[Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series of 2025 PR predictions.]
As 2025 approaches, it pays to take stock of everything that occurred in 2024 and how it could impact the next year of the PR industry. Some friends in the communications world approached PRNEWS with predictions for the coming year in regards to internal communications.
Employee communications will not become any less important in 2025 with potential policy changes and cultural standoffs. The internal is now permanently external and treating employees as stakeholders is paramount for the coming year, as well as a company's reputation.
Bradley Akubuiro, Partner, Bully Pulpit International
Companies will increasingly target their internal stakeholders through external channels, much in the way they do other stakeholders like consumers or policymakers. 2025 will be the year that employee communications leaders begin to see budgets open up for true persuasion campaign efforts.
Aaron Kwittken, CEO & Founder, PRophet
AI-Driven Crisis and Internal Communications: AI will revolutionize crisis and internal comms by leveraging real-time data and game theory to pre-test brand messages and analyze employee sentiment, shaping culture and engagement strategies.
Tina McCorkindale, President and CEO, Institute for Public Relations
Employee engagement and strong internal communication will be a key focus, as will the continued influence and expansion of AI. Even though we have seen some pushback—diversity, equity and inclusion strategies should not diminish in its importance. Companies that fail to prioritize this will be penalized. Overall, 2025 will be a challenging year, requiring communicators to stay true to their core values while being flexible and agile.
Matias Rodsevich, CEO & Founder, PRLab
[There will be a] growing importance of ethical considerations in PR. It reflects a subtle but powerful
shift towards greater corporate responsibility, where taking a stand on social issues and embodying ethical values are becoming central to brand identity. [This includes] senior business leaders speaking publicly about social issues, a focus on the role of ethics in business practices as diversity makes things more fun and interesting.
Aiden Ryan, SVP, Corporate Reputation and Brand Purpose, WE Communications
Turbulent geopolitics, accelerating tech, atomized influence, and a disruptive-by-design executive branch will push companies to reevaluate almost every aspect of their operations.
In-house communicators and their agency partners can help put audiences and impacts at the center of these conversations. Can we meet these sustainability targets? What does "diversity" mean to our employees? What does this sponsorship achieve? What do our growth targets mean for jobs and the environment?
There is significant risk in looking at any of these questions one-dimensionally. To help clients become ready and resilient, we have been conducting 360-degree audits—often in partnership with their outside legal counsel—with an eye towards operations, communications and goals. Together, we evaluate every element for both purpose and risk through a business, legal and regulatory, and reputational lens.”
Nicole Schuman is Managing Editor at PRNEWS.