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AI isn’t replacing PR. It’s reshaping it. Insights from AMEC’s North American AI Day reveal that, for B2B communications teams, success now depends on building trust, optimizing for generative engine optimization (GEO), and positioning executives as credible voices across AI-influenced channels.

When Microsoft released its landmark study, Working with AI: Measuring the Applicability of Generative AI to Occupations, detailing the careers most likely to be affected by generative AI, PR specialists landed in the (unfortunate) top 25, ranking a few decimal points worse than geographers and brokerage clerks—and not far behind writers, historians, and translators, who topped the list. 

Who can really argue? After all, three in four PR pros have already incorporated AI into their workflows, according to Muck Rack’s The State of PR 2025 report, up from 28% in 2023. At Greentarget, our team uses one AI tool for trends research and writing support, another for automated notetaking, and still others for reporting and measurement. 

Though AI may not be “replacing” us as many fear, its widespread adoption does beg the question of what the unique value of experienced B2B PR teams will be as traditional search traffic declines, newsrooms lay off staff, and anyone with a laptop can publish AI-generated content. 

To find some answers, I went to the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication’s (AMEC) latest AI Day conference in New York—and discovered that, rather than rendering us redundant, today’s AI-powered business landscape may just make PR more important than ever. 

Here are three key reasons why. 

1. PR pros are the “trust architects” of the AI era 

Hype cycles tend to make ambitious promises, and generative AI is no different. Who needs a PR agency—or a writer, or even a geographer—with this genius-seeming chatbot at your fingertips? 

Plenty of people, it turns out (or I, for one, would not be writing this right now). After all, PR pros have always been in the business of shaping or directing storylines from the swirling flow of news, gossip, data, and rhetoric. Ideally, as the “father of PR” Ivy Lee noted back in 1906, this work occurs out in the open, with accuracy, and in the public interest: if you can’t trust the source, it all falls apart. 

One way of looking at PR’s role, then—especially in a moment where credibility is harder and harder to come by—is as a reliable filter for the deluge of information hitting our inboxes and feeds each and every day. PR pros can tell clients (and their key audiences) what it all means, why it’s important, and how we should engage with this information. 

We can analogize this shift within AI systems themselves. In 2022 and 2023, “prompt engineering” was all the rage: What do we ask the LLM to do to get the desired result? Now, as these tools look to orchestrate an increasing amount of material—from different applications, data sources, research platforms, etc.—it’s all about “context engineering.” If prompt engineering drew on our ability to, say, ask a good interview question, the latter is more akin to providing a briefing book for that interview. 

The bottom line? In the AI era, PR pros become sorely needed trust architects who can cement organizational credibility by contextualizing heaps of data—not only to help their clients rise above the noise, but to help them get the most out of today’s AI tools.

Diagram showing the difference between prompt engineering and context engineering in LLMs.
The differences between prompt engineering and context engineering. PR pros are well-positioned to understand what context to give the model—and what guidance to give clients based on its output. (Source: Anthropic )

2. AI-powered LLMs represent a new audience that PR pros know how to reach 

When the release of ChatGPT made LLMs accessible to anyone with a laptop or phone the doomsdayers soon followed. What’s the point of good ol’ fashioned media relations if a bot can write your pitch and traditional search traffic is on the skids? 

Though as with so many “unprecedented” disruptions, the more things change, the more things stay the same. LLMs have fast become just one more audience that organizations need to reach, albeit a critical one. 

Fortunately, it turns out the bots like a lot of the same things as traditional SEO. Chief among them: earned media attention. As noted in a report from comms specialists Hard Numbers and Onclusive  shared during the AMEC conference, LLMs recommend brands with a strong media footprint up to 80% of the time. 

This is what’s new: to rank in the AI era, organizations must pair earned media efforts with owned content that’s optimized for GEO. Listicles, FAQs, and comparison articles push you higher, which is one reason why I’m writing this article (!). GEO-ready webpages—with clear subheads, summary boxes, credentialing, and structured metadata—only bolster these efforts. 

At the same time, as audiences become more attuned to the look and feel of AI-generated content, we can’t forget the human touch. Human-written content still dominates Google’s top rankings, while professional services firms’ businesses are built on human expertise—that is, no one wants to hire a thought leader who doesn’t have any of their own thoughts. As CARMA’s Insights & Consulting Director Jennifer Sanchis put it at the conference, “The future is personal branding and proof of humanity.” 


To sum up, catching LLMs’ attention still requires a human touch to create and share consistent, differentiated messages across numerous channels in ways that AI bots can easily recognize. PR teams are perfectly suited to do just that. 

3. AI creates new PR opportunities 

AI is also generating new opportunities for PR teams and their clients, according to AMEC AI Day presenters. For instance: 

Messaging around AI itself is a new must-have, particularly for B2B firms. A CARMA UK report discussed at the event highlights a crucial trendline: CEOs, more than academics or media or government, are most responsible for driving positive media narratives about AI benefits. 

That’s a real opportunity for professional services firms, particularly seeing as their clients crave guidance on AI and amid ongoing controversies about AI use in the workplace. Yet while 86% of Fortune 250 CEOs regularly reference AI, only half are viewed as credible, according to a new report. Those who link AI to products, customer outcomes, or workforce re-skilling, however, received sentiment scores that are almost four times higher than their peers. 

LinkedIn is full of untapped potential for B2B executives. There was a lot of talk in the early days of LLMs about the need for executives to get on platforms like Reddit to ensure discoverability. But presenters at AMEC’s AI Day conference took pains to illustrate that LinkedIn has made a comeback: as one recent study shows, LinkedIn is now the most-cited domain for professional queries in AI search. 

Erin Lanuti, Co-Founder and CEO of Lilypath, took it a step further, calling on executives to build their “authority intelligence” on LinkedIn by ensuring that AI can accurately interpret one’s professional credibility on the platform. Interestingly, C-suite executives—even those with robust profiles—are often misclassified, in large part because the LLMs are flooded with too much information and don’t know how to sort it. PR teams can help develop execs’ authority intelligence on LinkedIn, while creating the types of content that can further buttress it. 

Proactive crisis comms may soon become a reality. As representatives from LexisNexis pointed out, the big problem for PR is that it is reactive; AI, on the other hand, is built for prediction. 

What might this entail? Could PR teams, equipped with the right data and AI tools, predict potential crises and help business leaders prepare messaging in advance? 

The LexisNexis speakers say yes—and used the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank as one example. Had SVB’s leadership been able to connect the dots between a constellation of data points—financial filings that showed mounting unrealized losses, credit rating downgrades, a Chief Risk Officer vacancy—they might have had six to 12 months of additional lead time before the failure hit.  

The future of PR may look like a (less Tom Cruise-y) version of Spielberg’s Minority Report, where comms teams can stop, or at least prepare for, crises before they happen. 

From Visibility to Credibility: PR’s Next Chapter

In many ways, AI is doing what every major technological shift has done before it: changing how information is created, distributed, and consumed. But it’s not eliminating the need for PR. It’s just raising the stakes.

For B2B organizations, particularly in complex and high-trust sectors like legal and consulting, visibility alone is no longer enough. The firms that win in the AI era will be those that can shape credible narratives, show up consistently across both human and machine-driven channels, and position their leaders as authoritative voices in an increasingly crowded information ecosystem.

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As law firm financial reporting season kicks into high gear, one of the trickiest money questions legal leaders face today isn’t about profits per partner—it’s where they stand on private equity (PE) investment.

Outside investment in law firms has become a topic the industry can’t ignore as regulatory shifts open a path for private capital into one of the last U.S. professional services businesses long closed to PE. While constraints still limit investment to managed services organizations (MSOs), PE has long been drawn by law firms’ strong profit margins and steady cash flows.

Now, as PE momentum builds, law firm leaders are increasingly feeling the pressure to have a point of view on outside investment even before they have fully aligned on what the trend means for their firms.

Much of the current commentary focuses on what PE could enable: faster transformation, aggressive AI investment, improved operations, and greater financial discipline among others. What receives far less attention is the challenge this environment creates for leadership teams pressured to express a point of view—often in unscripted moments—around a trend that is still forming and affects stakeholders unevenly.

From a communications standpoint, the real issue isn’t whether to embrace or reject PE. It’s that most firms aren’t ready to communicate coherently about it.

The Real Risk: Inadvertent Signaling and Too Many Voices

In this moment, the most common communications misstep is not endorsement of or opposition to private equity investment in law firms. It is imprecise messaging. Even exploratory language can have unintended consequences.

The accounting industry offers us a recent preview of this in practice. Early PE investments certainly didn’t collapse firms, but they did expose strains on firm culture, leadership misalignment, and communication gaps. The firms that navigated the transition best were the ones that articulated early and often what change meant.

Statements intended to convey flexibility— “we don’t have immediate plans to explore private equity investment, but remain open to the possibilities”—can carry very different meanings depending on the speaker and the audience. Even reasonable and non-committal language can trigger internal uncertainty and external speculation.

This challenge is compounded by the number of potential spokespeople within a law firm. Office leaders, practice group leads, and senior partners are routinely asked for their views, often without clarity around what is appropriate to say or what should be deferred.

For relationship partners in particular, this creates potential discomfort and exposure. As competitors confirm PE discussions, law firms should expect clients to ask how their firm is viewing the increasing impact of private equity and the resulting opportunities and impact .

MSO Team Members Interpret Ambiguity as Inevitable Change

Managed services organizations staff are a critical but often overlooked audience. Because MSOs—which allow firms to separate back-office business functions from the provision of professional services—offer a path for outside investment in law firms, even exploratory language about PE interest or discussions can sound like “change is coming” for members of these teams.

In the absence of clear, repeated messaging, silence or ambiguity doesn’t register as neutrality. To MSO staff, it can read like a warning that upheaval lies ahead, signaling the need for preparation, including dusting off the resume.

Leadership teams tend to underestimate two things in moments like this: the amount of repetition required for messages to be absorbed and trusted, and the limitations of email as the preferred delivery method in addressing complex, emotionally charged topics.

Issues tied to control, capital, and culture require cadence, multiple delivery formats, and visible leadership engagement. They also require empowering trusted leaders located within MSO environments to reinforce and contextualize messaging over time. While team members within MSOs may not be regularly visible to leadership, they remain an important element of firm culture driven primarily by the fact that so many C-suite members of firms rely heavily on MSO-based talent to advance their and the firm’s strategic priorities.

Get it wrong and you damage culture; get it right and you build trust.

Clients Are Watching—Even When They’re Not Asking

From the client perspective, third-party investment raises understandable questions. Do the potential upsides, such as PE-backed improvements in technology and operational infrastructure, offset concerns about conflicts of interest or profit-driven decision-making? Or, perhaps even more importantly, does this change what motivates the firm and its partners? In-house counsel have observed historic growth in law firm revenues, profits, and billing rates. Against that backdrop, clients may interpret PE investment as further financial engineering, unless firms clearly articulate how private equity investment supports client outcomes.

Any public or internal commentary should be anchored in the client benefit—particularly where investment supports efficiency, innovation, and evolving client needs. You don’t need to advocate for or against PE involvement, but you do need a clear explanation of how such investments may connect to the work clients care about. Silence, vagueness, or inconsistent messaging risks allowing others to define that narrative and creates an opportunity for competitors to seed confusion and uncertainty.

The Opportunity for CMOs/CMBDOs

This is where communications leaders have a chance to step up.

Private equity isn’t going away. As law firms face intensifying pressure on growth and talent, funds will keep knocking with term sheets and pitch decks. Law firm marketing and business development leaders would be wise to position themselves as stewards of their firms’ involvement in a rapidly evolving, emotionally charged issue that carries different meaning among internal and external stakeholders. After all, these professionals are among the few leaders at the firm positioned at the intersection of clients, partners, talent, and firm strategy. That vantage point creates both responsibility and opportunity.

We suggest focusing on four key elements:

  • Segment Law Firm Audiences Around PE Risk and Opportunity.

Get clear on the various audience segments that are important to the firm (clients, relationship partners, associates, C-suite leaders within the firm, supporting staff members, MSO members, etc.). Analyze current attitudes versus desired perceptions on the opportunities and risks of private equity investment. Identify who requires reassurance versus who requires strategic clarity.

  • Build a Clear, Consensus-Driven Leadership Position.

Law firm CMOs/CMBDOs are in a unique position to drive alignment, perhaps using the upcoming AmLaw financial interviews as a catalyst for these conversations. Leverage this moment as an opportunity to clarify leadership’s current thinking on the advance of private equity within the industry and the messages key audiences need to hear and understand from firm leadership.

  • Anchor PE Messaging in Client Value and Outcomes.

Firms should structure messaging around the client benefit of private equity investment above all other objectives. In an era of record revenue driven largely by continued billing rate increases, clients will be skeptical and wary of PE investment as yet another form of financial engineering to boost profits and compensation. If you cannot clearly articulate how capital improves client outcomes, you probably aren’t ready to discuss it publicly.

  • Empower Relationship Partners and Internal Ambassadors With Consistent Messaging.

While the initial focus should be on a consistent and strategic message from leadership, firms would be wise to trust and empower additional leaders to carry the firm’s message forward. Consistent communication to clients, partners, lateral recruits, associates and supporting staff members delivered by credible, front-line sources will ensure the firm is influencing a narrative that is strategic and proactive.

Turning Discomfort into Credibility

Private equity will keep coming up, regardless of whether individual firms choose to engage. Wait until you’re forced to respond, and you’ll lose control of the conversation.

Firms that prepare early, with thoughtful and consistent messaging, navigate these moments with confidence. Better yet, they demonstrate to clients, partners, and staff that leadership isn’t caught flat-footed. In a time of industry transition, that kind of preparedness builds credibility. And credibility, right now, is currency.

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Greentarget’s Dernae Rowe moderated a panel on AI and energy at COP30 in Brazil, where she also gleaned some important lessons for professional services firms advising energy firms in 2026 and beyond.  

This past November, the 30th session of the UN Climate Conference (COP30) convened in Belém, Brazil. Branded the “COP of Implementation,” it was intended to mark a shift from ambition to action after years of pledges outpacing results. 

Yet by summit’s end, the prevailing sentiment was that progress remains uneven and elusive. The most prominent new initiatives were voluntary, and negotiators did not reach a consensus. Still, the conference saw some notable developments, including a new fund for tropical forest conservation and the modest ‘Belém political package,’ though key ambitions will require continued progress in future negotiations. 

That doesn’t mean COP30 wasn’t worth paying attention to. While it may not have delivered sweeping policy outcomes, it did offer some important intel for lawyers and consultants advising energy companies in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.   

Here are three takeaways. 

Cultivate a Consistent Point of View 

Climate leadership is now judged by execution, not just splashy announcements. 

Recent regulatory rollbacks and political volatility in the U.S. may tempt some companies into taking a more relaxed approach to climate strategy and sustainability. COP30 pushed back on that idea. Even its location was symbolic: After two consecutive conferences hosted by petrostates, this COP was held in Brazil, at the edge of the Amazon, described throughout the conference as “the lungs of the world.” 

Protests from Indigenous groups and civil society highlighted growing impatience with incrementalism and unfulfilled promises, and there was a clear sense that stakeholders—governments, communities, investors, and advocates alike—are done with vague pledges and backsliding. 

For energy companies and their advisors, the implication is that climate strategy must be durable. A point of view that shifts with each administration or market cycle is increasingly seen as a liability. Clear commitments, evidence of follow-through, and a strategy that can withstand political change will be rewarded. Broken promises, empty pledges, and backsliding will have reputational consequences, even if regulatory consequences are hazy.  

Breadth of Regulatory Coverage Is Necessary 

Don’t expect global regulatory alignment on climate issues any time soon. 

A lack of consensus is increasing fragmentation in how governments approach the energy transition, trade, and environmental disclosures. National policies on carbon markets, resilience planning, and emissions standards are moving forward, but unevenly and often in ways that reflect local political and economic priorities rather than shared global frameworks. The EU is advancing a centralized carbon pricing framework, for example, while the US is relying on state-level initiatives in the absence of a national carbon price. 

For energy companies operating across borders, this complicates compliance, investment, and transaction planning. That’s especially true in areas like critical minerals, supply-chain security, and clean-energy infrastructure. Emerging markets in the Global South are developing new clean energy deployment models, while Europe and other regions are tightening regulatory frameworks that shape how innovation occurs. Understanding how cutting-edge technologies and financing mechanisms interact across these environments is now essential. 

For professional service firms, this state of play reinforces the value of breadth. Clients need advisors who can see across jurisdictions, anticipate friction points, and structure strategies that are resilient to regulatory divergence. Legal and strategic advisory services are critical to managing bankability, allocating risk, and navigating cross-border complexity. 

There are also significant M&A implications. As energy-transition regulations tighten in many regions and scrutiny increases, energy, infrastructure, and industrial sectors face rising exposure to disputes. Firms that understand how regulatory fragmentation feeds into transaction risk will be better positioned to guide clients through the next phase of consolidation and investment. 

AI Optimism Abounds  

Given the mounting scrutiny around data centers and energy use, many expected AI to be treated primarily as a climate risk at COP30. Instead, the tone—particularly in the panel discussion I moderated—was more nuanced and, in some cases, optimistic. 

AI was framed as a tool for emissions reduction and efficiency, not just a source of concern. Applications such as energy management systems, climate risk modeling, and precision agriculture were widely discussed and broadly supported. There was particular interest in how AI could help farmers reduce fertilizer and water use, improve yields, and lower emissions—especially in regions most vulnerable to climate impacts. 

That optimism, however, came with conditions. Ethical deployment, strong data governance, and government and consumer support were repeatedly cited as prerequisites for scaling AI solutions responsibly.  

Advisors should monitor this emerging frontier. Clients will increasingly need guidance on how AI fits into climate strategy—legally, operationally, and reputationally. Understanding both the efficiencies that AI can unlock and the risks it introduces will be key.  

Climate Leadership Needs Strategic Communications 

As the energy and climate landscape grows more fragmented and contentious, clients need advisors who can interpret uncertainty, manage risk, and translate complexity into strategic action.  

Law firms and consultants that help energy clients navigate disputes, structure cross-border strategies, ensure compliance with a patchwork of evolving regulations, and operationalize climate commitments will define success in years to come—if they can effectively communicate their authority, expertise, and insights to differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded marketplace.  

Want to shape the narratives and insights that will define the next era of energy? Contact us here.  

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Inside the pressures facing marketing and business development leadership—and how professional services firms are adapting

The CMO and CBDO roles at professional services firms are being fundamentally rewritten. Growth expectations are rising, technology is accelerating, and accountability has never been more critical—yet many leaders are navigating these pressures without a clear playbook.

In late 2025, Greentarget launched a research initiative to understand how senior marketing and business development leaders across the legal, accounting, consulting and professional services organizations are responding to this moment and how they are preparing for what comes next. We termed this the Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer Outlook.

Drawing on in-depth conversations with C-suite executives, CMOs, CBDOs, and industry consultants, our research examines the concerns and priorities shaping their agendas, as well as the strategies peers are using to address them. Among the most pressing issues:

  • Growth and competitive differentiation 
  • Talent and resource constraints 
  • AI and technology adoption  
  • Cross-functional collaboration 
  • Accountability and measurement 

Our goal was to surface practical guidance that reflects how senior marketing and business development roles are evolving inside complex, high-stakes organizations.

What follows is the first in a series of short insights drawn from this work and from internal working sessions with Greentarget senior leadership. Each piece focuses on a single pain point or opportunity emerging from the research, and the guidance we suggest for firms moving forward.

Measurement Is Valued, But Rarely Trusted

If one theme consistently surfaced across our Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer Outlook conversations, it was frustration with measurement.

That’s not because leaders doubt its importance. Quite the opposite—measurement is widely viewed as essential as marketing and business development leaders face growing pressure to demonstrate impact, justify investment, and connect their efforts to firm growth.

The challenge is that in professional services, measurement rarely behaves the way leaders want it to.

Influence builds over time. Yet firm leaders, boards, and finance and operational teams increasingly expect clear proof of ROI and business impact quickly.

A core tension emerged in our discussions: measurement isn’t failing because firms lack data. It’s failing because of the widening gap between what leaders are asked to prove and what measurement can realistically show.

The Competitive Set Is Often the First Thing That Breaks

One of the clearest pressure points is how firms define who they are measuring against.

Competitive sets are frequently too broad to be meaningful. Teams attempt to measure against “everyone”—which makes comparison and insight nearly impossible. Even when competitors are defined, there is often little clarity around what firms are trying to measure—visibility, authority, relevance, or business influence.

Effective measurement starts with disciplined choices:

  • Narrowing the competitive field to a small, relevant peer set 
  • Aligning competitors by practice, industry, or buyer type 
  • Acknowledging the difference between aspirational and actual competitors 

Without this clarity, measurement struggles to answer even the most basic strategic questions.

Qualitative Impact Still Carries Disproportionate Weight

Another recurring theme was the imbalance between quantitative and qualitative insight. Many of the most meaningful outcomes such as partner conversations, inbound interest, or credibility in a pitch never show up cleanly in dashboards or reports.

These signals often live with partners and business development teams, yet firms often lack structured ways to capture or value them. Elevating qualitative insight from anecdote to intentional input remains one of the biggest opportunities to improve how firms approach measurement.

Data Exists, But Insight Doesn’t Travel

Silos further compound the problem. Another recurring theme was the disconnect between the different teams responsible for generating, interpreting, and acting on data.

Marketing, business development, and digital teams often measure different things, in different ways, and for different reasons. What insights exist are rarely shared or translated into collective decision-making.

Measurement breaks down not because firms lack sophistication, but because data is siloed, teams don’t share a common definition of success, and insight isn’t consistently used to inform strategy.

In this environment, measurement becomes a reporting exercise rather than a strategic tool.

Vanity Metrics Persist Because They’re Easy

Volume continues to dominate many measurement conversations. Our research indicates that’s because metrics like impressions or follower totals are familiar and easy to count—not because they meaningfully informs decision-making.

Several leaders emphasized that metrics only become meaningful when placed in context against a baseline, a peer set, or a clearly defined business objective. Without that framing, activity can look impressive without actually informing decisions.

What this suggests is not a need for more measurement, but for better framing. Clearer choices about what matters. Greater alignment across teams. And a willingness to let go of metrics that don’t serve a strategic purpose.

What This Signals for Firms Moving Forward

Measurement in professional services will never be perfect. But when approached intentionally, it can still be one of the most powerful tools firms have to guide strategy, align teams, and support growth.

The firms making progress aren’t chasing more data. They are making clearer choices about what matters, aligning teams around shared priorities, and using measurement to inform strategy rather than justify activity.

As the CMO and CMBDO roles continue to evolve, measurement will remain a point of tension—but also a powerful lever for firms willing to rethink how and why they use it.

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In professional services, expertise has always mattered. But today, the market is sending a clear message: breadth is no longer enough.  

We’re seeing this play out in real time. After years of positioning their full-service reach, many large firms across the professional services space are riding a strategic swing back toward depth and specialization. Consider PwC’s recent decision to double down on sector-specific experts—a move that signaled that even the largest accounting firms recognize the growing value of industry specificity. And that same trend is gaining momentum across professional services.  

Just this week, global law firm Goodwin Procter announced record revenue growth tied directly to its sector strategy—a deliberate focus on technology, healthcare, life sciences, private equity, real estate, and investment funds. Firm chair Anthony McCusker described it as, “the future of law firms: elite firms purpose-built for the industries they serve.” 

Goodwin’s results underscore the business case for specialization. The future of professional services—whether legal, accounting, or consulting—belongs to those who pair deep, sector-specific knowledge with visible, authoritative leadership. 

This shift represents more than an internal shuffle. It’s a signal of intent. 

From Generalist to Industry Shapers 

The business rationale is simple: broad, generalized knowledge is losing currency in a market increasingly saturated with generic insights. As generative AI democratizes surface-level content creation, the competitive advantage shifts to practitioners and subject matter experts who can offer genuine industry depth and authoritative perspectives that algorithms can’t replicate. 

This creates a clear inflection point for professional services firms. Those that continue spreading themselves thin across industries risk commoditization, while firms that cultivate deep expertise and elevate sector leaders—not just executives in title—position themselves as industry shapers rather than mere service providers.  

In an era where anyone with a phone and a LinkedIn profile can claim thought leader status, industry “ambassadors” represent something more valuable: true authority is heeded, not just heard. And the firms that succeed will be those that invest in amplifying their experts while aligning individual voices with the larger brand. 

Why Does This Matter Now? 

Urgency. The professional services market is more competitive than ever. Clients are no longer impressed by firms that can serve their industry. They’re looking for partners who influence it. The firms that win in this environment will be those that elevate sector voices as trusted authorities who don’t just participate in the conversation, but lead it. 

From Thought Leadership to Authority: Why Industry Ambassadors Matter 

The professional services landscape suffers from a fundamental problem: too much generic thought leadership and not enough genuine authority. From Greentarget’s own manifesto, “We say ‘thought leadership’ too much… Authorities, by contrast, draw on distinct perspective and proven experience, delivering clear, succinct insights supported by fact, narrative, and cutting-edge data.” 

These authorities solve this credibility crisis by embodying what true authority looks like in practice. They’re not just spokespeople—they’re interpreters of change who turn sector complexity into clarity. They don’t just participate in conversations—they direct them, elevate them, and often start entirely new ones by raising questions others haven’t considered. 

This distinction matters. Prospective clients facing complex industry-specific challenges don’t want advisors who claim broad competence—they want counselors who possess insider fluency in the dynamics, regulations, and nuances impacting their business. When a healthcare-focused partner provides commentary on regulatory changes, their perspective carries weight because it stems from demonstrated expertise rather than surface-level observation. Their insights influence how others think about industry pain points because they’re grounded in experience that generalist advisors cannot replicate. 

So why is this shift occurring now? There are several forces at play: 

  1. Expectations from clients. Decision-makers want advisers who speak their language and know the competitive realities firsthand. 
  1. Market saturation. Broad or generic consulting services are increasingly commoditized. Industry depth becomes a premium. 
  1. The new era of content (and AI). Clients evaluate credibility and make buying/hiring decisions through LinkedIn, published insights, research backed thought leadership long before they sign a contract. 
  1. PR and reputation. These ambassadors double as media-savvy experts, driving earned media coverage, conference appearances, and digital visibility.  

For mid-market, boutique, or regional specific firms, PwC’s move should be a wake-up call. If global giants are investing here, smaller firms must identify their niches quickly and work with a partner who knows how to make their voice heard—or risk being drowned out. 

Authority as Competitive Advantage 

The rise of the industry ambassador represents a fundamental shift in the consulting and advisory space. Expertise on its own is not enough. You need visible, credible, public-facing expertise to stay competitive and grow the business. You should expect to see firms competing on who has the most credible industry voices, expansion into micro-verticals (e.g., renewable energy within energy), and entire digital campaigns built around ambassador communities.  

For firms and leaders, the call to action is clear: identify your sectors, elevate your voices, and invest in the infrastructure that turns experts into ambassadors.  

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Insights from Rachel Axelrod, Founder and CEO of Axelrod Consulting and Co-Founder of TEDxChicago 

Whether a senior executive is stepping into a board meeting, conducting a media interview, or addressing a room full of employees, investors or other key stakeholders, it’s important to remember: subject matter expertise is only one part of the equation when it comes to high-stakes communication moments. They also require clarity, presence, storytelling and a deep understanding of your audience.  

To learn more, we sat down with Rachel Axelrod, a former litigator turned speech coach and event producer. Drawing on years of experience both as a TEDx producer and executive trainer, Rachel offered the Greentarget team time-tested strategies that can elevate senior executives’ key messages—and their delivery. 

Four Best Practices for Executives 

Our conversation with Rachel centered on how to craft memorable and actionable messages for professional audiences. This included integrating storytelling into interviews, presentations, and speeches, as well as common pitfalls to avoid and how best to convey a unique position of authority.  

Here are four best practices executives should keep top-of-mind:  

  1. The Audience Comes First 

For Rachel, the first rule of high-stakes communications is simple but often overlooked: the audience comes first.  

In other words, before crafting a message or presentation, she urges clients to consider: 

  • Who is the audience (e.g., age, experience level, where they’re from, etc.)? 
  • What do they care about? 
  • How familiar are they with the topic? 
  • Why are they here—by choice or obligation? (If the latter, you’ll have to do a lot more work to keep their attention.)  

Rachel shared a great real-world example. One of her clients is a restaurateur here in Chicago. He gave two keynotes this year: one to 1,000 members of the National Restaurant Association at McCormick Place, and another to 250 manufacturing executives from all over the world. 

In both talks, the client wanted to describe his involvement in the TV show, The Bear (which explores both the high-level of stress and deep fulfillment in the restaurant industry). At the restaurant association conference, 99% of the room had seen the show. But at the smaller manufacturing event, only 20% had heard of it. So, Rachel coached her client to give more background about the show to the group who were not familiar with it. This made her client’s message inclusive and impactful. 

“Knowing your audience is everything,” she added. If they don’t understand your reference, the message won’t land. 

  1. Ditch The Jargon and Tell Stories That Stick 

To make sure your key messages resonate, Rachel advises her clients to ditch the jargon, speak plainly, and, most importantly, tell stories.  

“I’ve watched thousands of TED Talks and coached hundreds of speakers,” Rachel said. “I can tell you that it’s not the insights or lessons that people remember most. What truly sticks with people are the stories.” 

But storytelling doesn’t mean long-winded monologues or personal confessions. Rachel breaks it down into these five fundamentals (the 5 C’s of a story): 

  1. Context – What is the setting of the story? 
  1. Characters – Who’s involved? 
  1. Conflict – What’s the tension or challenge? 
  1. Climax – What’s the turning point or moment of uncertainty? 
  1. Closure – How does it end? 

Stories don’t have to be long; they just need structure. 

Whether about a client, a team experience, or even someone else entirely, if the story follows the 5 C’s, it will draw the audience in and make an impact. 

  1. Practice with Intention 

One of the biggest misconceptions among seasoned professionals? Thinking they can wing it.  

Rachel notes, “I can’t tell you how many executives say, ‘I’m a great public speaker. I’ve done this a million times.’ But confidence can backfire if it leads to under-preparation.”   

Rachel acknowledges that even the most polished speakers need to rehearse. Not just for content, but for pace, tone, and timing, especially when it comes to pausing for effect or responding to unexpected audience reactions. 

  1. Make the Message Actionable 

At the end of a presentation or interview, Rachel advises clients to leave their audience with a “takeaway.” This can be a new awareness of an idea or something more concrete.  

“It doesn’t have to be profound. It can be small. One of my client’s call to action was to put words of encouragement on a colleague’s monitor, like ‘You did a great job speaking up in the meeting today.’ That’s specific. And memorable.”  

Whether your call to action is conceptual or explicit, it should be clear, authentic, and easy to understand. 

Everyone Can Communicate Well  

Rachel told us that many executives believe they’re either naturally good at public speaking or they’re not. But her experience proves otherwise: “Everyone can tell stories. Everyone can improve.” 

For her, communication isn’t about being flashy. It’s about being clear, prepared, and connected to your audience.  

“Whether you’re addressing a live audience, a camera, or a room full of decision-makers, what matters most is preparation, perspective, and purpose.” 

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