you know, the awards, events, and sponsored editorial content and things like that, that the publications that we rely on for a living provide because if we don’t, the ad supported media world is not going to exist in the in the form that it has over the course of the past 20 years.
ANNE, G&S COMMUNICATIONS: I hope it’s the both-and of looking at, first of all, what is it that really sets us apart in terms of human judgment that’s going to remain and be very necessary, which we’re talking about a lot, but then also, where is it, as technology evolved, that can make us faster, smarter, quicker to strategy, deeper, those things together. What’s really human and then what is the upside of the new technology that will supercharge us going forward?
ELIZABETH, D S SIMON MEDIA: I think the future is faster. It’s smarter, it’s more personalized communications, especially with AI helping us analyze trends and tailor messaging more efficiently. I also think it will just really be a focus on balancing technology and authenticity.
DOUG, D S SIMON MEDIA: Want to participate or know one of the top pros? Let us know. Shoot us an email at PRsTopPros@dssimonmedia.com. Thanks for watching.
