In a world where data is the new currency, the marketing landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. As the industry shifts towards more sophisticated accountability frameworks, PR has found itself lagging behind in terms of measurement infrastructure. This gap is becoming increasingly harder to ignore, prompting agencies like Golin to re-examine their approach and invest in data and analytics capabilities.
The importance of data in the marketing ecosystem cannot be overstated. As clients become increasingly demanding, PR agencies must adapt to meet their needs. One such agency is Golin, which has been taking steps to integrate more predictive planning tools into its campaign strategy and expand its data and analytics capability across markets. At the heart of this transformation is Jonny Bentwood, who leads Golin’s global data and analytics function. With over a decade of experience working across the agency’s international accounts, Bentwood oversees how data is used to shape strategy, planning, and measurement across markets. His focus is on moving analytics upstream, away from wrap reports and into the earliest stages of campaign development. “We need to move away from vanity metrics like impressions and false metrics like AVE,” Bentwood argues. “Instead, we should focus on outcomes that connect more directly to business objectives.” These outcomes can include sales, purchase intent, search behaviour, web visits, app downloads, and more. Regional Considerations
For agencies operating in Asia-Pacific, the challenge is compounded by market-level disparities in data access and platform behaviours. Golin has developed a regional analytics structure built around flexibility, acknowledging these differences rather than forcing global consistency. “At its centre is the Creative Intelligence Unit—a team combining analytics, insight, and creative strategy—tasked with embedding data earlier in the campaign process,” Bentwood explains. “Earlier this year, that model was expanded with the launch of Spark, an AI incubator designed to support regional teams in integrating generative technologies into research and planning.”
Client Expectations
The shift in client expectations is also significant. Clients are no longer satisfied with simply measuring brand awareness or reaching a wider audience. Instead, they want to know whether PR work contributes to measurable shifts in purchase behaviour, intent, or action. “We need to move past volume-based metrics and focus on outcomes that connect more directly to business objectives,” Bentwood emphasizes. “This could be sales, purchase intent, search behaviour, web visits, app downloads, and more.”
Measuring Social and Owned Media Performance
Beyond individual campaigns, Golin is also working with clients to improve baseline measurement infrastructure. For instance, Bentwood’s team is advising a major healthcare brand in the region on how to analyse social and owned media performance over time, with a view to moving beyond short-term content metrics and identifying what actually shifts audience behaviour. Quote
“I like to say ‘follow the data’,” Bentwood says. “Some of the best insights I have found happen when I don’t succumb to confirmation bias—looking for a data point that backs up the finding I hope to show—or anchor bias, stopping after finding the first insight. That’s especially common when people use ChatGPT.”
Influencer Marketing
The evolution of influencer marketing is also significant. Clients are increasingly interested in longer-term performance indicators rather than short-term spikes in reach. Golin measures true earned influence by looking at long-term impact metrics like brand loyalty, sentiment shifts, purchase intent, brand lift, and conversion rates. Embracing Generative AI
The evolution of generative AI also presents a new consideration: discoverability. As large language models influence how content is sourced, surfaced, and cited, Golin is beginning to treat AI visibility as an earned channel in its own right. “How can we make sure that gen AI is recommending them?” Bentwood asks. “PR historically consisted of media relations and influencer relations. Now we have a third leg to our stool and have gen AI relations. Gen AI loves long-form content, and the places it goes to help make its answers over 90% of the time is earned media—and who knows earned media better than a PR agency?”
The Future of Earned Media
Looking ahead, the challenge for Golin—and for the industry more broadly—is to make data-driven planning scalable. While clients increasingly expect measurement to go beyond reporting, the infrastructure and fluency required to deliver on that varies by region, team, and brief. Striking the balance between global consistency and local relevance remains a work in progress. “You can throw fifty charts into a slide deck and still miss the point,” Bentwood says. “Six words and a picture help give focus where 50 slides create confusion.” By embracing data and analytics, Golin is poised to redefine the future of earned media in a data-driven world.
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