Vox Pop: What does it take for PR agencies to become strategic partners?

Feature

Vox Pop: What does it take for PR agencies to become strategic partners?

by Telum Media

23 January 2026 4:15 AM

6 mins read

Choosing a PR partner in 2026 can no longer be a transaction marketing decision. With media landscapes evolving, AI-powered newsrooms disrupting traditional coverage patterns, and stakeholders demanding authentic commitment to sustainability, who you appoint as a PR partner can fundamentally shape how your company navigates an increasingly complex communications landscape.

So how are today's communicators making this critical decision? What separates a true strategic partner from just another vendor, and what must agencies do to stand out from the crowd?

In this vox pop, Telum Media spoke with in-house PR professionals across tech, energy, and hospitality to explore how they evaluate PR agencies, what qualities ultimately win their trust, and what agencies must demonstrate to earn a seat at the strategic table.

When selecting a PR agency, how do you weigh the value of boutique firms versus larger networks?

Albert Chan, Chief Communications Officer, ASUS
The best choice depends on the specific nature of your communications objectives, the scale of your campaigns, and the markets you need to reach. For global product launches, crisis management, or campaigns requiring extensive media reach, a large PR firm may offer the breadth and infrastructure you need, as they offer a wide range of services, global networks, and access to advanced tools and analytics. This can be invaluable for complex, multi-market campaigns.

For highly specialised projects, niche markets, or when you require a more personalized, agile approach, a boutique agency might be a better fit. Boutique agencies may have fewer resources but can offer more senior-level attention, faster turnaround, and creative flexibility.

A company should evaluate the experience and expertise of the team that will be assigned to your account and consider whether the agency’s team has direct experience with your type of project, your sector, or your target audiences.

Think about what resources are most critical for your success: is it global reach, or is it deep local expertise and hands-on support? There is no “right” answer - the best agency partner is the one whose strengths align with your specific needs, your team’s working style, and your strategic objectives.

Alex Chan, Head Of Brand, Communications and Marketing, Geneco
Boutique agencies offer specialised knowledge and tailored solutions for complex, fast-evolving challenges and niche audiences. Traditional firms provide extensive resources, broad networks, and experience across multiple sectors, making them ideal for larger campaigns.

The best choice depends on campaign goals, need for targeted insights versus scale, and the importance of sustainability and innovation expertise. With the PR and creative industries evolving in these uncertain times, and the rise of AI solutions, there is also a need to see how they differentiate themselves.

Whether it is a boutique PR agency or a traditional firm, the decisive denominators to evaluate are their industry expertise, agility, and, most of all, commitment to align themselves with the organisation’s vision.

Wiwin Hakim, Director of Marketing Communications, Regent Bali Canggu

When choosing between a boutique PR agency and a larger firm, I focus on who can best understand and communicate the heart of a luxury hospitality brand.

Boutique agencies often bring speed, creativity, and hands-on attention from senior leaders, which is especially important in luxury hospitality where every detail matters. Larger firms may have wider networks and more resources, but this can sometimes mean a less personal approach.

Looking back on previous agency appointments, what qualities ultimately signalled that an agency could operate as a true strategic partner?

Albert: Today, what matters most is whether an agency can genuinely grasp our business and effectively deliver results. The ideal partner is one that not only listens but also challenges us with practical recommendations, mobilises quickly, and delivers measurable results. I assess this by reviewing the proposed team’s experience with similar clients, their approach to onboarding, and their track record of turning plans into action.

A top agency, regardless of its size, should demonstrate the ability to offer fresh perspectives and creative solutions based on its experience working with a variety of clients and industries. During the selection process, I specifically look for agencies that proactively share case studies and examples of how they have adapted strategies from one sector to another. Additionally, I want them to clearly articulate how these insights could be applied to our business.

Furthermore, the strategic use of data analytics and AI is not just an advantage - it’s a fundamental requirement for any agency partnership. AI-powered tools and data-driven insights should be used not just to prove the effectiveness of our communications efforts, but also to inform each step of the process - refining messaging for omnichannel strategies, addressing zero-click trends, to achieving measurable results and business impact.

When assessing agencies, I always encourage my team to consider factors beyond basic metrics. I emphasize the importance of identifying unique, actionable insights that an agency can provide. Additionally, I evaluate how their expertise in predictive analytics will enable us to anticipate emerging trends, refine our messaging strategies, and deliver tangible results for our business.

Alex: What convinced us that our PR agency was the right partner was their deep understanding of our energy sector, bringing value from other industries’ learnings to the table, and their belief in Geneco’s brand purpose.

Their agility in navigating shifting market trends was especially critical, as the energy industry is in transition to a new era, from brown to green energy, with many new technologies, developments, and policies still in an early stage.

Most importantly, we also value their collaborative spirit, and how they seamlessly integrated with our internal team, and communicated transparently throughout every stage.

Together with their expertise, adaptability, and genuine alignment with our brand purpose, we are confident that they will support us in achieving Geneco’s long-term goals.

Wiwin: In our industry, personal touch is everything. Luxury is defined by the ability to tailor experiences, and communications should reflect that same philosophy. Creativity and agility are equally vital, as brands must respond quickly to shifting market dynamics while still crafting stories that feel fresh, meaningful, and aspirational.

This is where boutique agencies often excel: they can pivot faster, dedicate senior talent directly to the brand, and deliver tailored strategies that resonate more deeply than the standardised approaches of bigger firms.

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Study Highlight: Sandpiper's Reputation Capital Scorecard 2026

Sandpiper has released its latest study, the Reputation Capital Scorecard 2026, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Building on five years of global reputation capital research, the report was spearheaded by Sandpiper Research & Insights and Earned First. It draws on a survey of more than 3,000 C-suite executives across 27 global markets.

The study highlights significant gaps in how reputation is managed at the C-suite level, finding that reputational weaknesses are increasingly impacting company revenues, valuations, crisis resilience, and talent outcomes.

Business impacts from reputation shortfalls rising
The majority of CEOs stated that, in the past 12 months, reputational weakness has impacted trading and revenue (78 per cent), the ability to attract and retain employees (65 per cent), and company valuation (65 per cent). Compared with 2024, the impact on the ability to both trade and sell and to attract and retain talent has risen by four percentage points.

Less than half of the companies were found to be living up to stakeholder expectations, with only 45 per cent saying they are highly aligned with customer expectations. This drops further across other stakeholder groups, with 44 per cent indicating strong alignment with employees, government, and regulators, 42 per cent with investors, and 40 per cent with community members. Media ranked lowest at just 32 per cent.

Overall, 61 per cent of C-suite leaders believe their organisation’s reputation is in a strong position.

Unprepared for reputation management in the AI era
While 72 per cent of CEOs agreed that reputation is critical to their organisation’s commercial success, signs of concern are growing.

Navigating AI was identified as the most significant reputational issue facing organisations, with 68 per cent of C-suite respondents ranking it among their top five reputational concerns - up four percentage points since 2024. Yet, just 40 per cent said they are well prepared to manage it. Across the five biggest reputational concerns, fewer than four in 10 respondents felt prepared to manage cyber and data security risks, ESG and sustainability scrutiny, the rise of mis- and dis-information, and employee activism.

Fewer than half of C-suite leaders described their organisations as agile (45 per cent), adaptable (39 per cent), or effective (49 per cent) in managing reputation in today’s operating environment, defined by AI acceleration alongside societal and geopolitical shifts.

Insights gap and multiplier effect for investment benefits
The Reputation Capital Scorecard evaluated four key indicator groups - Insights, Strategy, Relationships & Connectivity, and Resources - across eight pillars of reputation management, with each organisation assigned a score out of 100.

On average, organisations achieved a global Reputation Capital score of 63. The strongest-performing indicator was within the Resources group, scoring an average of 70, followed by Relationships & Connectivity (65), and Strategy (63). Insights emerged as the weakest area, with an average score of 55.

According to the CCOs interviewed for the study, this insights gap represented more than a performance issue. It was seen as "a strategic vulnerability in an era where reputation can be reshaped within minutes by algorithm-driven narratives," while also highlighting systematic under-investment in data capability and data literacy, despite broader investment in reputation management.

Strength in Insights emerged as the single biggest differentiator of effectiveness. Organisations in the top quartile in this area were 39 percentage points more likely to report highly effective reputation management, and 32 percentage points more likely to describe their reputation as strong.

The data also revealed a multiplier effect, with those scoring in the top quartile on average across all areas of reputation management significantly more likely to perform well and suffer fewer impacts.

Key recommendations

Embrace complexity to conquer it: Utilise the growing focus on reputation as an opportunity to strengthen the corporate affairs function and secure greater investment and influence.
Invest in insights to enhance strategic output: A robust data and insights framework is essential for corporate affairs teams to credibly advise the C-suite and demonstrate impact.
Breakdown data and information blockers and silos: Insights only add value when information flows freely across teams and leadership, enabling honest dialogue about reputational and commercial realities.
Refine operating models for real-time agility in the AI era: As AI accelerates communications, CCOs must build agile models with the right people, processes, and tools, while recognising AI's limits in judgement and relationship-building.
Build the case for a holistic reputation management approach to unlock multiple benefits: Investing across all reputation touchpoints delivers compounding business benefits, beyond just high-profile areas like executive or financial communications.

"With the line between machine and human interaction blurring, the way that reputations and stakeholder relationships are managed need to be adjusted," said Kelly Johnston, COO of Sandpiper Group.

"Organisations and leaders all over the world need to rethink reputation success in an era where mis- and dis-information is rife, and where seismic shifts in truth and trust can occur in seconds. The data in this report shows that reputation risk should be a shared responsibility and a centralised part of commercial performance."

The full report can be found here.

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