PR victories in 2025 marked a pivotal chapter for the public relations industry. Agencies and communications teams alike navigated a complex environment characterized by economic pressure, rapid technological change and growing expectations for brands to communicate with authenticity and transparency. Despite these challenges, the industry demonstrated remarkable resilience, proving that strategic storytelling and strong media engagement remain powerful drivers of brand growth and reputation management.
Across the public relations industry, teams leaned into earned media strategies, data-driven storytelling and emerging AI tools to deliver measurable results for clients. Organizations also became more agile in how they structured campaigns, blending traditional media relations with social-first storytelling, creator partnerships and digital amplification.
This review celebrates those victories while also offering insights into the strategies that will likely shape the future of public relations.
PR Victories and Pitch Wins: Building Momentum in a Challenging Landscape
2025 saw PR agencies secure high-profile clients through innovative pitches, reflecting the industry’s pivot toward project-based work and AI-enhanced propositions. According to PR Moment’s analysis, the year was tough with stagnant economies and rising costs, yet adaptive firms thrived.
- Hope & Glory began the year by securing the Oxfam account in January. That same month, M&C Saatchi won the National Lottery Operator account while Hanover secured Budweiser Brewing Group.
- Momentum continued into February with Burson winning Nomad Foods and Ketchum landing LinkedIn.
- In March, Fleishman Hillard added Capgemini to its roster while The Romans secured Papa Johns.
- April’s standouts included another win for The Romans with Pladis Global’s snack brands like McVities and Blurred for Heineken UK.
- In May, Smarts clinched People’s Postcode Lottery, while June saw Weber Shandwick Collective take Mars’ global snacking and pet care.
- In July, UPRAISE, an rbb Communications company, secured the enterprise communications company Avaya and announced its partnership with Databricks to deliver enterprise-grade AI governance and security at scale through its Infinity platform.
- Brands2Life captured attention in August with the Lidl account, and September’s wins encompassed Splendid for Singapore Tourist Board and Folk for Nationwide Building Society.
- October featured Axe+Saw for Vinted and MHP Group for Airbus.
- November included Burson for Warbutons and Ogilvy for Samsung.
- The year closed with strong momentum. In December, Ready10 added Carling and The Romans continued their streak with Puma and Doritos.
Mergers and acquisitions also reshaped the communications landscape in 2025 as agencies expanded capabilities across data analytics, digital strategy and integrated marketing services.
Stagwell kicked off the year with the January acquisitions of Unicepta and Create Group. Publicis then acquired BR Media Group and rbb Communications expanded its B2B tech arm with the acquisition of UPRAISE PR in February. In March, The Hoffman Agency added CCGroup to its portfolio.
Additional deals included WPP’s acquisition of InfoSum in April, Stakked’s purchase of Radioactive in May and Brave Bison’s acquisition of Mark Ritson’s MiniMBA program in June. July saw Real Chemistry acquire Greater Than One.
Later in the year, TEAM LEWIS acquired Instinctif in September, Headland purchased Bladonmore in October and Omnicom finalized its acquisition of Interpublic in November.
Industry consolidation continues to play a key role in scaling PR agencies and expanding integrated communications capabilities. Industry analyses suggest that agencies offering broader service portfolios tend to achieve significantly higher client retention rates.
Award-Winning Excellence: Honoring Top Performers
Industry awards continued to highlight the campaigns and leaders pushing the public relations profession forward.
- PR Daily’s 2025 Awards celebrated outstanding achievements across the communications landscape, with Gregory named Agency of the Year for its innovative campaigns.
- Stephanie Shaw of 7-Eleven earned Executive of the Year, while Jodi Einhorn from Havas Red was PR Professional of the Year.
- The Ulta Beauty PR Team earned PR Team of the Year and young professionals like Bree Devita of Maverick Public Relations were recognized for fresh perspectives.
- Campaign accolades showcased the diversity and creativity of the industry as Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s “Global Health Can’t Wait” won PR and Nonprofit Campaign of the Year.
- Yahoo Communications received recognition in the AI-Use of category and The Bliss Group x West Monroe received recognition in the B2B Campaign category.
- O’Malley Hansen’s Graeter’s Skyline Spice Ice Cream campaign won the B2C category and Bospar’s tariff response strategy won the Branding category.
UPRAISE and rbb Communications were also recognized for their impact across the communications industry. Over the past year, UPRAISE earned four major honors, including:
- An honorable mention in the PR Daily Content Marketing Awards for the media relations campaign supporting NextRoll’s privacy-first advertising initiatives.
- MarCom Award for the Girl Scouts of Northern California Public Relations Program and a PR Daily Award for the Girl Scouts of Northern California media relations campaign.
- Additionally, Vice President Katie Jewett was named to Ragan’s 2025 class of Top Women in Communications.
The agency also supported clients through strategic awards programs, with one of the most successful efforts in 2025 being for AdRoll, which secured 10 industry awards in a single year.
rbb Communications continued to earn recognition across major industry rankings.
- The firm was named to the PR News Agency Elite Top 100 and ranked #146 in PRovoke Media’s Global Top 250 PR Agency Rankings.
- rbb also ranked #82 globally and #68 in the U.S. in the PRWeek Agency Business Report and #44 among overall Top PR Firms in O’Dwyer’s rankings.
- Regionally, rbb placed #2 among Miami firms, #3 in Florida and #9 in the Southeast, while also ranking across numerous specialty sectors, including Energy, Professional Services, Travel and Hospitality, Sports, Nonprofits, Healthcare, Technology and Food and Beverage.
These wins highlight a key industry lesson. The most successful PR campaigns combine creative storytelling, audience insights and measurable impact.
Standout Moments: Creative Triumphs and Crisis Wins
Some of the most memorable PR moments of 2025 came from brands navigating challenging situations with creativity and transparency.
For example, the Mach 1 Group highlighted several standout initiatives and campaigns, including Astronomer’s campaign featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, which successfully pivoted from a viral scandal to refocus attention on the company’s core messaging. The effort demonstrated how agile crisis communications can help stabilize a brand during reputational challenges. The company’s “LegiSLAY” hat initiative also generated goodwill during legislative sessions, illustrating PR’s power to build connections and strengthen stakeholder relationships.
Turo also earned recognition for its empathetic response to New Year’s Day vehicle incidents, led by CEO statements emphasizing safety and accountability, an example of textbook crisis PR.
Aldi’s employee pay announcements helped position the brand as an industry leader in workforce investment. Marks & Spencer drove strong media coverage around sales updates that highlighted resilience in the retail sector.
Apple generated headlines in February with a sharp response to criticism of its European app policies. The company’s messaging reframed the narrative and positioned Apple as a defender of innovation.
Other standout moments included Lidl earning recognition as the UK’s cheapest supermarket, Asda launching popular meal deals and South West Water introducing AI trials to improve operations.
These examples demonstrate the continued importance of proactive reputation management and strategic narrative development in modern public relations.
Emerging Trends: What Drove Success in 2025
Industry analysis from Rosica identified several major PR trends that contributed to campaign success.
One of the most significant developments was the growing use of AI tools to support content development, audience insights and campaign planning. The most effective teams paired these technologies with strong human oversight to maintain authenticity and brand voice.
Short-form video continued to dominate engagement across social platforms. Organizations such as The Salvation Army saw strong results with volunteer-driven TikTok content that highlighted real community impact.
Integrated communications strategies also gained traction. Campaigns combining earned media, owned content and paid amplification delivered stronger returns on investment. Personalized email marketing also saw renewed momentum as organizations focused on building stronger relationships with stakeholders.
Across the nonprofit, healthcare and education sectors, mission-driven messaging and social responsibility helped build trust with audiences.
Avoiding pitfalls like outdated search methods or low-value content was key, emphasizing the use of AI in PR to enhance content creation and distribution. A PMC study on PR trends supports this, noting that AI integration correlates with a 30% improvement in engagement metrics.
The takeaway from 2025 is clear. The future of public relations will be defined by teams that combine technology, creativity and authentic storytelling.
Elevate Your PR Game with UPRAISE
As 2025’s victories show, strategic PR drives impact. At UPRAISE, we craft tailored campaigns that secure wins like those above. Reach out to partner with us and turn your story into a triumph.
