The role of public relations (PR) consultants is increasingly shifting from merely executing communications to a measurable strategic function. A study by the Asosiasi Perusahaan Public Relations Indonesia (APPRI) together with Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya shows that nearly 100 percent of respondent companies need reputation management, while around 75 percent need market intelligence.

The study, titled “Tren Belanja Jasa PR dan Optimisme terhadap Industri PR di Tahun 2026”, involved 24 companies from 19 sectors. In addition to reputation management and market intelligence, around 60 percent of respondents need integrated marketing communication and 35 percent need advocacy support.

These findings show that expectations of PR consultants are expanding, covering reputation, stakeholder, issue and crisis management, intelligence, and more concrete contributions to organizations. In fact, 25 percent of respondents identified Return on Investment (ROI) as the ultimate impact expected from communications and PR activities.

However, communications measurement practices remain a challenge. Only 36 percent of respondents conduct measurements regularly. A total of 32 percent conduct measurements only when a project or campaign is underway, while another 32 percent have not yet measured communications success.

Ketua Umum APPRI, Sari Soegondo, said the situation shows the need for the industry to move from measuring outputs to outcomes and impact.

“Pengguna jasa konsultan PR menuntut pencapaian lebih jauh dari hanya sekadar output. Studi APPRI menyebutkan bahwa 25 persen pengguna jasa menginginkan Return on Investment sebagai bagian dari indikator keberhasilan kerja PR,” ujar Sari.

APPRI also plans to strengthen guidelines for measuring PR success by referring to the framework of the Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC). The step is considered important amid demands for PR to become increasingly innovative and integrated, and to be able to contribute to business growth.

The model brings together senior PR consultants with capabilities in media planning and buying, digital marketing, KOL and creator strategy, creative development, analytics, and technology-driven business transformation.

Photo: Prologue

CEO Prologue Indonesia, Dody Siregar, believes that communications integration is not merely about combining various services within one company, but about ensuring that all activities are based on a shared understanding of the business, stakeholders, and risks.

“Persoalannya bukan apakah perusahaan harus memilih PR atau digital, earned media atau paid media, tapi apakah riset, reputasi, kreativitas, distribusi, dan evaluasi dibangun berdasarkan satu pemahaman mengenai bisnis, stakeholder, dan risiko,” kata Dody.

According to him, integration must also maintain boundaries between editorial and commercial functions, including the independence of reporting, transparency of paid content, and clarity of relationships with creators.

Meanwhile, developments in artificial intelligence (AI) are also changing how the communications industry works. The technology is beginning to be used to support research, monitoring, conversation mapping, data analysis, and the development of early warning systems for issues and reputation risks.

Prologue is developing the “Human Wisdom + AI Intelligence” approach, with AI used to expand human capabilities in processing information and identifying patterns, while interpretation of context, stakeholders, risks, and ethics, as well as decision-making, remains with humans.

These changes are taking place amid increasing digital advertising spending. We Are Social estimates that Indonesia’s total advertising spending in 2025 will reach US$6,97 billion, up 5,3 percent year on year. Around 52 percent, or US$3,64 billion, is allocated to digital channels. Social media advertising spending grew 11,3 percent, while influencer marketing increased 14,4 percent.

On the industry side, optimism about the prospects for PR is also fairly high. The APPRI study records that 52 percent of respondents are very optimistic and 36 percent optimistic about the growth of the PR sector over the next three to five years. Contributing factors include increasing demand for reputation management, the complexity of issues and crises, technological and data developments, as well as regulatory and accountability requirements.

Nevertheless, this optimism needs to be accompanied by increased consultant capacity, particularly in technology, data, strategic advisory, innovation, and impact measurement.

PR practitioner and PR Director Prologue, Adam Rinaldi, said experience remains the foundation of strategic PR, but must continually be updated with new competencies and approaches.

“Pengalaman harus diuji kembali, dilengkapi data, dan dipertemukan dengan kompetensi baru,” ujar Adam.

With changing client needs and an increasingly complex communications landscape, the PR industry is required not only to generate publications or exposure, but also to demonstrate contributions to an organization’s reputation, trust, and business objectives. (Henry)