The Public Relations Machine is Dead
The marketing playbook most brands use has a dirty secret. Its DNA is not just clever slogans; it is a direct descendant of 20th-century mass persuasion. Its origins lie in propaganda.
This model was designed for a world that no longer exists – a world of information scarcity and powerful gatekeepers. Today, that world has been shattered, yet many brands are still operating as if nothing has changed, wondering why their message is not landing.
The old Public Relations machine is dead. Here is why it broke, what replaced it, and the new, actionable playbook for building relevance and trust.
We explored this further in a short 5-minute video. You can take a look here.
A Golden Age for Gatekeepers
To understand why the old model is failing, we must recognise the world it was built for. Early Public Relations pioneers like Edward Bernays masterfully applied psychological principles to commerce. In a now-famous campaign, he did not just sell bacon; he sold the idea of the “hearty American breakfast” to help a client in the pork industry. He manufactured a cultural habit.
This became the blueprint. For decades, with only a handful of TV channels and major publications, brands with big budgets could dominate the conversation. Companies like Procter & Gamble and Unilever became titans by hammering simple, reductive messages through these controlled pipes. If you had the budget, you owned the narrative. Control was the game.
The Ground Cracks
Then, the internet happened. Followed by social media. Cheap publishing tools put a printing press in everyone’s pocket. The gatekeepers lost their power. Suddenly, brands were not just broadcasting; they were being discussed, reviewed, memed and criticised in real-time by millions. The monologue became a chaotic, global dialogue. The model of controlling the message became obsolete.
Consider the music industry of the late 90s. The major record labels operated like the old titans of control. They were the gatekeepers – they decided who got a record deal, what was played on the radio and whose music video was shown on MTV. Their brand story was one of untouchable, polished stardom, manufactured and broadcast to a passive audience.
When platforms like Napster, and later YouTube and Spotify, emerged, the labels’ first reaction was not to adapt, but to litigate. They tried to sue the new world out of existence, failing to see that the public now craved direct access, authenticity and control over their own consumption. Their failure to adapt their narrative from “we tell you what’s cool” to “we connect you with artists you’ll love” cost them a decade of dominance and relevance.
In contrast, legacy brands in other sectors adapted masterfully. Nike evolved from selling shoe technology to selling stories of human potential, using iconic athletes to embody the “Just Do It” ethos. Red Bull does not sell a drink; it sells the adrenaline of extreme sports, becoming a media powerhouse that happens to have a product. They understood the new rule: sell an identity, an experience, a story – not just a spec sheet.
The New Playbook
This evolution paved the way for a new breed of brands, built with direct, human-centric communication at their core. They do not just participate in media; they are the media. Their success provides a clear, actionable playbook for any brand today.
1. Become Your Own Media Company.
Stop thinking of content as a promotion; treat it as a product. The goal is to build a direct, owned channel to your audience that you do not have to repeatedly pay for. LEGO is a world-class example. They do not just sell bricks; they run a massive media ecosystem including feature films, hit YouTube channels, video games and magazines. They create worlds their audience wants to live in, making the product an integral part of a much larger story.
2. Surface Real Humans, Not Spokespeople.
In a world saturated with polish, authenticity is the new premium. The most resonant voice for your brand is often not a Public Relations firm, but your founder, a passionate engineer or a customer. Gymshark, a billion-dollar apparel brand, was famously started by Ben Francis on YouTube – he built a community by sharing his fitness journey authentically, long before he had a massive marketing budget. Trust is built between people, not between people and logos.
3. Build Communities, Not Just Audiences.
An audience is passive. A community is an active network you engage with. Patagonia has built one of the strongest communities in the world, not by relentlessly pushing their jackets but by championing a shared value: environmental activism. They host events, fund documentaries and organise initiatives that allow their community to participate in the brand’s mission, creating fierce loyalty that advertising could never buy.
4. Embrace Strategic Authenticity.
This is not an instruction to force your CEO onto TikTok if that is not your brand’s world. It’s about strategically identifying where your brandʼs human element can genuinely provide value and connect. It is about depth over breadth. A raw, insightful LinkedIn article from a founder can be infinitely more powerful than a slick, impersonal ad campaign. Find the platforms where your people are, and engage in a way that feels native and real.
From Control to Connection
The old Public Relations machine, built for a world of control and top-down influence, is a relic. Clinging to it is a recipe for irrelevance.
The future of brand-building does not lie in bigger budgets for press releases or more aggressive ad buys. It lies in the brave, consistent and authentic work of building direct relationships. The conveyor belt has been replaced by a network. It is chaotic, but it is human. Brands that learn to embrace that humanity – to empower their people, own their narratives and build genuine communities – will not just survive. They will define what comes next.
Written by Sage Dillon, Rogue Divisions
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