PRWeek’s PR360 Conference was a strong reminder that communications is not being replaced by AI, algorithms or changing media habits. But it is being reshaped by all three.
Across sessions covering Sky, client-agency relationships, AI, retrievability, TikTok and the future of the press release, one theme came through clearly: the fundamentals still matter.
Judgment. Persuasion. Relationships. Creativity. Trust.
But the way we earn, prove and protect that trust is changing fast.
1. AI will raise the bar
Matt Ridsdale from Sky struck an optimistic but realistic tone. There is still a future for agencies, especially where clients need specialist judgment, flexible support or extra capacity around major projects.
But teams will change. AI will make some basic tasks easier and may open the industry up to more people from outside traditional PR backgrounds. At the same time, senior leaders who do not lean into learning risk becoming irrelevant quickly.
The biggest point was that AI will make average work easier to produce. That makes human judgment, taste, ethics and strategic thinking more important, not less.
2. Clients want thought partners
The “Briefs, budgets and bust-ups” session was refreshingly honest about the tensions between agencies and in-house teams.
The best client-agency relationships are built on chemistry, trust and a proper understanding of the business, especially in regulated sectors. Clients want agencies who can challenge them, understand the commercial context, bring strong ideas and take them outside their own bubble.
Agencies also need to be braver. Difficult conversations should happen early. Success and failure should be defined upfront. Team changes need honesty. And when circumstances shift, agencies need to pivot with their clients.
The strongest thought: clients want partners for good times and bad.
Lucy Cafferkey Doyel Maitra Matt Ede Sarah Schofield
3. Earned attention is becoming more valuable
The “retrievability revolution” felt like one of the most important strategic themes of the day.
It is no longer enough for brands to be visible, they need to be retrievable.
As people rely more on AI summaries, search results, social algorithms and recommendation engines, the signals around a brand matter more than ever. Coverage, authority, consistency, expertise, sentiment, reviews and credible data all influence whether a brand is surfaced, trusted and selected.
That creates a huge opportunity for PR. Earned media, expert commentary, strong stories and trusted signals can help shape what machines retrieve and what humans believe.
4. Media relations is evolving
There was also a strong sense that media relations is changing, not disappearing.
The idea that PR needs media relations simply to make things famous is no longer true. Brands now have owned channels, social platforms, creators, communities and paid media to drive awareness.
But editorial media still has power because it scrutinises, challenges and persuades. That means the best media relations people will not just distribute information. They will shape arguments, translate complexity and influence trust.
The press release debate summed this up well. The press release is not dead, but it is evolving. It remains useful as a source of truth, particularly for regulated businesses, global organisations and complex announcements. But it can no longer do the whole job.
Georgina Prodhan Emma Young Duncan Skehens Amber-Georgina Maskell
Final thought
PR360 made one thing clear: communications is not getting smaller. It is getting broader.
The discipline now sits across reputation, AI, social, search, culture, creativity, stakeholder management and commercial impact.
The winners will be those who combine old-school judgment with new-world fluency.
The tools are changing. The channels are changing. The expectations are changing.
But the job is still the same at its core: understand people, shape trust and move audiences to think, feel or act differently.
A brilliant Day! Thanks to the hosts and everyone involved!
