Katie Simpson, Managing Partner at Hanson Search, spoke with George Coleman, CEO of The PHA Group, about how client expectations in integrated communications and PR are evolving, which industry trends are genuinely shaping the future and how agency leaders can stay competitive in an AI-driven market.
That changes the emphasis. Strategy and creativity have to lead. Clients are not asking what we can execute. They are asking how communications will deliver measurable outcomes. It also means we cannot shape ideas around means of execution. We have to start with the business challenge and think creatively about how communications can solve it, wherever that may lead us. When unboxed thinking meets unboxed ambition ideas don’t blend in – they break out.
AI is hugely important for communications, but parts of the conversation around it are being overstated. Generative engine optimisation is a good example. There is a lot of excitement about the idea that AI leans heavily on earned media when representing brands. Whilst encouraging for traditional PR, it’s a more complicated and nuanced picture. AI draws from a very broad mix of sources. Earned media shows up, but so do owned channels, social conversations and more. We have to have the technical digital skills to ensure content is structured and discoverable. If the answer to every client question becomes “just do more media relations”, that misses what is really required.
I also see agencies using AI mainly to speed up existing tasks, creating efficiencies. For example, media scans can be done much faster. But the real value comes when AI helps us rethink how we work and when it supports new ways of delivering specific communications services.
There is a tension between the pressure to demonstrate return on investment and the desire to produce more creative work. Marketing teams are under more scrutiny than ever. They have to show how they are creating value for the business. That can push them to default to “safer work” where the outcomes feel more predictable.
For agencies, that puts more emphasis on strategy. We need to understand the client’s business objectives and clearly show how our creative ideas deliver against them. It’s about outcomes, not just activity.
Over the last few years, leaders have had to become much more comfortable with being uncomfortable. The level of uncertainty and disruption is greater than I have experienced before. Our clients are dealing with that and so are we. People still look to leaders to set the vision and make key decisions, but that is harder when there is so much uncertainty. It makes your leadership bench more important than ever. No one person can handle everything alone. You have to collaborate and lean into the experience and judgement across the business.
What has not changed is culture. You hire smart people, you empower them and you get out of their way. Leadership is about fostering the right culture. That remains constant.
Clients expect agencies to embrace AI. They tend to look at it through efficiency and effectiveness. Can we get tasks done more quickly? Is the output better as a result? That then raises a practical question about how we charge and where the value actually sits in what we do. If AI reduces the time spent on certain tasks, then the value cannot just be about the time spent working. It sits in strategy, creative thinking and the perspective we bring to solving a client’s problem.
The real opportunity is not just automating existing processes. It is using AI to change the way we work. At an individual level, that means AI literacy and working alongside the technology. At an agency level, it means developing new kinds of services powered by AI that change how specific communications work is delivered.
At the end of the day, this is still a people business. So we are investing heavily in talent. That means upskilling our existing team, particularly around AI literacy and also bringing in new hires where we need to strengthen the skill set. Technology matters, but on its own it is not enough. The real value comes from the people using it. It is not just about the tools. It’s about equipping people properly and making sure they know how to use them in the right way.
When clients are under pressure, they look for clarity. They want advisers who can think ahead, spot what is emerging and help them prepare for what comes next. They also want confidence about where to invest their spend and what kind of return or impact it might generate.
Execution and reporting matter, but they are now the baseline expectation. What really matters in a relationship is strategy and creative thinking that helps solve a business problem.
We will see more change in the next five years than we saw in the previous two or three decades. That can be slightly daunting, but it is also exciting. The key is having a growth mindset. You have to be open to learning, because the pace of change is not going to slow down. At the same time, as a leader, you have to take people with you. Change will be one of the constants. Your role is to help teams navigate that and keep moving forward.
Whether you’re hiring top leadership talent or considering your next career move, our team would be delighted to support you.
Katie Simpson at the senior end of the global Corporate Affairs and Sustainability market across both agency (CEO, MD, Head of and Director) and in-house positions (Director of Corporate Affairs, Director of Communications, Director of Marketing and Communications, Head of External Affairs etc).
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