One of the most interesting conversations I’ve had recently was with Emmanuel Probst, Global Lead of Brand Growth and Thought Leadership at Ipsos, on The Brandinc PR Podcast.
We discussed a question that feels especially relevant for PR professionals:
What makes a brand truly matter?
Not trendiness.
Not media volume.
Not even short-term sales spikes.
But meaning. Relevance. Transformation.
A few themes that stood out to me:
- Brands that fail to evolve eventually lose relevance
- Perception often drives behavior more than objective truth
- Data and storytelling are not opposites, they’re partners
As PR practitioners, we sit at the intersection of reputation, perception, and cultural context. That gives us a unique opportunity to influence brand transformation, not just campaign performance.
I’m curious:
Are you being brought into brand conversations early enough to influence transformation?
Or are we still too often positioned as tactical amplifiers?
Would love to hear how this shows up in your agency or in-house experience.
(For anyone interested, the full episode is available on all major streaming platforms.)