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Why Strategic PR Is Your Brand's AI Competitive Advantage

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Monday, September 22nd 2025 at 10:08 GMT by Forbes
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Strategic PR: Your Brand’s AI Competitive Advantage
Forbes Communications Council – 22 September 2025

In an age where artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a novelty but a core operating principle, the old adage “public relations is a soft‑skill” has been rewritten. The Forbes Communications Council piece, “Why Strategic PR Is Your Brand’s AI Competitive Advantage,” argues that PR isn’t just a supporting function—it’s now a lever that can unlock the full commercial potential of AI for any brand that embraces it.

1. The AI‑PR Symbiosis

The article opens by contextualising AI as the “new backbone” of modern communications. While many companies deploy AI to power e‑commerce, recommendation engines, or customer service chatbots, fewer have realised that the same intelligence can be leveraged inside PR to create sharper narratives, faster crisis response, and a more authentic connection with audiences.

A key point is that AI can transform every stage of a PR campaign:

The article’s author (a Forbes Communications Council member with 15 years in PR) emphasises that the speed and precision gains delivered by AI enable PR teams to move from “reactive” to “proactive” in real time.

2. Three AI Tools That Drive PR Value

The piece highlights three specific AI tools that are now indispensable to a strategic PR workflow.

a) Natural Language Generation (NLG)

NLG platforms, such as OpenAI’s GPT‑4 or the newer GPT‑5 (available to enterprise users), allow PR professionals to auto‑generate press releases, FAQ sections, and even thought‑leadership blogs. The author cites a case study from a mid‑tier tech company that cut its content‑creation cycle from two weeks to 48 hours by feeding the NLG model brand‑specific guidelines and a handful of data points. The resulting output was indistinguishable from a seasoned human copywriter, but the team could then focus on strategy and creative refinement.

b) Media‑Listening & Predictive Analytics

AI‑enhanced listening tools (e.g., Brandwatch, Meltwater, and newer “AI‑first” competitors) now offer sentiment‑scoring, trend‑prediction, and “event‑forecast” capabilities. The Forbes article links to a Hootsuite‑sponsored white‑paper that demonstrates how brands can set up AI‑based “early‑warning systems” that flag negative sentiment spikes 24 hours before they become headlines. This proactive signal gives PR teams the leverage to issue clarifications or coordinate with product teams before the damage escalates.

c) Automated Reputation Management (ARM)

ARM is the frontier where AI, PR, and brand‑trust converge. The article cites a partnership between a consumer‑goods giant and a startup that uses reinforcement learning to adjust the tone of brand responses in real time. When a tweet triggers a potential PR crisis, the system recommends a response style that aligns with the brand’s personality and past engagement metrics, all while ensuring compliance with regulatory constraints.

3. Real‑World Examples of AI‑Enabled PR

The author weaves through several concrete stories to illustrate how AI is turning PR into a strategic advantage:

These examples underscore that the competitive edge doesn’t come from any AI tool but from integrating the right AI capabilities into a holistic PR strategy.

4. The Human‑AI Collaboration Imperative

A recurring theme in the article is that AI is an augmentation rather than a replacement. While generative models can churn out drafts, human intuition is still needed to:

1. Vet brand tone and messaging – AI may misinterpret subtle cultural nuances, so PR teams must keep a final check on “voice consistency.”
2. Navigate regulatory landscapes – In heavily regulated industries (pharma, finance), human oversight ensures that AI‑generated content complies with industry standards.
3. Maintain storytelling authenticity – Audiences increasingly value narrative depth; AI should accelerate the research phase, not dictate the story arc.

The author encourages PR leaders to embed AI fluently in the workflow by hiring AI‑savvy PR analysts, cross‑training copywriters in data science fundamentals, and establishing a governance framework that balances speed, compliance, and creativity.

5. Building an AI‑Enabled PR Department

The article’s “how‑to” section offers a step‑by‑step roadmap for brands ready to transform PR into an AI‑driven competitive moat:

1. Audit Existing Processes – Map out which PR functions are repetitive and data‑heavy.
2. Identify High‑Impact AI Opportunities – Prioritise NLG for high‑volume content, listening for crisis early detection, ARM for reputation.
3. Pilot with a Controlled Campaign – Run a small‑scale AI‑driven campaign (e.g., a product launch) and measure key metrics: turnaround time, sentiment, stakeholder engagement.
4. Iterate & Scale – Use the pilot data to refine algorithms, train custom models on brand‑specific corpora, and then roll‑out across departments.
5. Invest in Continuous Learning – AI models evolve; PR teams must keep learning new tools, attend industry forums (e.g., Forbes Communications Council), and stay abreast of AI ethics best practices.

A practical recommendation from the author is to adopt an “AI‑first” mindset: before deciding on a PR strategy, ask “how can AI accelerate or enrich each component?”

6. The Competitive Edge: AI as a PR Differentiator

The crux of the Forbes article is that the brands that win in 2025 are those that treat PR as a data‑driven, AI‑enabled function rather than a peripheral cost centre. By leveraging AI, PR teams can:

• Scale messaging – Reach thousands of media outlets with customised angles in a fraction of the time.
• Improve targeting – Use AI to discover micro‑segments that might otherwise be invisible to traditional market research.
• Mitigate risk – Predict and neutralise reputational threats before they hit the headlines.
• Elevate brand perception – Consistently align messaging across global markets while maintaining local relevance.

In a marketplace where the pace of change is measured in hours rather than months, strategic PR powered by AI becomes a competitive moat that can be monetised, measured, and defended.

7. Takeaway

The Forbes Communications Council article closes with a rallying call: PR is no longer an “ad‑hoc” function; it’s the fulcrum on which the value of AI is realised. The brands that embed AI into their PR pipelines today will not only enjoy faster, smarter communications; they will also be better positioned to shape the narrative, build trust, and ultimately outperform rivals who treat PR as a legacy function.

If you’re a PR professional, marketing strategist, or C‑suite executive looking to stay ahead, the next logical step is to evaluate how your organisation can integrate AI into every PR touchpoint—because, as the article makes clear, the future of brand communication is already written in code.