 |
The artificial intelligence craze that took the communications world by storm two years ago will keep going strong in 2025, if findings from a new survey published by PR software platform Prowly are any indication.
The survey, which asked hundreds of PR pros about their budget priorities and what strategies they’ll focus on in the coming year, suggests that artificial intelligence will continue to feature prominently in everything from research and analytics to content in 2025.
Three out of four PR professionals surveyed (74 percent) predicted that AI will be the biggest PR trend in 2025. Coming in at a distant second is data-driven PR strategies (37 percent), followed by hyper-personalization (32 percent), real-time crisis management (28 percent) and purpose-driven PR (25 percent).
AI was also listed as one of the primary areas where PR pros think their budgets should be allocated to achieve maximum ROI results in 2025. When asked about their preferred areas of investment next year, nearly half (48 percent) cited strategic partnerships as their number-one budget priority. Investing in AI-powered tools to improve daily workflow and efficiencies came in at a close second (46 percent), revealing a massive uptick from the 19 percent who named AI as their top budget priority during Prowly's survey last year. This was followed by social media platforms (34 percent), market research (32 percent), event production and sponsorship (30 percent), influencer collaboration (30 percent), crisis management resources (23 percent) and tech-enhanced content creation such as augmented virtual and virtual reality (17 percent).
 |
| PR pros were asked: Where do you plan to spend your PR budget in 2025 to get the best results? |
According to the report, independent PR practitioners are the most eager to invest in AI tools next year (63 percent), followed by in-house teams (52 percent) and agencies (48 percent).
When it comes to the trends PR professionals hope to see less of next year, mass pitching topped the list of practices that respondents want to see left behind (52 percent). This was followed by greenwashing (45 percent), the practice of forcing PR teams to wear too many hats (40 percent), vanity metrics (38 percent) and the industry's reliance on AI-generated content (26 percent).
Prowly’s "PR Trends" report surveyed more than 300 communications professionals stationed at agencies, non-profits and in-house teams across North America and Europe. The survey was conducted in November and was collected online and at industry events such as the Future of Communications Conference and PRSA ICON 2024.
Late in 2024, FINN Partners reached out to its network of marketing and communications practitioners to explore their use of AI in daily operations and what it means for marketing and communications in 2025. Here’s what they found out.
The trends, challenges and opportunities that will shape the PR industry in the coming year.
The apprehension about AI felt by communications pros is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, according to a new study conducted by WE Communications in collaboration with USC Annenberg’s Center for Public Relations.
Blending creativity with cutting-edge technology, leveraging data for deeper insights, and prioritizing transparency and social responsibility will be key strategies PR pros should employ in order to thrive in 2025 and the years ahead.
Marketing executives are getting on the AI bandwagon more quickly than their entry-level staff, according to a new study from the American Marketing Association and Lightricks, a company that develops AI-powered creative tools.
Have a comment? Send it to 
No comments have been submitted for this story yet.