On 16 July, the global PR industry unites to celebrate World PR Day, a timely reminder that public relations is no longer just about press releases and brand punts.
It is a frontline force for restoring trust, countering misinformation and building meaningful dialogue in a world that’s more divided than ever.
Globally, the PR industry is worth over $106 billion and projected to reach $143 billion by 2029. While more than 75% of professionals now use AI daily to plan and produce content faster than ever, it’s the human side of PR – empathy, ethical judgement, and trust – that matters most in an age of polarisation.
This is more important now than ever, where shrinking newsrooms and fragile public trust demand new ways to reach audiences in South Africa.
Today’s communicators must balance TikTok storytelling with cultural nuance across 11 official languages, navigate rising political tensions and address stark inequality that shapes how different communities consume and trust information.
Cultural translators
In a country where digital divides mean some audiences rely on WhatsApp for news while others follow LinkedIn thought leaders, PR professionals must be cultural translators as much as communication experts.
At Hook, Line & Sinker (HLS), we’ve witnessed this transformation first-hand. Launched in 2019, just six months before the pandemic, we had to innovate from day one.
We built a digital-first model, partnered with global tech leaders like SAP and Cisco, expanded into luxury and sustainability sectors, and recently added podcast and video studios to help brands own their stories.
Today, our SMART PR model – strategic, measurable, and audience-focused – supports 25 clients across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the US.
A new test
Digital aside, now PR is facing a new test.
Today, there are 10 PR professionals for every one journalist. The lines between paid, earned, shared, and owned media have blurred. AI helps us plan smarter and produce faster, but it also fuels disinformation, deepfakes, and distrust.
We’ve seen AI excel at generating first drafts and analysing sentiment, but we’ve also witnessed how AI-generated content can lack cultural context or inadvertently perpetuate bias. As a result, PR is no longer a back-office function; it’s front and centre in navigating truth and trust in real time.
This year’s World PR Day theme, Building Bridges and Navigating Polarisation, couldn’t be more fitting. Whether it’s climate anxiety, political unrest or economic stress, audiences are looking for information they can trust.
And this is where PR steps in – not as spin doctors, but as authenticity architects.
Where to next?
The most future-fit agencies aren’t just chasing headlines, they’re building platforms. From podcasts and LinkedIn to newsletters and branded video, the goal is no longer to be the loudest, but the most credible.
Owned media and purposeful content are replacing outdated metrics with real-time data that directly link campaigns to business results.
We believe the future of PR rests on three powerful shifts:
- Platform-first, not press-first: Crafting content people search for, save, and share, not just passively consume. This means understanding that a thoughtful LinkedIn post might have more impact than a press release, and that a podcast conversation can build deeper trust than a traditional media interview, depending on the audience.
- Truth over trend: Cutting through deepfakes and digital noise with credibility and compassion. We’re training our teams to fact-check not just content, but context – ensuring that cultural nuances and local sensitivities are preserved even when global campaigns are adapted for South African audiences.
- Purpose and impact: Building communities, not just campaigns, through authentic ESG storytelling and meaningful stakeholder engagement. In South Africa, this means understanding that transformation isn’t just a compliance checkbox, but a genuine opportunity to amplify previously marginalised voices and create economic opportunities.
South Africa’s strength lies in its ability to tell rich, culturally resonant stories that matter – stories that acknowledge our complex past while building toward a more inclusive future.
As we mark this global day, our message to the industry is clear: PR must not just reflect the world, it must help repair it. Let’s be bridge builders in every brief.
Adam Hunter is managing director at award-wining integrated PR and marketing agency, Hook, Line & Sinker (HLS). In just five years, Hunter has firmly established HLS as ‘South Africa’s Best Small PR Consultancy of 2023’ supporting some of the world’s biggest power brands across Africa, the Middle East and Europe. The agency has won multiple marketing and PR awards, both locally and globally, and has a +20 client list that includes; The United Nations (UNDP), Cisco, SAP, CBI, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and The Radisson Hotel Group.
