Steve Halsey

Every organization today is upgrading its technology stack, artificial intelligence tools, data platforms, automation and personalization engines. But many are still running an outdated operating system where it matters most: narrative. This is becoming a critical issue. Not because narrative is new, but because its role has fundamentally changed. For years, narrative has been treated as an output: a messaging framework, a campaign platform, or a brand story designed to shape perception.

For the better part of two decades, global brand building was defined by a simple ambition… consistency at scale. Best practice was straightforward: one narrative, one voice, one campaign, activated across markets. It made sense in a world where distribution was fragmented, coordination was complex, and brand equity was built through repetition. But the environment has changed. And with it, the rules.

Public relations firms recorded a 3.8 percent increase in combined 2025 fee income to $4.8B, according to the 140 independent PR firms ranked by ODwyers. Total employment fell 3.3 percent to 21,556. In the Top Ten group, financial firms ICR (+20.5 percent) and Prosek Partners (+17.6 percent) posted the biggest gains in fee income. APCO (-10 percent) and Zeno (-8.6 percent) charted the biggest declines. Finn Partners was flat.