Global

CommTech
Report 2024
How public relations professionals think about
and use technology and artificial intelligence
 Contents
Executive Summary 2 Media Monitoring 43
Key Insights 13 Technology Leadership 44
AI Actions 15 Using Technology 45
Communication Technology Actions 16 Adopting Technology 46
Professional Practice Actions 17 Investment: In-house 47
A Call to Action 18 Investment: Agency 48
The Results 21 Data Compliance 49
AI Skills 22 Technology Benefits 50
AI Benefits and Challenges 23 Procuring Technology 51
AI Practice and Activities 24 Barriers to Using Technology 52
AI Training 25 Evaluating Technology 53
AI Policy 27 Sharing Other Thoughts 54
AI Working Group 28 Partners and Methodology 55
Personal AI Tools 29 Demographics 65
Work AI Tools 30
Office Software 36
Project and Task Management 39
CommTech 40
Relationship Management 41
Media Database 42

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Welcome
Welcome to the second PRovoke Media logo

edition of the annual

Global CommTech Report
produced by Purposeful ICCO logo

Relations in partnership
with PRovoke Media.
The report aims to understand attitudes
towards and use of AI and technology by
WCFA logo
public relations, communications and
corporate affairs professionals.
Many of this year’s questions are new as
the study isn’t intended to be
longitudinal, but to understand the most CIPR logo
important current issues and challenges.
It would not be possible without the
support of our industry partners,
supporters and sponsors.
PRophet logo
AMEC logo

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Introduction
The focus of this year’s Catch up, keep up, get ahead
Global CommTech Report In such a fast-moving environment the lack
of AI policies and AI training means the
is inevitably on AI. public relations and communications sector
It paints a picture of an risks getting left behind as it did with search
engine optimisation and social media.
industry that recognises
AI as the greatest The difference with AI is its impact on
challenge but isn’t yet society and the economy will be as profound
as the industrial revolution. The PR and
doing enough to face the communications profession has a dual duty.
challenge.
First it must embrace and benefit from AI
Please Don’t Let AI Be
itself.
Misunderstood
The survey illustrated that understanding Secondly, and even more importantly, it
of AI’s potential is limited and many must take a leadership role in ensuring AI is AI superheroes
practitioner misunderstand its used ethically and organisations have a We’ve chosen to illustrate this year’s report
capabilities. Expectations are that it can social licence to use it. with AI generated images inspired by
be used for tasks such as content creation superheroes. This wasn’t on a whim but
or data analysis, without appreciating intended to illustrate the point that AI isn’t
more advanced applications for insight, a replacement for human endeavour but is
planning and strategy or its role in social a superpower to help make every public
licence for AI with ethics and governance. relations professional into a superhero.

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Executive Summary
The Global CommTech Survey 2024 looked at both AI
and other communication technology.
As in 2023 it found a profession that is AI can play in insight and strategy. The
uncomfortable with embracing the belief is that AI will have the greatest
benefits of technology. This year we asked impact on consumer marketing
more questions about AI, but the results communications rather than
weren’t promising. understanding it also has as big a role in
disciplines such as crisis communications
AI was highlighted as the greatest and public affairs.
challenge for the industry, yet it doesn’t
appear to be doing enough to prepare for The two aspects that need the most
the challenge. urgent attention are the need for AI
policies (60% of respondents don’t have a
Practitioners displayed a limited
policy) and training as only four in 10
understanding of AI’s potential with a
(43%) have received training.
focus on simple tasks such as content
creation rather than appreciating the role

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AI Executive Summary
This summary is Key findings include: The report calls for urgent action in
generated by PerplexityAI • Nearly half of respondents consider AI
developing AI policies, embracing AI skills
at all levels, and addressing AI challenges
It has not been edited or skills essential for communications strategically. It emphasizes the need for
changed. professionals. PR professionals to take a leadership role
• The main perceived benefits of AI are in ensuring ethical AI use and obtaining
The Global CommTech Report 2024 time-saving (80%) and improved social license for AI implementation.
reveals a public relations industry that productivity (59%).
recognizes AI as a major challenge but is
not yet fully prepared to face it. While AI • The greatest AI challenges are risk-
is seen as the top investment and training related, including legal/copyright
priority, there is a limited understanding concerns (54%) and privacy/security
of its potential beyond simple tasks like issues (52%).
content creation. The report highlights a • There's a misunderstanding of AI's
concerning lack of AI policies and training, potential impact across different PR
with 60% of respondents lacking an AI disciplines, with many underestimating
policy and many not receiving adequate its role in areas like crisis
training. communications and public affairs.
• In-house teams appear to be more
advanced in AI adoption compared to
agencies, despite agencies' higher self-
confidence in technology use.

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Listen while you…

Now you can listen to an The report highlights a widespread
audio overview of the recognition of AI's transformative power
but also reveals a limited understanding
Global CommTech report of its potential beyond simple tasks like
generated using Google content creation.
NotebookLM.
The report emphasizes the need for AI
The summary and policies and training, highlighting a
overview is entirely AI concerning lack of both within the
generated without any industry. The report also explores the
editing or human importance of technology leadership
intervention. within communications teams and calls
for PR professionals to embrace AI as a
Summary strategic tool, not just a productivity
The Global CommTech Report 2024, enhancer.
produced by Purposeful Relations,
examines the attitudes and use of
artificial intelligence (AI) and technology
by public relations, communications, and
corporate affairs professionals.
prrl.uk/listen

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A challenge for the profession

In many ways this year’s Global CommTech The two are of course linked. Much of the
Report is more of the same. The penny on remaining hesitancy about using AI is
AI has dropped and public relations because professionals say they need more
professionals’ use of AI is showing good training and are concerned about the legal
progress. However, more of the same is and ethical issues on topics such as
only part of the story and I’d argue we copyright and bias. Strong policy
need to see more rapid advances in other, frameworks can help and there is excellent
possibly more important areas too. best practice now coming from leading
companies like Rolls Royce and
The ‘more of the same’ part is that the
transnational institutions such as the
number of public relations professionals
European Union.
now using AI tools is increasing and the
areas of most use are being consolidated: On training, my informed suspicion, talking
content creation and refinement and to other leaders in AI , is that this is largely
Dr. Anne Gregory
(social) media monitoring and listening around using tools to make tasks more Professor Emeritus Anne Gregory PhD, Hon. Fell.
being two of the main tasks. Rather more efficient – this report identifies saving time CIPR, FRSA, FHEA
worrying elements of ‘the same’ are that and increasing productivity as the main Emeritus Chair of Corporate Communication
many professionals are still not working drivers for AI use. Linking this to what AI is Huddersfield Business School
within an AI policy framework and there used for most i.e. content and media University of Huddersfield
appears to be a lack of systematic and monitoring, indicates where we need to
broad training, although most now receive start making strides in another direction. Former Chair Global Alliance for Public Relations
and Communication Management
some training. Doing ‘stuff’ more efficiently and
effectively is good, but not sufficient.

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People and relationships

I recognise that learning how to do the This is a not to be missed opportunity for is invaluable. At the end of the day society
stuff is time consuming and it’s hard to public relations to move up the and organisations are there for and are
keep up as this report points out. But we organisational food chain. We cannot leave populated by people who have
need to step back and ask the question, it to technologists to ask those difficult relationships
what purpose does doing the stuff serve? questions about the challenges inherent in
When we get beyond the novelty of using
A report from McKinsey* talks about a the adoption of these new technologies
the technology, there is a big place for
new dawn for the technology officer ‘as such as what is in the algorithms? the bias?
companies strive to create value from AI, issues of privacy? the consequences of the public relations professionals to be
involved in the governance of AI – its
generative AI, and other rapidly evolving results they generate?
inputs, its outputs and the fundamental
technologies.”
Then there is the impact AI has on people, changes it is making in society,
It would be an enormous lost opportunity on the culture of the organisations organisations and for individual
and, indeed, huge organisational risk if transformed by AI, on the nature of the relationships.
public relations professionals were not a relationships that are being generated. Big
In the Global CommTech Report for 2025
part of these discussions at the highest issues of truth, trust, transparency and the
levels. It’s too dangerous to leave it to the potential for harm and good. I’d really like to see more on these issues
rather than on how the technology is being
technology experts.
Technologists have their own valuable used – that would demonstrate a step
prisms though which to see these issues. change in progress.
“This is a not to be missed The public relations perspective has its
Dr. Anne Gregory
opportunity for public prism of people and relationships and that.
relations to move up the
organisational food chain”
* McKinsey (2024). A new dawn for the technology officer

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Purposeful Relations
Purposeful Relations is a AI Measurement
global advisory firm to
We provide workshops, masterclasses,
improve the performance keynotes and training on all aspect of AI
We provide measurement audits to assess
current processes and improve
of communications teams including ethics, practical uses, prompts benchmark performance to industry best
and PR agencies. and tools. practice.
We are the AI and data focused
Our advisory team works with you to Our insights advisory team works with
communications transformation
develop AI policies, frameworks and you to design custom measurement
consultancy.
playbooks to help your team minimise frameworks and playbooks to improve
At Purposeful Relations the AI revolution risks and maximise the benefits from AI. planning and focus on objectives and
is evolution. AI has been in our DNA since impact on the organisation to maximise
Our development team works with all AI
long before the launch of ChatGPT. value.
systems and LLMs to help you to build
We help you to catch up, keep up and get and develop custom AI tools and integrate We provide measurement, data and
ahead. your communication technology analytics training.
platforms.
+44 20 2633 4486 Our development team works with you to
We have extensive expertise in create dashboards for monitoring and
hello@purposefulrelations.com implementing Copilot for Microsoft 365
purposefulrelations.com reporting all aspects of communications,
and custom development in Copilot brand and reputation.
Studio.

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PR Futurist newsletter
Subscribe to the free
fortnightly PR Futurist
newsletter to stay up to
date on the latest global
best practice and
developments in public
relation, communications
and corporate affairs.
Ensure you’re informed on AI, technology,
tools, research, reports and best use case
studies.
news.prfuturist.com

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 Actionable insights

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Key insights
AI is seen as both the top investment priority and the top
training priority.

AI skills are crucial Benefits of AI AI benefits misunderstood

Just under half say AI skills are More than three quarters think the Just under a third understand AI’s
essential. Fewer than one in 10 think main benefit of AI is to save time. potential benefits to boost
AI skills are unimportant. Six in 10 think the main benefits are creativity or just over one in 10 to
to improve productivity and provide improve quality.
new ideas and insights.

Risk is greatest AI challenge AI skills is other big challenge Most haven’t had AI training
The greatest AI challenges are all More than half think the greatest Six in 10 don’t have an AI policy and
risk related. Just over half cite legal challenge to using AI is the team’s haven’t received any AI training.
and copyright concerns or privacy skills and ability to use it.
and security, while ethical issues
are a challenge for four in 10.

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Key insights
Public relations professionals underestimate the
transformative power of the AI revolution

Potential of AI misunderstood Limited expectations of AI Don’t use technology well

The ability and potential of AI appears Respondents' expectations of AI are Respondents are still wedded to using
to be misunderstood as six in 10 say AI mainly related to content creation, outdated and ineffective technology.
will impact consumer marketing data and measurement indicating a Spreadsheets are the most popular
communications the most, but just a lack of understanding about its planning tool for four in 10 while over
quarter say crisis communications and potential role in strategy, planning,
50% use spreadsheets for contact
just one in 10 public affairs. media relations and other activity.
relationship management.

Barriers to using technology Local technology leadership Save money on technology

Three quarters say the biggest barrier Communications could use technology Do you know the capabilities of all the
to using communications technology is so much better. Where technology systems you subscribe to? In many
the difficulty of integrating different leadership exists, it is outside of the cases you will have functionality you
systems and two thirds say the team’s communications function. With AI,
did not know you had access to. Audit
ability to use it effectively. now is the time to develop technology
and rationalise.
leadership within communications.

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Artificial Intelligence Actions

Doing nothing is not an option. To catch up, keep up and stay
ahead public relations and communications teams need to:

1 2 3
Develop AI policies Embrace AI skills Address AI challenges
Your AI policy should be Everyone in your team needs to AI isn’t just tasks and tools but must
empowering and enabling to become AI literate, from the most be integrated into your
emphasise what colleagues can do, senior leaders to the new starters. communication strategy so your
not what they can’t. Principles and organisation can implement AI
AI impacts on every aspect of the
frameworks exist, but you need a ethically and effectively. It’s about a
organisation and isn’t just for entry
custom policy designed to work social licence for AI. AI should be
level content creators.
effectively for your organisation. treated as a stakeholder that
shapes the opinions and knowledge
of your audiences.

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Communication Technology Actions

Public relations, communications and corporate affairs teams
must start to use existing technology more effectively and stop
relying on outdated and unsuitable tools such as spreadsheets.

4 5 6
Focus on impact areas Improve collaboration Use technology more
Identify the tasks, workflows and Every week hours are lost by effectively
processes that create pain points ineffective collaboration on tasks Research by Multiverse reveals
and frustrations for your team. and projects. Ditch the companies spend millions on
Alleviate them by more effective spreadsheets to automate and software but fail to harness the
use of technology. A happier team improve processes using the best benefits by underusing it and not
is a more productive team. tools. investing in training.

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Professional Practice Actions

AI and technology don’t just improve tasks and processes such as
content creation and measurement but impacts on improving every
aspect of public relations, communications and corporate affairs:

7 8 9
Corporate affairs Crisis communications Media relations
AI and technology can provide Risk analysis, predictive analytics, AI isn’t meant to replace human
insight and analytics that enhance real-time insight, instantaneous expertise and intuition in building,
the ability of experienced drafts of responses and statements, maintaining and using media
consultants to understand and training and simulations are just relationships. But used effectively it
persuade stakeholders and decision some of the ways AI can improve becomes a super powered
makers. It can be even more and enhance risk, issues and crisis assistant.
powerful for senior executives than management.
it is for entry level colleagues.

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A call to action
The AI revolution will be as embrace the benefits. AI needs to be
fundamental as the industrial developed in a way that supports society
revolution. and the economy. Its impact on workers
should be positive, not damaging.
But you wouldn’t know that if you
look at how the public relations and Public relations has a leadership role to
communications profession is play in ensuring AI gets its social licence.
responding to it
This requires far more than just
Our research shows that PR professionals communicating its benefits. We must
are just dabbling their toes in the provide strategic counsel about how AI
shallows. Some are using AI tools for can be used ethically and responsibly.
simple tasks such as content creation and
In this report’s recommendations we set Stuart Bruce
editing. Others haven’t even got that far.
out some of the most immediate actions
AI is about more than just generative AI. that public relations and communications Chart.PR FCIPR MPRCA FAMEC MWCFA
It’s also applied AI being used to push the teams need to do. PR Futurist and co-founder, Purposeful Relations
boundaries of science, medicine and
At the very least they need policies for
engineering. It’s embodied AI to make
machines, such as driverless cars, aware how public relations and communications
will use AI and that their organisations
“It’s time to stop talking AI
of and interact with their surroundings.
have policies covering all the ways AI and start doing AI.”
One of the greatest challenges to
could be used.
benefiting from the AI revolution will be
obtaining social licence from society to

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A call to action
Policies alone are not enough. Staff need Leaders must understand There are lots of uncertainties about AI.
training. It needs to be thorough enough One certainty is doing nothing is not an
to make staff AI literate, which is what the AI isn’t just for the next option.
EU AI act demands. generation of leaders but
If you have experimented with AI and
According to the PwC Global Workforce for them. Leaders must been disappointed, then you need to try
Hopes and Fears survey only about one in lead by example and again.
five senior executives and 17% of integrate AI into how they ChatGPT today is ten times better than it
managers say they’re using GenAI daily.
This is clear call to action for leaders to work. was when it launched in November 2022.
upskill and use GenAI as much as On the PRCA PR and Communications Today’s AI is the worst it is ever going to
employees do, not just for their own Board and a CIPR AI working group we’re be.
work, but so that they can coach workers looking at how trade and professional
on ways to use it in theirs. It’s time to stop talking AI and start doing
bodies can provide leadership and AI.
Reports and papers from PwC, McKinsey, guidance.
MIT, Edelman, Thompson Reuters and
Stuart Bruce
more are all stressing the importance and
urgency of adapting to the AI revolution.

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Manage your own Technology

Technology has often been What to do?
Start looking forward, spend some time
treated by with your crystal ball and consider the
communications as change that IS coming. One does not need
something managed and to be able to build an LLM (or even know
controlled by others. what the acronym means) to be curious
Adopting the same about what AI might do for
communications.
approach with AI would be
a significant mistake. Spend some time playing with AI, in a way
that does not create reputational risk or
Some of the most interesting aspects of shares client data. Plan a holiday, create
the survey responses are where we see some new recipes, research a hobby,
clues about how technology change is anything that allows you get a feel for Tim Bailey
managed within organisations. From the how AI works. MCIPR, MPRCA
existence (or not) of AI working groups, to
the lack of specific communications policy Get serious and help drive change around Digital Futurist and co-founder, Purposeful Relations
around AI usage, we see at best a AI in your organisation. Set up a working
reluctance to engage with a potentially group, draft a policy, engage with people
disruptive technology. At worst, this is a who can help guide you safely on the
shying away from technology that can journey.
wholly reshape the practice of As several other commentators in this
communications. report stress, doing nothing is not an
option.

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The Results
“The future is already here—
it's just not evenly
distributed.”
William Gibson

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AI Skills
How important do you think AI skills are
70%

for a communications professional?

59%
60%
50%
Half say AI skills are essential 50%

More agency and consultancy 40% 36%

38%
respondents (82%) think AI skills are
important or essential than in-house or 30%
34%
client side (74%). 19%
20%
There is a greater acknowledgement 8%
10% 6% 16% 24%
amongst in-house and client-side 2%
10%
practitioners of the importance of AI skills 0%
as six in 10 (59%) consider AI skills are 1 - Not needed 2 3 4 5 - Essential
essential not just optional. In-house / Client Other (Independent / Academic) Comms agency or consultancy

Overall, just under half (47%) of all

respondents say AI skills are essential. Important or Essential (rated 4 or 5)
Comms agency or consultancy 82%

Other (Independent / Academic) 84%

In-house / client 74%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

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AI Benefits and Challenges

What are the main benefits of AI? What are the challenges of AI?
Legal and copyright concerns 54%
Save time 80%
Team’s skills and ability to use it 50%
Improve productivity 59%
Privacy and security issues 52%
Provide new insights and ideas 53%
Understanding what it can be used… 43%
Focus on more important work 39% Ethical issues 39%
Boost creativity 29%
Uncertainty about what tools to use 30%
Improve quality Cost to invest in tools 24%
16%
Other 3% Difficulty of integrating it into… 24%
Challenge of quantifying the… 18%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Other 5%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Benefits seen mainly as efficiency Risk is seen as the greatest AI challenge

Respondents mainly see the benefits of AI as being about efficiency Two of the biggest challenges are risk related - legal and copyright
rather than improvement. Eight in 10 (80%) cite saving time while concerns (54%), and privacy and security issues (52%). Surprisingly
six in 10 (59%) say improve productivity. and worryingly ethical concerns are considered a challenge by just
39%. The team's skills and ability to use AI is seen as a challenge
Fewer see the benefits as providing new insights and ideas (53%),
by half (50%) and understanding AI's potential use cases by 43%.
focus on more important work (39%) and improving quality (16%).

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AI Practice and Activities

What areas of practice do you think AI What activities do you think AI will
will impact the most? impact the most?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Marketing communications -… 60% Content creation 83%

Corporate communications 53% Monitoring, measurement and… 71%
Marketing communications -… 53% Research, insight and planning 61%
Employee engagement and… 34% Digital build and production 26%
Crisis communications 25% Strategy 18%
Public affairs 13% Media relations 5%
Investor relations 8% Other 1%
Other 6%

AI’s impact is underestimated Just a quarter (25%) think crisis AI is also about the overall reputation of
Many practitioners appear to be communications will be impacted the the organisation. How the organisation
underestimating the potential impact of most and even fewer public affairs (12%). uses AI overall impacts its relationships and
AI on difference disciplines and activities. Corporate communications practitioners reputations with stakeholders. And AI itself
Six in 10 think its main impact will be on are unwise to be so complacent as AI isn’t is a stakeholder as audience opinions on
consumer marketing communications. just about tools and tasks. issues and brands are shaped by answers
from AI large language models.

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AI Training Have you received any training about AI

for your job?
48%
This is a question that has been asked in Yes 43% 44%
numerous surveys. The overall picture is 61%
more people are receiving training, but
many aren’t and it’s often not enough. 52%

The EU AI Act puts an obligation on No 57% 56%

employers to ensure AI literacy amongst 39%

employees. Many expect this to be 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
replicated in regulation in other countries. Comms agency or consultancy Other (Independent / Academic) In-house / client

In-house beat agencies The focus on practical use training is What training have you
Six in 10 (61%) in-house respondents have concerning given that the biggest received about using
challenges are risk focused (copyright,
received AI training but just four in 10
privacy and security) and that ethical
generative AI?
(52%) of agency respondents. Eight in 10
challenges are cited by 39% of 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
of the respondents to the CIPR State of
the Profession survey worked in-house respondents.
Overall overview 81%
and it found 66% had received AI training.
Our survey found the focus of most of the Practical use 82%
AI training was simply on its practical use
(82%) rather than ethical, safety and Ethics 44%
security issues. Safety and security 31%

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Authentic
Intelligence
As the survey reveals, the As we usher in this new era of tech-
introduction of AI-powered tools is powered communications, PR pros will
combine AI with human intelligence to
changing the way communications
create “authentic intelligence” and
pros work. This includes improving elevate their reach and impact.
efficiency, enhancing content creation and
providing better monitoring and analytics. At Notified, we’re creating the modern
storytelling platform that combines the
Despite its potential, AI is a resource, and latest technologies with award-winning
it has its limitations. It’s only as strategic services to help comms pros stay ahead.
as the humans who are using it, and we
cannot lose sight of this.
For example, AI will help us get to comms
strategy insights faster based on available
“PR pros will combine AI Nimesh Davé
data, but you will still need to combine with human intelligence President, Notified
the human element for interpretation in a to create ‘authentic
demanding and fragmented world. intelligence’ and elevate
their reach and impact.”

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AI Policy
AI doesn’t just mean generative AI, but Does your employer have a policy for
also includes applied AI (such as using AI for communications and public
medicine and engineering) and relations?
embodied AI (such as in driverless
cars). Advances are so rapid it is
essential we have social licence to use
Yes 40% No 60%
AI. That’s why policies and ethics are
so important.
No

AI policies are essential first

step Yes – policy for both company and
Other studies have asked about AI comms
policies, but we wanted to look at both AI
policies for the whole organisation and Yes – overall company policy
specific policies for use in
communications and corporate affairs. Six
in 10 (60%) have no policy at all. Just 19% Yes – specifically for comms
have specific policies for communications.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Comms agency or consultancy Other In-house / Client side

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AI Working Group
The challenge of AI isn’t fundamentally Does your team have an AI working
about technology. It’s about people, group?
relationships and culture.
Essential first step
Organisations need to establish working
No 65%

groups where the expert counsel of public

relations has as strong a voice as the
counsel of technology and legal experts.
Yes 33%

It’s alarming that just a third of

respondents say their organisation has an
AI working group. This could indicate two 0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
things. The first is simply that the
organisation doesn’t yet have a working
group to look at AI.
The second is that the organisation does
have an AI working group, but public
relations and communications isn’t part
of it.

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Personal AI Tools
ChatGPT was the tool that Which of these AI tools do you use, or
kicked off the AI hype so have you used personally?
it’s no surprise it is the one
most people have used. Google Gemini
There are lots of other AI Claude
tools and there isn’t a huge Perplexity
variation as Google Gemini Microsoft Copilot Premium (paid)
is a weak second place, Microsoft Copilot (free)
closely followed by ChatGPT+ (paid)
Claude, Perplexity and ChatGPT (free)
Microsoft Copilot.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Frequent Infrequent Experimented Not used yet Unlikely to use

Some AI refusniks Personal AI tools can be an excellent way

The majority of respondents have at least for PR professionals to improve AI literacy Have you used personal
AI tools for work?
experimented with AI tools with a small by experimenting with them for hobbies
group claiming they are unlikely to use and interests. When employers introduce
any of the most popular tools. In contrast them to their workplace, they will be able
12% of AI enthusiasts have used personal to use them effectively much faster. Yes 66% No 34%
AI tools without permission even when
banned

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Work AI Tools
This indicates that many Which of these AI tools do you use, or
PR professionals are using have you used for work.
free AI tools at work. This
is a cause for concern and Google Gemini
Claude
another reason why AI
Perplexity
policies are essential. Free Microsoft Copilot for…
tools usually don’t provide Microsoft Copilot Premium (paid)
the same levels of Microsoft Copilot (free)
security, privacy and ChatGPT+ (paid)
protection as paid for and ChatGPT (free)
enterprise AI tools.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Frequent Infrequent Experimented Not used yet Unlikely to use

AI for work is happening For organisations that already use The time saving is for general day to day
As AI in the workplace continues to grow Microsoft 365 Copilot is the easiest and work and doesn’t include additional time
we should see the use of paid AI tools most effective AI to implement. saving from specialist AI tools or consider
increase rapidly. Companies and public sector how AI can improve the quality of work.
organisations that have expanded its use
Despite Microsoft Copilot registering are typically finding it routinely saves two
relatively low usage figures it is to four hours a week.
potentially the one that will grow most.

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AI is here to stay…
…but you better saddle up if you As with any transformative technology,
want to ride this bronco the successful integration of AI into our
A staggering 50% of respondents believe workflows will require a cultural shift and
that AI is essential to the communications a commitment to training. The "shadow
profession. This statistic alone should AI" phenomenon, where a staggering 66%
serve as a wake-up call for anyone who of respondents admit to using personal AI
has been reluctant to embrace the AI tools at work, is a cause for concern. We
revolution. must embrace fit-for-purpose tools with
However, simply viewing AI as a vertical domain expertise, lest we find
productivity tool is a grave mistake. We ourselves riding a wild bronco without a
are in the business of articulation, not saddle.
automation. The true power of AI lies in One area where respondents see Aaron Kwittken
its ability to enhance our performance Founder and CEO,
immense potential for AI is in the realm of
and provide us with insights that would PRophet
media databases. Funny enough, that's
otherwise be impossible to uncover. why we started PRophet. The future lies in
But the impact of AI extends far beyond dynamic datasets powered by predictive
content creation. In the coming year, we algorithms which will soon replace static PRophet logo

will see a significant uptick in the use of AI media databases and surface media
for insight and planning, a domain that targets with an unprecedented accuracy
currently accounts for only 61% of interest and efficiency. That is PRophet!
from respondents.

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Other AI at Work
Can you give other examples of where
you’ve found AI useful in your work?
Respondents name checked a Some respondents also mentioned using
range of other AI tools custom-designed apps and proprietary
tools built on AI models like OpenAI's API.
including Otter,
Grammarly, Midjourney, There are also mentions of internal chat
and Canva. tools and AI-enhanced features in
These tools are used for tasks such as software like Adobe Firefly and Zoom AI.
transcription, proofreading, image A few respondents indicated that they do
generation, and content creation. not use any AI tools for work. This doesn’t
Other tools mentioned include Dall- necessarily mean they don’t use AI, just
E, Fireflies, and Notion AI, which are used that they aren’t fully aware that AI is
for generating text, illustrations, meeting already within tools they might use such
summaries, and enhancing productivity, as Grammarly or media monitoring
respectively. software.

Additionally, tools like Synthesia, HeyGen,

and Descript are employed for video and
voice-over tasks.

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AI Tasks
When ChatGPT launched Have you used or tried to use AI to help you
in November 2022 many with any of these tasks?
people experimented with Analysing and understanding data
it. Since then, it has Media/journalist outreach and pitching

improved by about x10.

Media/journalist research
Brainstorming and creativity
This means many early Generating audio, images or video
experimenters who were Generating alternative versions of content from…

disappointed at the results

Content creation for internal audiences
Content creation for external audiences
don’t know that today it is Creating a communications plan
likely to give far better Writing news releases

results. Meeting minutes and summaries

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Regularly Didn't work well Haven't tried

Garbage in, garbage out The two tasks that most people said
The results indicate that people are didn’t work well are media/journalist
experimenting with using AI to help with pitching and research. This could indicate
a wide range of tasks. Generating that people don’t know how to use AI
alternative versions of content is the most tools effectively and haven’t tried using
common (70%). specialist AI tools designed specifically to
do these things.

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Useful AI
Can you give other Professional development and
examples of where you’ve training: There is a need for investment
found AI useful in your in skills training and ongoing education to
effectively use AI. The lack of such
work? investment is seen as a significant
Content creation and analytics: AI is challenge.
used to generate content and analyse its Integration and upskilling: AI should
engagement and impression. It can
be integrated into systems and procedures,
suggest optimized versions of the initial
with training provided to use AI tools for
output based on data from analytics. efficiency and increased productivity.
Essential tool for communication Industry adaptation: The
professionals: AI is considered essential communication industry needs to embrace
for communication professionals,
AI to avoid reputational damage and show
provided they are aware of the risks and
how it can be used to enhance job
know how to use it ethically and performance.
effectively. Future of communication
Productivity and effectiveness: AI is technology: AI integration is seen as the
crucial for agencies to stay ahead, be
future, with a need for more investment
productive, and deliver the effectiveness
and development in this space. Upskilling
and return on investment (ROI) demanded
and understanding AI simply are key.
by clients.

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Not so Useful AI
Can you give other Content creation issues: AI can Language and localisation: AI's
sometimes provide outdated information usefulness is limited when working with
examples of where you for journalistic content and may come languages other than English, and
tried to use AI for work, across as too "bot-like". It isn't always localisation can be problematic.
but it hasn’t been useful? helpful in writing articles from bullet
AI still faces challenges and the
Research challenges: Many points, as it can be repetitive and time-
importance of human oversight in
respondents reported difficulties with AI consuming.
ensuring the accuracy and relevance of AI-
using in research tasks. Even with careful Limitations in specific tasks: AI
generated content.
prompting, AI often included struggles with tasks like writing new
hallucinations when asked for niche facts. publications due to the inability to upload
Additionally, AI's limited non-anglophone unpublished information into public AI
sources can make researching local facts platforms7. It also has limitations in
challenging. generating responses to nuanced issues,
Fact-checking and oversight: creating visuals and presentations, and
Respondents emphasised the importance drafting crisis statements.
of always fact-check AI outputs as they
can hallucinate. They emphasised the
importance of strong human input and
oversight to ensure the information
makes sense.

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Office Software
Microsoft 365 is the most Use AI daily for maximum benefit In your day-to-day work,
popular office suite. That Both Microsoft and Google are moving which office suite do you and
is why Copilot for rapidly to embed AI within their your team mainly use?
respective office suites. For most
Microsoft 365 is likely to organisations this dictates their choice as
be the most widely the full benefits of AI only come from
adopted AI tool. There is being fully integrated into daily routines.
an alarming lack of use of 2023
26%

collaboration software and AI isn’t a magic wand. PR and 70%

communications teams wedded to
reliance on email. inefficient workflows still need to improve 2024
39%
how they collaborate to reduce reliance 60%
on ineffective traditional tools such as
What does your team use as email and spreadsheets.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
your main collaboration Google Microsoft
software?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Microsoft Teams 56%

2024 2023
Slack 15% Microsoft Teams 56% 48%
Email 39%
Other 19% Slack 15% 26%

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Time to bin the spreadsheet

This survey offers AI yet to meet its potential in PR
This report also highlights how AI is
valuable insights into how proving to be a time-saver, yet many PR
PR professionals manage teams have yet to fully leverage its
media relationships and potential. In 2025, embracing AI will be
essential to boosting productivity, writing
embrace new PR content - especially headlines, and
technologies. enhancing outreach strategies.
One of the key findings is that many PR Your team needs a tech leader
teams are still relying on outdated tools Lastly, the absence of clear AI and
like spreadsheets to manage their media technology policies in many organisations
contacts. In an era where speed and underscores the need for leadership in PR
accuracy are critical, this approach is to prioritise technology strategies. For Jack Murray
inefficient and limits opportunities. 2025, PR teams must modernise, adopt CEO, MediaHQ
smarter tools and embrace AI to remain
Looking ahead to 2025, there’s a clear
competitive in an increasingly fast-paced
need for teams to modernise their media
and data-driven industry.
contact management—by automating
processes, staying compliant with data
protection laws, and improving overall
efficiency.

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Computers and Smartphones

Many people now primarily access the How old is the computer you use on a daily
internet and software via smartphones. basis for work?
This is particularly the case for new 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
entrants to the workforce. If employees
Less than 12 months 20%
are to embrace technology the focus must
be on making their lives easier and better, One to three year's 57%
not just on improving the organisation’s
productivity. Older than three year's 22%

End of the work mobile?

Gartner says that the recommended
lifecycle of a PC is two to four years. The If you have a work mobile is it better or
results indicate that most organisations worse than your personal mobile?
follow this policy with computers typical 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
(57%) being one to three year’s old.
Don’t have a work mobile 49%
A more surprising figure is that 49% don’t
have a work mobile. This makes it easy for My personal mobile is better… 20%
employees to use free personal AI tools
My work mobile is better than… 16%
for work purposes without the knowledge
of employers. We have BYOD policy so I am… 19%

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Project and Task Management

There is a bewildering choice of project What is the main way your team manage and
and task management software. keep track of tasks and activities in projects?
Despite this many PR professionals
don’t use any and an alarming 43%
attempt to do it via spreadsheets. Other 42%

Spreadsheet 43%

Training needed Trello

Despite the fact that 60% of respondents 11%
using Microsoft 365 just 15% use 15%
Microsoft Planner. Research by Multiverse Microsoft Planner
shows that companies invest billions in
software, but in comparison hardly 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
anything on training people how to use it. Microsoft Planner Trello Spreadsheet Other
The lack of use of Planner is a classic
example. Companies are already paying The platforms included with the answer ‘Other’, in order of answer
for it but failing to get the benefits frequency: Asana, Monday, Notion, Jira, Slack/G docs, Excel and
because they haven’t set up processes Email, Harvest + Google Calendar, Miro, Float, CoSchedule, Google
and trained people how to use it. Tasks, Doko, Basecamp, ClickUP, Motion, Odoo

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CommTech
Social media publishing and scheduling
Planning, project and task management
How important do you think each type Newswires
Content creation and production
of technology is to public relations and Collaboration and messaging

communications practice? Newsroom and publishing on website

News distribution by email
Media monitoring and social listening
Media relations dominates Media database
Despite public relations being far more CRM (contact relationship management)
than just media relations it is media that 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
dominates the most important tools.
Not at all Important 2 3 4 Very Important
Media monitoring and media databases
are cited as the two most important types
of software for public relations and Rated 4 and 5 and in ranked order.
communications practice.
Media monitoring and social listening 90%
Media database 85%
Content creation and production 85%
Collaboration and messaging 82%
Social media publishing and scheduling 79%
Planning, project and task management 76%
Newsroom and publishing on website 69%
CRM (contact relationship management) 69%
News distribution by email 63%
Newswires 47%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

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Relationship Management
Public relations. The clue is in the name. How do you manage relationships with
It’s about relationships. Despite this most contacts.
PR professionals fail to use any specialist Other 12%
software to help manage relationships. Specialist PR/PA CRM 19%
Worryingly more than half (53%) just use General CRM 14%
spreadsheets to manage what can be
complex stakeholder relationships. Spreadsheet 53%
Combine this with a failure to use Subscription database 28%
collaboration software or project and task
management software and it’s easy to see 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
why PR and communications teams aren’t
as efficient or effective as they could be. How often do you review your media
Approximately a quarter of respondents
contact lists?
review their media contact lists on a Not Relevant 18%
monthly (27%) or quarterly (23%) basis. Rarely 9%
Most (35%) do it only occasionally. It isn’t
Annually 4%
surprising that journalists complain about
irrelevant and badly targeted news Occasionally 35%
releases. Quarterly 23%
Monthly 27%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

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Media Database
Which media database do you
use?
Respondents used a wide range of
different media databases. Some of the
most frequently mentioned media
databases included Meltwater, Muckrack
and MediaHQ [a report sponsor]. At the
same frequency people mentioned their
organisation's own database solution.
Other notable mentions included Cision
and Roxhill. A number of respondents
reported using spreadsheets, either Excel
or Google Sheets.

Media databases mentioned

Arybe, Cision, Excel, Google Sheets,
Isentia, Meltwater, Media HQ, Muckrack,
Notified, Onclusive, One Pitch, PR Max,
PRGloo, Press Data, Press Manager, Prezly,
Propel, Prowly, Qwoted, Roxhill, Skribe,
Vuelio.

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Media Monitoring
Which media monitoring and Media monitoring and social
social listening services do listening services
you use? mentioned
Respondents indicated they used a Ajans Press - Somera, Brandwatch,
diverse range of media monitoring and Carma, Central Clipping, Critical
social listening services. The most Mention, Digimind, Factiva, Hootsuite,
frequently mentioned service is Infomedia, Isentia, Kantar, Kudos.mn,
Meltwater. Muckrack also ranks highly Looqme, Lucidya Social Listening,
and is mentioned several times. Other Netbase, Newswhip, Notified, Olytico,
notable service include Onclusive, Vuelio One Pitch, PR Max, Press Data, Press
and Cision. Manager, PRGloo, PRII database,
PRnews, Propel, Prowly, Pulsar,
Some respondents mentioned using their
Qwoted, Rede Clipping, Retriever,
own custom or proprietary databases,
Sensika, Shooglebox Buzz, Signal AI,
while others rely on more general tools Skribe, SocialTools, Sprinklr, Sprout
such as Google Alerts, Hubspot,
Social, Truehawk, TV Eyes, YouScan1.
and Sprinklr.
A few respondents indicated that they do
not use any media monitoring or social
listening services.

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Technology Leadership
What is the job title of Is there a 'technology Comms technology is too
your ‘technology leader’? leader' in your team? important to leave to none
Respondents provided a diverse set of job comms people.
titles and functions. We asked questions about technology
Yes 27% leadership as our consultancy work, and
Director; Digital Communications feedback from sponsors and partners,
Manager; Digital consultant; CTO (Chief No 73% indicated that one reason PR and
Technology Officer); Chief Information communications teams were so weak at
Officer; Corporate and Communications 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% using technology is there was nobody
Manager; Head of Comms; Strategy PR responsible for it.
and Business Director; Senior Corporate
Communication Specialist; Strategy PR; Our anecdotal experience proved to be
Digital and online executive; Director of PR and communications true. And the plethora of job titles
Technology; Director of Administration; teams need someone to indicates even if someone is responsible,
they could hold a wide variety of titles.
Communications Technology Manager;
CDO (Chief Digital Officer); Chief Software take responsibility for
It is time for communications to develop
Architect; IT Officer; Head of Tech; Head of identifying and using AI technology leaders from within to own
Digital; Strategic Initiatives and AI Lead; and technology. our futures.
CEO (Chief Executive Officer); Chief
Product Officer; Communication Director;
SVP (Senior Vice President); IT specialist

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Using Technology
PR agencies and consultancies continue to How competent do you think you are at
self-identify themselves as more using your existing communication
competent at using technology than in- technology stack for work?
house and client teams. The reality is the
opposite as agencies are the worst at 5 - Completley competant 22%

using technology for relationship 4 37%

management, project and task
3 31%
management, and collaboration.
Agencies lag in-house 2 8%
The confidence level of agencies remains
1 - Not at all competant 2%
the same as last year with 64% of
respondents rating themselves as 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
completely competent or competent at
using technology.
Rated 4 and 5, comparison
In-house teams appear to be increasing in 2023 64%
confidence and perhaps starting to Comms agency or consultancy
2024
understand their use of technology 64%
outstrips that of the agencies they hire. 2023 44%
In-house / Client
2024 56%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

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Adopting Technology
It’s not just using technology where PR How do you rate your competency in
agencies and consultancies over rate their identifying and adopting new communication
ability as the same as true for rating technology?
competency for identifying and adopting 5 - Completley competant 21%
new technology.
4 37%
Agencies lag in-house
When asked about AI training and 3 28%
policies, and use of different software
tools in-house teams are usually ahead of 2 12%
agencies and consultancies.
1 - Not at all competant 1%
Unfortunately, agencies and consultancies
don’t realise this as they have a greater 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
confidence in their abilities than their in-
house counterparts.
Rated 4 and 5, comparison
2023 67%
Comms agency or consultancy
2024 67%

2023 52%
In-house / Client
2024 54%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

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Investment: In-house
The two main priorities for -10% 55% Skills and training
increasing investment are -20% 40% Paid media (digital advertising)
skills and training and AI -10% 41% Owned media and content creation
and communication -12% 22% Internal staff salaries
technology. The two main -16% 22% Internal staff headcount
budgets for reducing -41% 9% Fees to external agencies
investment are fees to
-2% 50% AI and communication technology
external agencies and paid
media. -50% -30% -10% 10% 30% 50%

Investment in AI training The rapid pace of developments in AI The graphic shows the percentage of
One big challenge facing the PR and mean it is challenging to keep even for respondents who see their budgets
communication industry is that demand those doing it full time. increasing or decreasing along seven
for AI training will massively outstrip categories of expenditure.
Training needs to be flexible and nimble,
supply. with opportunities for updating and
For PR and communications professionals refreshing.
to gain maximum benefit from training it
is essential it is tailored to the specific
needs of the profession.

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Investment: Agency
The two main priorities for -9% 47% Skills and training
increasing investment are
-23% 34% Paid media (digital advertising)
skills and training and AI
-6% 38%
and communication
Owned media and content creation

technology. The two main -3% 34% Internal staff salaries

budgets for reducing -9% 30% Internal staff headcount

investment are fees to -41% 8% Fees to external agencies

external agencies and paid -3% 59% AI and communication technology

media. -50% -30% -10% 10% 30% 50%

Investment in AI training The rapid pace of developments in AI The graphic shows the percentage of
One big challenge facing the PR and mean it is challenging to keep even for respondents who see their budgets
communication industry is that demand those doing it full time. increasing or decreasing along seven
for AI training will massively outstrip categories of expenditure.
Training needs to be flexible and nimble,
supply. with opportunities for updating and
For PR and communications professionals refreshing.
to gain maximum benefit from training it
is essential it is tailored to the specific
needs of the profession.

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Data Compliance
One of the biggest challenges to adopting Do you have a named employee
AI were privacy and security issues (52%). responsible for data and legal
Despite this challenge almost one in four compliance (e.g. GDPR, CCPA or similar
respondents don’t have anyone in their personal data protection laws)?
team responsible for compliance with
data protection and privacy regulations. Yes 62%

No 38%
Think global, whatever’s local
One of the challenges of data protection 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
and privacy is that legislation and
regulation varies by country and by
market.
In an increasingly globalised world the
safest way of organisations to work is to
apply rigorous data protection and privacy
policies. In some cases this might be
ahead of the legal requirements in some
markets and countries.

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Technology Benefits
Time and cost efficiencies are the two What are the main benefits you want from
main benefits the PR industry wants communications technology?
from communications technology.
Other 7%

Spend time more wisely Time efficiencies 79%

If AI and technology can be used to save
Modelling and predicting possible
time, then it enables that time to be 38%
outcomes
invested in other activities. The time freed Improved employee satisfaction
up can be used for research, thinking, 31%
(comms team)
strategy and creativity.
Cost efficiencies 53%

Improve comms team Authenticating accuracy of

46%
information
satisfaction
Just 31% of respondents identified 0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
improving employee satisfaction of the
comms team as a main benefit of
technology. The PwC Global Workforce
Hopes and Fears 2024 says 81% of
workers who use generative AI daily are
satisfied with their job, compared to just
60% of those that don’t.

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Procuring Technology
While three quarters of Who do you involve in making decisions about
respondents involve the new communication technology?
staff who will use it in Other 6%
making decisions about Procurement and/or finance 28%
new technology, the Marketing department 24%
decision is still made by a IT department 40%
senior manager or External advisors 19%
director. Technology, AI,… 38%
Staff who will use it day-to-day 75%
Need to understand the
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
problems
There are lots of factors that contribute to
choosing and investing in new technology.
Who makes the final choice about what
It is essential to ensure the people using communications technology to use?
the technology have a big say in what it is. Other 7%
If the decision is made by a senior The team who will use it 16%
director who doesn’t use it frequently The team leader 19%
then there is a risk, it will be chosen
A more senior manager or director 40%
primarily for financial or other reasons
rather than how good it is at doing the job A committee 18%
it is intended to do. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

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Barriers to Using Technology

The two biggest barriers to What do you think are the key barriers
using communication to using communication technology?
technology are the difficulty
of integrating different Other 15%
systems and the team’s
ability to use it effectively. Team's ability to use it effectively 67%

Team's ability to identify and choose… 56%

Technology and training Resistance to change within the organisation 55%
There are numerous technology solutions
that can be used to integrate disparate Resistance to change within team 53%
technology platforms. Using these to Lack of support from vendors 28%
automate repetitive tasks can free up lots
of time to enable the team to concentrate IT’s understanding of communication needs 58%
on creative communications and strategy
Don’t believe there are enough benefits 34%
rather than administration.
Difficulty of integrating different systems 77%
The adoption of AI and technology isn’t
primarily about the technology buy about Challenge of collaboration with marketing 23%
people and culture. That’s why investing
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
in ongoing relevant training can have such
a beneficial impact.

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Evaluating Technology
How do you evaluate the Integration with other tools and cost- The themes collectively show respondents
effectiveness of effectiveness were important focusing on usability, impact, and
considerations, as respondents evaluated alignment with business objectives when
communication whether the technology could seamlessly making communication technology
technology? fit into existing workflows and provide procurement decisions.
Respondents highlighted several key value for money. We have seen
themes when evaluating communication respondents expressing frustration
technology. elsewhere in the survey about the
difficulty of integrating different systems
Ease of use and user satisfaction were
effectively. Additionally, productivity
frequently mentioned, with many
and business outcomes were key
respondents emphasising the importance
indicators, with respondents assessing
of tools being intuitive to use and being
whether the technology helped achieve
liked by users.
organisational goals and improve overall
Time saved was another common criteria efficiency.
was that effective communication
Finally, some respondents mentioned the
technology should streamline processes
importance of reliability and security,
and reduce manual tasks.
ensuring that the technology is
Feedback from users and teams was seen dependable and protects sensitive
as important, as it provides direct insights information.
into the technology's impact and which
areas areas of the organisation it would
improve.

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Sharing Other Thoughts

Do you have any other thoughts or opinions on AI and The need for continuous upskilling and
training is highlighted, as many
communication technology that you would like to share professionals feel they are not yet
with us? equipped to fully leverage AI tools.
Concerns about the impact of AI on junior
The survey responses reveal a mix of "For all but the most basic staff development and the authenticity of
enthusiasm and caution among tasks, gen AI outputs need to be communication are also prevalent.
communications professionals regarding reviewed by someone who can
AI and communication technology. spot where the AI got it wrong.” “AI reduces the authentic voice
and positioning that we as
“AI is an essential tool for There is a consensus that AI should be humans are able to deliver to
comms professionals, as long as integrated into communication practices, the people we engage with on a
the comms professional is but it should not replace human judgment daily basis."
aware of the risks and dangers and creativity.
and knows how to use it Overall, the responses suggest a cautious
ethically and effectively.” "It's essential to integrate AI optimism towards AI, with a focus on
into comms practice but I balancing its benefits with ethical and
Many respondents recognise the potential personally am still too far practical considerations.
of AI to enhance efficiency and behind in my skills to be able to
productivity, but they also emphasise the use it." "Let's embrace it. So long as we
importance of ethical considerations and apply appropriate guard rails,
human oversight. AI is a game changer."

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 Partners and Methodology

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PRovoke Media logo

ICCO logo WCFA logo CIPR logo AMEC logo

PRophet logo

Partners and Supporters

Purposeful Relations thanks its global industry partners
and sponsors without whom this research would not
have been possible.
The Global CommTech survey 2024 was supported by
PRovoke Media, ICCO, CIPR, AMEC, WCFA, MediaHQ,
Notified, Onclusive and PRophet.

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Professional Partners
ICCO logo

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
(ICCO) is the global voice of the public relations and (CIPR) is the world's only Royal Chartered professional body
communications industry. Through our network of 41 for public relations practitioners with more than 11,000
associations, representing PR and communications agencies in members.
82 countries, ICCO members strive to shape the future of
communications by improving professional standards and The CIPR advances professionalism in public relations by
tackling collective issues collaboratively. making its members accountable to their employers and
the public through a code of conduct and searchable public
Engage with ICCO to forge international partnerships and join register, setting standards through training, qualifications,
a global network of communications agencies. awards and the production of best practice and skills
guidance, facilitating Continuing Professional Development
iccopr.com (CPD), and awarding Chartered Public Relations Practitioner
Andras Sztaniszlav, CEO status (Chart.PR).
andras.sztaniszlav@iccopr.com cipr.co.uk
Alastair McCapra, Chief Executive
alastairm@cipr.co.uk

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WCFA logo

AMEC is the International Association for Measurement and The World Communication Forum Association (WCFA) is a global
Evaluation of Communication. professional organisation of communications experts. It is a non-
profit organisation registered in Davos, Switzerland.
It is the world’s largest media intelligence and insights
professional body, representing organisations and practitioners WCFA is first about individuals who have the ability to think global,
who provide media evaluation and communication research, act global. Every such individual is an ambassador who not only
analysis, evaluation and insights. represents her/his region or organisation on this truly global
platform but also aspires to be the frontrunner in the
We are the founding organisation of the prominently accepted, development of the global communication culture.
adopted and applied best practice resources including the
Barcelona Principles (1.0, 2.0 and 3.0) and the Integrated The WCFA gathers practitioners, CEOs and managers, universities,
Evaluation Framework and the Measurement Maturity Mapper. institutions and students. It is a unique mix of communications
professionals in a network as colleagues and friends.
AMEC thinks and operates internationally, forming working
groups from different countries to work together on new Members are professionals in public relations, advertising, public
initiatives, all reinforced by its chapters in Asia Pacific, Europe, affairs and branding from government, businesses, not-for-profit,
Latin America, Middle East and Africa and North America and charities.
amecorg.com wcfaglobal.com
Johna Burke, FAMEC, Global Managing Director Maxim Behar, President
johna@amecorg.com mainoffice@wcfaglobal.com

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 We are Notified, and press releases, generate meaningful When it comes to elevating shareholder
reports and file critical financial results confidence, our leading IR solutions and
storytelling is in our DNA. with confidence. Along with the award- expert team help you achieve greater
With roots in Nasdaq and Thomson winning editorial team to support these scale and productivity while telling
Reuters, we understand the challenges efforts, it’s no wonder that powerful investment stories across
facing communicators. Since acquiring earnings releases, earnings events,
GlobeNewswire®, we added innovative GlobeNewswire has become the trusted
accessible IR websites and a
technology to create the most modern platform for building trust and influence. whistleblower hotline.
storytelling platform that allows public
Target the right audience with our verified
relations, investor relations and marketing With Notified, you get the most modern
media database, then let our world-class storytelling platform that’s trusted and
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you gain deeper insights and efficiently
and supported by a global team to stay
It starts with GlobeNewswire. For more keep track of conversations—from online ahead in a rapidly changing, fragmented
than 30 years, GlobeNewswire has been and broadcast to print and social media.
world.
the trusted press release distribution and Increase your impact and refine messages
regulatory filing service to leading with tools that help you better At Notified, your story goes here – learn
organizations around the world. understand results across audience more today.
Communicators rely on this robust sentiment, share of voice and messages
platform to easily distribute that resonate—helping you make better
decisions faster.

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 Onclusive is a world leader Monitoring
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Global CommTech Report 2024 — Purposeful Relations

Authors
Stuart Bruce
Please get in touch with PR Futurist

the report authors

Stuart Bruce and Tim
Bailey to discuss:
• Consultancy and advisory to help
you and your team with AI,
technology, data and
measurement.
• Keynote speeches at public
conferences and in-house events.
• Media interviews, commentary Stuart Bruce Tim Bailey
and articles. PR Futurist Digital Futurist
• Guest interviews on podcasts stuart@purposefulrelations.com tim@purposefulrelations.com
and videos. @stuartbruc.biz @timbaileypr.bsky.social
• Participation in webinars. @stuartbruce @timbailey

twitter facebook linkedin instagram

icon 7 icon icon icon
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Methodology
The research is published under a The research was conducted between July
Creative Commons. Please credit 2024 and September 2024. It was an
Purposeful Relations as the source in all online survey conducted using the
uses. Microsoft Forms tool.

Global CommTech Research 2024 © 2024 161 public relations and communications
by Purposeful Relations Ltd is licensed professionals were surveyed from Africa,
under Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North
International. America and South America.
To view a copy of this license, visit
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ Respondents were recruited via an article
in PRovoke, email and social media
(primarily LinkedIn and Twitter). It was
sent to a community of public relations
and communication professionals in the
networks of Purposeful Relations, its co-
founder Stuart Bruce and our partners.

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Demographics In which part of the world are you based?

Western Europe 43%
Which best describes your title and
experience? Eastern Europe 24%

North America 11%

Management level 39%

Middle East and Africa 7%

Leadership level 55%

India 6%
Entry Level 6%
Asia and Pacific 3%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

How many people work in the Central and South America 4%

communications/public relations team? 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

51 plus 14%
Where do you currently work?
31 to 50 4%
Comms agency/consultancy 34%
21 to 30 5%
Other 19%
10 to 20 16%

Less than 10 60% In-house/Client side 47%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

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AI Disclosure and Tools

Colophon Images
AI Tools Used Comic panel images were created using
Images generated using AI via Plugger.ai Analysis Plugger.ai
Fonts Source Sans 3 and Roboto Slab. Data analysis was by the Purposeful
Relations team who also used Perplexity, Audio
Data collected with Microsoft Forms Copilot and Google NotebookLM to create Audio summary generated using Google
summaries and identify patterns. Afforai NotebookLM.
Report set in Microsoft PowerPoint.
and SaveDay were used to extract
Graphs created using Microsoft Excel. information from other reports and
Written and designed by Purposeful research.
Relations. Copy
All of the copy was written by the
Purposeful Relations team. AI tools were
used for inspiration, checking and
improvement. Tools used were CoPilot,
Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude and Groq.

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Useful Reports
Purposeful Relations PwC
uses a wide range of Global Workforce Hopes and Fears 2024
reports, research and prrl.uk/CYhbL
analysis to guide its
work with clients. CIPR
State of the Profession 2024
These are some of the prrl.uk/r0ePr
reports we found
useful while Thompson Reuters
producing the Global Future of Professionals Report 2024
CommTech Report and prrl.uk/PxJJ7
survey.
Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute
The 2024 State of Marketing AI Report
prrl.uk/jufvk

Multiverse
Skills Intelligence Report 2024
prrl.uk/tHUBA

Global CommTech Report 2024 # GlobalCommTechReport 67

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