PR industry between a growth trajectory and AI transformation
The international PR industry remains optimistic despite economic uncertainties: 67 percent of the agencies surveyed expect growth in 2026. At the same time, the industry is facing a profound transformation – driven by the widespread integration of artificial intelligence. As a member of the global agency network IPRN, we have summarized the key findings of the current IPRN PR Business Survey 2026.
Optimism meets increasing complexity
The study, for which agencies from more than 20 countries were surveyed, paints a nuanced picture: In addition to positive business expectations, 22 percent expect stable performance, while 11 percent anticipate declining business. As the biggest challenges, 28 percent of respondents each cite clients’ reluctance to invest due to economic uncertainties and the integration of generative AI into existing workflows.
At the same time, agencies are making targeted investments in their future viability: AI and automation (27 percent) top the list, followed by measurement and analytics as well as employee training (17 percent each).
AI as the new standard – but with an adoption gap
A key finding of the study: AI has fully arrived in the PR industry. 100 percent of the agencies surveyed use corresponding technologies, 82 percent of them on a regular basis. The most important areas of application are content creation (25 percent), research and trend analysis (21 percent), and creative ideation (20 percent).
However, there is a discrepancy between agencies and their clients: while 89 percent of agencies consider AI strategically valuable, many clients only accept AI-supported services under certain conditions. 48 percent rate its use positively, but expect full transparency – 33 percent take a neutral stance.
“The PR world is at a turning point: artificial intelligence is no longer a topic for the future, but operational reality. What will matter is how well agencies succeed in combining technological efficiency with strategic consulting expertise and human judgment,” says Tilo Timmermann, Managing Director of TDUB.
GEO: The next major growth area
A growing future field is the so-called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) – the targeted optimization of visibility in AI-based search and answer systems such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews. Currently, 15 percent of agencies are actively generating business in this area, while 41 percent are building expertise and conducting initial tests.
At TDUB, we are responding to this development with our own GEO retainer, which helps companies remain visible and relevant in AI-driven information environments. “The way information is found and evaluated is changing fundamentally. With our GEO retainer, we help companies position themselves successfully within this new logic,” says Timmermann.
Strategic consulting continues to grow in importance
Parallel to the technological transformation, agencies’ service portfolios are increasingly shifting toward strategic consulting. The most important growth areas are integrated communications strategies (28 percent), corporate reputation (22 percent), as well as CEO positioning and thought leadership (19 percent). At the industry level, the greatest opportunities are seen in the technology sector (16 percent) and in the energy and utilities sectors (15 percent).
The full results of the study are available for download here.
