Davis+Gilbert Release 2025 Public Relations Industry Trends Report

The report provides a comprehensive look at financial performance, artificial intelligence usage and adoption, client service offerings, staffing strategies, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, and the 2026 outlook. This year, we also added a new section highlighting key areas of misalignment between strategy and execution, and provided actionable recommendations and a blueprint for closing performance gaps.  

Some highlights found in the report include:

1. Financial Performance: After years of steady growth and transformation, this year’s data reveals a marked shift in sentiment and performance, with the lowest percentage of firms expecting to increase revenue or profits since 2021. 
2. Artificial Intelligence: Survey results showed that 99% of firms now use AI, with 79% of firms leveraging it for written content creation.
3. DEI:  Only 21% of firms reported increasing the number of employees from historically underrepresented groups.
4. M&A Market Insights: M&A activity slowed overall in the first 9½ months of 2025, but has rebounded in the last 3 months. Based on current tailwinds, we anticipate a robust finish to 2025, with momentum carrying into the first half of 2026.

You can access their full report here.