In 1984, Lori Rosen founded the Rosen Group, a PR firm built around media awareness and thought leadership. Rosen reflects on the past, present, and future of an ever-evolving industry.

We could spend all day (or week or year) discussing how the PR and media landscape has evolved since 1984, but what  has remained constant?

Through all the evolutions of our business over the decades, the core purpose behind public relations has stayed remarkably consistent: generating positive coverage and buzz for clients.  A New York Times profile carried enormous weight in 1984—and it still does today, more than four decades later. And in the same way, the core principles of managing negative news have remained fundamentally unchanged since the beginning of my career. A crisis communications plan hasn’t really changed: be proactive, get ahead of the news, prepare message points, designate a spokesperson and be transparent in your messaging.

In 2026, what role does PR play within the broader marketing mix? Or do you see PR as something separate altogether? 

Public relations is much more integrated into the marketing mix today. This is largely due to social media and the broader emergence of digital. Putting this into historical perspective, media used to be largely relegated to local markets. National outlets reached a broader audience, but shelf life was generally short. For example, if you had a placement in TIME magazine, it was extremely impactful—but readers happened to miss that week’s issue, the opportunity was gone. As media moved online, the impact of coverage gained permanence. Once coverage went online, it became searchable, shareable and able to circulate well beyond its original publication. Social media amplified that reach even further. Today, media coverage is cross-promoted across all platforms, multiplying both reach and impact.

You have a specialty in representing marketing agencies. What advice do you have for marketing industry leaders looking to break through the noise and differentiate themselves?

To stand out, you have to be willing to be bold. Take a stance. Say something no one else is saying. If you’re already an established figure and go-to commentator, you may be able to afford to play it safe. But if your mission is to break through, you have to take risks. Smart and calculated risks, of course. It pays off to be a thoughtful contrarian. Beyond that, as we often say, media begets media. Be open to all kinds of opportunities. When it comes to the audience of a particular outlet, quality often matters more than quantity. Further, follow-through and consistency are also crucial. If you take on a contributor role, make sure you deliver. The benefits compound: the more you show up, the more trust you build with editors and the more you connect with audiences. As a result, your visibility, credibility and impact all grow.

For PR and media, what’s the bigger disruptor: Google in the late 90s or AI today?  

Great question, since there are so many parallels. Google by and large paved the way for the AI landscape as we know it today. But where exactly is AI headed and what will its impacts be? I wish I could tell you. Big picture, if I do my best to zoom out and force myself to choose one: I have to go with AI, when you consider all the ways that AI is changing the way we write, research and ideate, and how media organizations operate, produce content and reach audiences. Google walked so AI could run. Or, let me rephrase: Google walked so AI could fly to the moon and around the solar system. Of course, baked into all of this is a great deal of uncertainty along with obstacles we all have to contend with and navigate through. What I take comfort in is that the principles behind a smart, effective campaign remain constant. Tools and technologies may evolve, but the fundamentals endure—and that’s reason enough for confidence and optimism.

Finally, give us a prediction about the future of PR and/or media.

In the years to come, the media will be…..alive, well and thriving. Despite all the headwinds, journalists are resilient. My bet is we’ll continue to see more viable, independent media businesses and newsletters emerge through platforms like YouTube, Substack, Beehiiv and others that don’t even exist yet. The nature of most things is a pendulum; in five years, many of today’s independent journalists will be brought back into larger newsrooms and publications. It’s also inevitable today’s startups will become tomorrow’s legacy media, while legacy institutions continue to adopt more startup-like models. We’re already seeing that dynamic emerge, with Status, launched in 2024, building out its staff, and The New Yorker launching its own Substack. Together, they offer an encouraging glimpse of what’s ahead for the broader media landscape. Not to mention, news in general is more vital than ever. And big picture, no AI tool can replace a curious, tenacious, truth-seeking journalist. Jeff Zucker recently told the Hollywood Reporter, AI is “not going to meet sources in an underground garage and break stories.” He is right, and that point supports the bullish case for the future of journalism and media. Consider me on board there.