Meltwater in partnership with We. Communications, released its first annual State of PR Report , a global study examining how PR and communications teams are planning, prioritising and adapting amid increasing scrutiny and resource constraints.
The report revealed a lack of resources and proving return on investment (ROI) as the top challenges for PR professionals, while 40 per cent of organisation’s leaders have a limited understanding of their PR team’s work.
Based on insights from over 1,100 PR and communications professionals worldwide the State of PR Report highlights a widening gap between the expectations placed on PR teams and structures available to support them. Across organisations, communicators are being asked to demonstrate clearer business impact at a time when budgets remain stagnant and workloads continue to expand.
The report identifies three key areas defining the modern challenge
Insufficient resources remain the top challenge, 24 per cent of PR professionals cite a lack of resources as their top challenge; with nearly 70 per cent of budgets expected to stay the same or decrease. As a result, Generative AI has emerged as a vital efficiency tool, with the majority of respondents noting it is either somewhat (42.1 per cent) or highly integrated (13.3 per cent) into their daily tasks. Though adoption is high, approximately one-quarter of respondents express concern that AI could reduce the need for human talent, potentially shrinking budgets further.
Measurement continues to fall short of leadership expectations, 21 per cent of PR professionals struggle to measure ROI and prove business impact, often relying on activity-based metrics such as media placements and reach, despite growing pressure to link PR to business outcomes. In fact, more than one-third (34.7 per cent) of PR professionals struggle to align metrics with business KPIs, while over a quarter (27.8 per cent) cite proving PR’s value to leadership as a major challenge.
The C-Suite Disconnect. Leaders in 40 per cent of organisations do not have a strong grasp of their PR team’s activity. Meanwhile, executive leadership is the top department communicators say they want more involvement from (23.1 per cent).
While the findings reflect global sentiment, they carry particular relevance for organisations operating across APAC, where PR teams often support multiple markets, fragmented media environments and complex reporting structures. As businesses in the region navigate economic uncertainty and heightened reputational risk, PR functions are increasingly expected to operate as strategic partners.
However many remain constrained by limited resources and legacy measurement frameworks that continue to prioritise activity-based indicators such as volume and reach, rather than outcomes which senior leaders use to guide decisions.
This underscores a growing need for outcome-driven measurement, such as indicators that reflect message effectiveness, executive visibility, sentiment and clearer alignment between communications activity and organisational priorities.
“For organisations operating across APAC, these findings aren’t surprising – they actually highlight a pressing reality,” said David Hickey executive director APAC at Meltwater. “Communications teams are being tasked with building trust, managing reputation and supporting growth across complex markets – yet many are still measured against outdated metrics that fail to capture their strategic value.”
“It’s time for organisations to recognise the leadership role that communications now plays. To manage risk and reputation in real time, PR must be fully aligned with business priorities — not only to ensure consistent storytelling, but to influence decisions at the highest level. That means moving beyond activity-based measurement and adopting outcome-driven metrics that reflect the real impact of communications on brand equity and business performance.”
Melissa Waggener Zorkin global CEO of We. Communications, said the report also points to the need for a pivotal shift in how communicators measure success, as AI solutions can now link communications activity to reputation outcomes and enterprise value. “PR pros do a great job measuring activity, but we’re seeing a missed opportunity when it comes to measuring impact. We now have sophisticated AI solutions that connect communications to reputation and business value in clear, quantifiable ways, giving communicators the data they need to show organisation leaders how their work drives real results.”
