Beyond the pitch: Asia's PR leaders on priorities for 2027

Communications professionals and newsmakers across Asia are entering a pivotal new era with AI becoming an everyday aid in discovery and dissemination. This shift brings both challenges and opportunities. 

Cision's 2026 State of the Media Report says that newsrooms today are increasingly experimenting with generative AI. The share of journalists who say they do not use AI dropped from 33% in 2025 to 21% in 2026. Yet, attitudes toward AI-generated PR pitches remain cautious, with more than half (53%) opposed, citing concerns about spam, low-quality writing, and lack of personalisation.

In a conversation with industry professionals, many highlighted that demand for the strategic value that communicators bring remains strong.  As AI becomes more embedded in newsrooms, generic outreach is losing impact.

What works is well, they say, are relevant ideas, original research, credible data, expert access, and ready-to-use assets. PR teams that support how the media works, rather than simply pitch stories, are the ones that stand out.

In a faster, more fragmented environment, clarity, credibility and relationship building are factors that stand out. Let's hear from PR professionals MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke with across Hong Kong on what their top priorities are in the coming year.

Crystal Wai, managing director, 5ives Communications

In 2027, communications experts will evolve from their traditional role into strategic decision-making partners.

Technology will continue to reshape PR in 2027, making research, monitoring, content development and execution faster and more accessible. But as agencies and clients increasingly gain access to similar tools and technologies, I believe the real differentiation will shift from what tools we use to the quality of decisions we make with them.

The next competitive advantage will be judgement: how accurately we read cultural shifts, navigate emerging trends, identify what genuinely matters to a brand, and know when - and when not - to act.

At 5ives, we will continue investing in technology that improves intelligence and efficiency, while putting even greater emphasis on people, strategic thinking and ideas. Our focus is to deepen our role as a strategic decision-making partner - helping clients navigate change, make informed choices and turn communications into business opportunities.

Oliver Budgen, CEO and founder of Bud Communications

The next big wave of change to impact PR is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and AI-mediated reputation management - fundamentally reshaping how brands engineer trust across both global and regional AI answer engines. It signals a decisive shift: earned media is now the critical data backbone for AI visibility. 

Muck Rack research shows third-party validation drives roughly 84% of AI citations, yet there is only about 2% overlap between the outlets PR teams target and the sources AI models cite. Brands must move beyond volume coverage and build high-authority earned narrative, proprietary research and structured content that AI systems actually cite, focusing on what they say, what they do, and external perception to build brands people believe in.

On GEO, most tools tell you where a brand appears in AI answers and stop there. We've built our own framework on top of that to read what those results say about a brand's reputation, and to connect GEO to the rest of the picture: earned media, owned content, third-party validation, search. Where you show up in an AI answer is an output. We're more interested in what's driving it.

We're approaching this with "agile optimism." Clients now move quarter to quarter, so we budget in shorter cycles and review quarterly rather than locking in a plan each January. That means staying flexible on resourcing, but not on long-term investment: hiring ahead of demand in committed markets, and building AI capability. Those decisions determine whether we're relevant in 2029, not just 2027.

Believability will be our one key area of focus. AI has made content close to free, so volume is now worthless and being believed is scarce. That means closing the gap between what a brand says, what people experience, and what independent sources say. We're gearing teams around judgement and moving away from manual work a model does faster, to double down on how we counsel, build relationships and solve problems.

HS Chung, CEO, Asia-Pacific, Burson 

Geopolitical volatility, the rise of AI as a discovery and intelligence layer, and the hyper-fragmentation of media and influence are fundamentally reshaping what clients need from communications partners.

Stakeholders increasingly form opinions about brands through AI-generated answers, recommendations and summaries, not just search, news or social feeds, making earned credibility, third-party validation and information quality more valuable than ever. Meanwhile, geopolitics and fragmented media are making reputation harder to build and manage, forcing organisations to navigate faster-moving issues, more diverse expectations, and a wider range of influential voices and platforms.

In this environment, reputation remains brands' most critical mandate. Resilience requires integrating data-driven intelligence with strong industry relationships. This fundamentally shifts PR's role: strategy and storytelling alone no longer move the needle. Success demands deep domain expertise, an understanding of the client's business and operating environment, a dynamic perspective, and an interconnected ecosystem of partners and media.

We are investing behind three priorities: intelligence, integrated capabilities, and talent. First, we are doubling down on intelligence to give clients sharper insight into reputation, stakeholder behaviour and business impact. Second, we are building connected capabilities across culture, reputation and policy, integrating corporate, creative, digital, crisis, advisory, social and influence. Clients increasingly face challenges that do not sit within one discipline, so our investment reflects that reality.

Third, and most importantly, we are investing in our people, equipping them with the skills, tools and confidence to lead in the intelligence era. Our focus remains to help clients build reputations that are not only compelling, but resilient, grounded in clear purpose and credible action.

Kevin On, head of Techplomacy, APAC and general manager, HK, The Hoffman Agency

In an era where a company’s competitiveness increasingly depends on understanding and interpreting external signals, communication is no longer just the function responsible for promoting products, building relationships and reputation management. Communication professionals sit at the intersection of business, policy, media, government, customers, investors, and society.

From this vantage point, we are often the first to detect shifts in stakeholder expectations, emerging policies, market sentiment and even business risks. Our secret weapon isn’t AI. It's sensemaking, strategic judgment and cultural intelligence. 

The rules of the game aren’t just changing. They are constantly being rewritten while the game is still being played. Looking ahead into 2027, the question for leaders is no longer whether technology, geopolitical or policy shifts will affect businesses, because they already are. The question is whether we can help clients and leadership teams spot the signals early, connect the dots quickly, and act before emerging risks become business-critical challenges. In a world defined by disruption, the corporate communications function will increasingly become a source of strategic intelligence. 

From a budgeting standpoint, we are already seeing the shift from our technology clients. The communication remit has extended into stakeholder strategy and engagement, advocacy and social campaigns, and issues mapping and preparedness. As The Hoffman Agency continues to help companies navigate the intersection of technology, geopolitics and policy, we anticipate more leadership teams to recognise and invest in our Techplomacy offerings as a strategic business function, not just a PR discipline.

Helen Lam, co-founder and managing director, Paradigm Consulting  

2027 is going to be defined by trust, especially when AI adoption continues to expand and evolve. Brands need to enhance their trustworthiness, and agencies must transition from transactional vendors to strategic advisors.  

Credibility and real human judgement need to be properly balanced as AI continues to become more established in processes, content creation and consultancy work. 

Technology and people aren't competing priorities for us, so we're investing in both. We're putting more into AI and security, while continuing to build the expertise that gets the most out of the technology we use. No one should lose sight of governance, security and client trust amidst the wider AI adoption.  

Another focus is maintaining our customer-centricity and agility.  As a founder-led firm, we’re able to pivot and make decisions faster than many of our peers. We move quickly when the market shifts, giving clients the products, counsel and support they need to stay responsive to change. 

It isn’t our approach to chase the latest fad; instead, the more important question is how the industry can use technology in ways that accelerate growth and uncover new avenues for delivering value.

Elevate your brand with cutting-edge AI, emerging tech, and data-driven experiences. Join 200+ marketing leaders at Digital Marketing Asia HK 2026 on 27–28 October to uncover game-changing trends, proven playbooks, and the bold strategies shaping the future of marketing.

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