July 16th marks one of our favourite awareness days of them all – World PR Day. This month offers a chance for us to reflect on the changes to our industry and discuss some of the challenges that we as PRs face, which is explored in this blog.

This year, the theme is ‘Building Bridges & Navigating Polarisation’. This topic has never been more relevant in these current times, which have been characterised by change, global strife and uncertainty.

The power of strong communication and championing diverse perspectives across all levels – whether it be in local communities, in the built environment or even globally, cannot be understated.

Used right, PR is a force for good. Between us all at BR we’ve run scores of successful events, from energetic sports days to vibrant food festivals, hosted roundtables challenging the status quo and met with hundreds – if not thousands – of journalists, policy makers and industry professionals.

Plus, this is all between eating over one hundred chocolate croissants at networking breakfasts! So, what are our main takeaways this World PR Day, and how might this affect the outlook of the rest of 2025?

Face-to-face connections are as important as ever. 🔑

Somehow, half a decade has passed since the COVID-19 pandemic where the world (and the world of PR) was changed overnight.

During this time, PR had to get to grips with remote working and adapting campaigns to a virtual world. Whilst remote working has its many positives, such as enabling us to connect with new clients and journalists on a national and international basis with a click of a button, the most value will always remain with face-to-face connections.

You cannot replace the power of relationships with a screen, and this is what sets great PR strategies apart from good ones.

PR’s need to find their inner chameleon. 🦎

As PRs we wear many hats, and with this we can often feel like a jack of all trades (and masters of them all of course). The industry is moving at a fast pace which is hugely exciting, but as the organisers of World PR Day acknowledge, with the present day’s complexities we need to be championing the positive power of PR.

Campaigns that worked a decade ago most certainly won’t work as well now – and this can be the case for campaigns even a year ago, too. The world is evolving, and it’s our challenge to stay ahead of the curve.

Don’t turn your nose up at TikTok dances…🕺

According to BuzzStream, the value of Digital PR is expected to reach $133.82 billion by 2027. What holds the most importance is understanding what social media platforms and strategy align most with your company. Interestingly, Instagram has just announced that posts will now be searchable via Google which will further blur the boundary between ‘traditional’ PR and social media. This announcement adds yet another weapon in PR’s armour in the importance of a digital presence.

With this being said… sometimes traditional PR is still a winner.📰

Amongst all the noise of Instagram reels, TikTok dances and Elon Musk’s plans for X, sometimes a simple approach is the most powerful in a world where everyone is looking so far outside the box. Local media relationships and community engagement is the lynchpin of good PR and will always hold immense value for our clients. Go get those big national wins, but don’t forget the core elements that underpin any PR strategy.

AI hasn’t taken over the world, yet! 🤖

Everyday there seems to be a new story about AI taking jobs and eventually, taking over the world. In that time, what has actually become clear is that there is no replacement for the human voice – especially in PR and Communications. You can spot a LinkedIn post written by ChatGPT a mile off – would someone please explain what this dash seems to mean ‘—‘? What AI has actually done is exposed the niche skill of being a quality wordsmith and the complexity of the industry, and that makes us feel quite proud.

As this year’s World PR Day theme is all about ‘building bridges’ and sharing ideas, let’s start the debate! Do you agree or have anything else to add? If you’re interested in how BR can help you with your PR & Comms strategy, please get in touch by contacting brprteam@building-relations.co.uk.