2025 has been a year of excitement and uncertainty amid significant changes in the world of PR and communications. From the merger of OmniCom and IPG, to revenue drops at WPP, the vast implications of AI, a geopolitical situation with almost daily changes, and more.
How does this impact PR professionals and the industry, in Asia Pacific and beyond?
To find out we spoke with four seasoned and respected PR leaders from across the region, to hear how they view the situation for the PR industry in their local markets, and across Asia Pacific, and what differentiators and opportunities they see for PR professionals, communicators and the industry.
Introducing Our Panel of Asia Pacific PR Leaders
Ross Gan (RG) is the Chief Communications Officer of crypto tech company Bitdeer Group, and the President of IPRS, the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore.
Dr. Karine Lohitnavy (KL) is the Founder and CEO of Midas PR, one of Thailand’s leading multi-award-winning communications agencies, and Chair of PRCA Thailand.
Purry Chiu (PC) is Director & Head of Operations at Ogilvy Public Relations Hong Kong, and President of Hong Kong Public Relations Professionals’ Association (PRPA).
Prof. Mohd Said Bani (PB) is the Founder & Managing Director of Malaysian communications consultancy bzBee Consult and the President of PRCA Malaysia.
What’s the situation like for the PR industry and for PR professionals in your markets, and wider in the Asia Pacific region?
PB: PR in Malaysia and Asia Pacific is going through a reset, and AI is pushing expectations to a point where clients want answers, content, insights, and impact faster than agencies can produce proposals. PR has shifted, from telling stories to proving impact, with stakeholders asking for measurable outcomes and business results. In the AI discovery ecosystem, trust has become currency; trust that must be earned, not purchased.
While AI may automate execution, it magnifies the need for human judgement and cultural intelligence. The authenticity gap is widening, and this is where PR practitioners can excel – with value-based communication, cultural nuance, and emotional fluency that no machine can replicate. Another major trend is decentralisation. Influence is no longer held by a few newspapers or broadcasters. Today, narrative power sits with content creators, communities, grassroots networks, search engines and AI models. This forces PR professionals to adapt – not by abandoning traditional channels, but by mastering a more fragmented web of influence.
In short, Asia’s PR landscape is evolving at speed. The modern PR toolkit now includes GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), data analytics, behavioural insight, stakeholder intelligence, and AI-driven workflows. Those who marry smart technology with human authenticity will define the next chapter. And in 2026, the industry will finally have the tools to prove what we’ve known instinctively – that trust isn’t just a value; it’s a measurable metric.
PC: From my perspective in Hong Kong, the PR industry here, and across the wider Asia Pacific region is navigating similar economic headwinds. Clients or companies are increasingly scrutinising every investment, demanding greater efficiency and clearer KPIs. While budgets for communication remain, the key is demonstrating value. This extends beyond mere quantifiable metrics; it encompasses agility, fresh strategic insights, innovative ideas, and a proactive commitment to impacting core business objectives, often expanding the expected remit of PR.
KL: The PR industry in Thailand and across APAC is undergoing transformation, moving away from traditional strategies toward a digital-first approach. Influencers, omnichannel engagement, and rising demands for predictive analytics and automation drive the development, all shaped by the complex cultural dynamics of the region. AI is widely discussed and partially adopted for tasks like content creation and analytics, but its capabilities – especially for the Thai language – remain inconsistent, leading to overhyped expectations and pressure to appear tech-savvy and culturally adept.
This has sparked a broader debate about the core of PR. The old image of press conferences and glamorous events feels outdated, yet the industry lacks a clear modern identity. Agencies are competing not only for budgets but also for client trust in their ability to navigate the evolving role. Despite these challenges however, the sector is thriving, with Thailand’s PR market valued at $200 million and growing 8% annually since the pandemic, while Asia Pacific’s PR tools market is projected to expand by over 12% annually through 2030.
RG: To summarise, I would say in Singapore and across both APAC and globally, a feeling of quiet anxiety, something which I noticed coming out of Cannes Lions earlier this year, with ongoing discussions around PR and its evolving role. In Singapore we’re seeing some distinct changes, related to high local cost levels, which is leading to some degree of near-shoring for mid-level inhouse roles, to Thailand, India and Malaysia.
There’s also a mismatch between salary expectations, particularly for entry-level roles, where employers and employees have differing views. From the agency network side, what we’re seeing are flat revenues driving cost optimisation. We’re also seeing some repackaging of services offerings, which was demonstrated at the PRAXIS event in Singapore in October. For small and medium size agencies, AI solutions have meant a boon, as they can be leveraged to scale up and deliver more with less staff.
What opportunities or differentiators do you see for PR in helping organisations build trust and reputation?
KL: PR today is indeed more about trust and reputation building rather than visibility or awareness. Why? Because in a world drowning in content, only those who foster real trust, authenticity, and emotional connection will break through the clutter of AI generated slop. This is both good and bad news. The good part is that everyone by now knows what to do: focus on clarity, transparency, and a willingness to own mistakes as quickly as victories. The bad part is that while these things may seem obvious, they aren’t always easy to achieve.
I usually tell our clients that major opportunities lie in four key areas:
First is proactive thought leadership. This can be done via own social media handles or shared/earned placements, and it can set you up as industry experts, driving credibility in saturated markets. It can also serve as a major point of differentiation.
Second is content mastery. It’s all about content, but some people still think that they can delegate it to AI, which almost never works well. Good content is original and engaging, and AI struggles with both. You need emotional visual storytelling and innovative interactive campaigns; you need narratives that connect and resonate while reinforcing values and projecting authenticity. Good luck delegating this to AI.
Third is social engagement, online and offline. Some think that “social” is about influencer partnerships but it’s also community dialogue. There’s value in face-to-face interactions with your audience; it’s an opportunity for brands to show real personality and prove that they deliver on promises.
And finally, speed. The number one mistake that organisations make is being too slow. Too slow in identifying problems, too slow in responding, to slow in engaging. Taking 24 hours to respond to a crisis on social media? This is out of touch with reality. One needs to move fast.
RG: From my perspective, today and increasingly more so, the key differentiator lies in being proactive versus reactive, being on the offense, rather than defence. The winners are those who have this proactive mindset. There’s also a greater need and opportunity for PR professionals to go beyond the message, a strategic rethink, with providing advisory on a higher level. This needs to be clearly demonstrated, to be reflected in strategy, and action. Sometimes there’s a tendency to fall back to brand attributes, but to cut through the noise – go beyond the messaging and show strategy in action.
Another differentiator is investment in tools that allow us to be more efficient in brand protection and brand intelligence tools. Furthermore, those who can show ROI on PR investments have clear opportunities and can differentiate themselves from the competition. This not only requires tools however, but also an understanding, and honest discussion about what metrics to track and set KPIs against. Metrics and KPIs need to align with the business, and for agencies, clients. They must also make sense and be realistic in order not to fall into the vanity metrics trap.
PC: Public Relations and PR professionals can help build trust and reputation by fostering human connection. Through authentic empathy, we guide organisations to communicate credibly and with sincerity. This involves crafting compelling narratives, always rooted in verifiable facts, that connect with stakeholders. Our role extends beyond just conveying messages; it requires understanding different perspectives and demonstrating genuine care, contributing to trust through human-focused engagement.
PB: Today the world is is desperate for trust, and PR is uniquely positioned to supply it. In fact, the biggest opportunity for PR now lies in something surprisingly simple: being a discipline still trained to think like humans in a world increasingly run by machines.
One major opportunity lies in the integration of AI insights and human interpretive skill. Machines can detect patterns, but can’t decode emotion, nuance, or cultural subtext; especially not in markets like Malaysia, where a single word can build a bridge or ignite a storm. PR’s advantage is that we can combine data foresight with empathy, context, and moral judgement. That blend – what some call “intelligent empathy”, is becoming a differentiator that organisations can’t replicate in-house, or with software alone.
The most exciting opportunity, however, is the shift from earned media to earned relevance. Communications success increasingly depends on being trusted enough to be part of the answer. You can’t buy your way into relevance anymore; you must earn it through transparency, consistency, and meaningful engagement – areas that PR has always championed, long before the world realised how essential they were. Audiences today may forgive mistakes but not dishonesty, and that makes PR not just valuable, but indispensable.
We hope you have enjoyed the insights shared by our PR leaders. In our end-of-year instalment we will look ahead into 2026 and see what may lay ahead for PR professionals and the industry.
