The pigeonhole that’s trapping PR in the past

Research consistency shows a trend towards one-stop shop agencies or specialists. TrinityP3’s Darren Woolley argues the PR label may be holding many agencies back.

If you want to find a PR agency in 2026, you might need to stop looking under the “P” section of the directory.

According to our recent TrinityP3 2025 New Business Report, we are witnessing a fundamental “great agency realignment”. But while the big networks are merging like galaxies in a slow-motion car crash, a more subtle tragedy is unfolding: the PR agency is being ghosted by its own name.

The data is clear: marketers and brands are hungry for specialists.

We have seen the share of unbundled PR and social pitches triple in 2025, jumping from 3.3% to a significant 9.1% of the service mix. On the surface, this looks like a win for the communications crowd. More pitches, more money, more lunch meetings, right?

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