- What’s in store for PR & Comms in 2026? (Part I)
2026 increasingly seems to be an unusual year. With a raging conflict in the Middle East that menaces global oil and gas supplies (and even food supply chains), global markets waking up to effects of unprecedented trade tariffs, and major leaps in AI tech on a daily basis creating massive swings in productivity (and employment prospects), the PR, Communications and Reputation Management industry too is on the frontlines of change.
What is ahead for communications in the year of the Fire Horse?
Global PR and Communications giant Edelman found the defining factor in communications for 2026 to be “Trust Amid Insularity.” In its global Survey, Edelman found 70% of respondents across 28 nations to be “unwilling to trust individuals who hold different values to theirs, rely on different information sources, and come from different backgrounds.”
In that, the public is withdrawing from reaching out to ‘the others’ and dialoguing with them, opting for the “safety of the familiar/known” and thus choosing nationalism (i.e., insularity) over “global connections and a global mindset.”
For communications and marketing industries, this results in the re-think of brand positioning and related challenges since this is about liking for local brands and distancing from the global brands!
This is a significant shift, especially given that the known trend has been for global mega brands to have a strong grip in the minds of global consumers. The Kantar BrandZ Global Report, NielsenIQ (NIQ), and Deloitte 2026 outlooks highlight this pattern quite well.
The Kantar BrandZ Global Report 2025/2026 showed the world’s Top 100 “most valuable brands” to be reaching a record “combined value” of $10.7 trillion. The US-based global brands now claim 82% of the total value of the Global Top 100, which in 2006 was only 63%!
NielsenIQ (NIQ) and Deloitte 2026 outlooks found 61% preferring global brands that “offer service bundles or extended warranties.” Global brands have an advantage in the preference battle since they have “resources unavailable to smaller local brands” such as lower prices and “24/7 availability”.
It is amid such a backdrop that Edelman’s findings are published. Though it is unlikely that a shift to insularity will change these global numbers overnight, it has begun, posing forward challenges to globalized brands, general brand talk, and PR and communications campaigns.
How can the PR industry face this?
- Using Always On: Proactive, “always on” brand crisis management, rather than regular reports, is now needed. Companies can no longer afford quarterly brand communication updates but need to be constantly plugged into the feedback loops through their PR and Communication agencies.
- Realize that Health and Wellbeing focus is increasingly becoming ‘the focus’: We used to specifically verify the hygiene factor in food products and ignored this when purchasing most other products. It was unusual for us to think of health and well-being when buying a motorbike, for instance. But today, even when purchasing non-food products and services, health and wellbeing have become a central dogma- How does the product impact the “Planetary and Personal Health”? This has become a mandatory concern in consumers’ minds, and brand reputation now hinges on “health of the consumer and environment” more than ever. The feel-good farm-to-fork positioning is now subjected to “Soil-to-Surgery” -Is the food coming from the farm and now on the table, packed with wholesome goodness -or packed with pesticide residue? For non-food products, scrutiny takes place from product to product: Furniture -are they Formaldehyde-free? Personal products: Menstrual pads or patches now use “smart” (e.g., Vivoo) tech to monitor menstrual health. Personal Care products, such as toothpaste: To what level are preservatives used? Vehicles: Ergonomic design of seats, Can Cabin Purification clean viruses? Mobile phones and laptops: Are EMF and radiation levels low? Footwear: Are the inner linings non-toxic? Ceramics: Do the decorations in them contain cadmium or lead? Glass: How well do they form? When transferring from a refrigerator to a microwave, do they shatter? Paper including tissues, napkins, and food wraps: Are they “Low-Dust” paper to avoid asthma or allergies, have chlorine? Pens and Writing Instruments: Do they contain cadmium or lead? “Antimicrobial” coatings are built in (in Post-COVID, “Antimicrobial” coatings are preferred by consumers). Floor Tiles: Does it have ingredients affecting indoor air quality? Do they react to adhesives?
- Localise: Brands may need to localize at least a part of the portfolio to appeal to the regional consumers. Along with the portfolio, brand messaging also needs to be localized, perhaps heavily. IKEA in China sells balcony sets, considering Chinese consumers’ preference to stay on their balconies. IKEA introduced compact, folding table and chair sets, benches with storage, and small-space gardening solutions. L’Oréal India: Hair care products for hair in humid and heavily polluted environments.
- Multi-Channeling: As the Edelman Trust Barometer discovered, the trend is towards nationalism. This is a transition -and in transitions, information distribution gets “restructured.” No longer a singular Press Release to all markets…multiple versions to different segments would be more appropriate. Different campaign formats, in addition to the Press Release (such as propaganda vans in the Sunday market), are needed.
Beyond consumers shifting from a “global” to “domestic” mentality (gaining insularity), there are a few other communication trends that we cannot ignore…
(To Be Continued)
