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18 Asia-Pacific Innovation SABRE winners announced. Three leading global public relations networks - Burson, Edelman and Weber Shandwick - have won two 2026 Asia-Pacific Innovation SABRE Awards. SINGAPORE - Three leading global public relations networks - Burson, Edelman and Weber Shandwick - have won two 2026 Asia-Pacific Innovation SABRE Awards, which recognize the best work across a number of content creation and data and analytics categories and showcase the breadth of technologies, tools and tactics deployed by modern public relations practitioners to build stakeholder relationships. One of Burson's awards rcognizesits "Prism AI" product, a new tool that makes a major contribution to redefining global PR measurement, created in partnership with client LG Electronics. The other is for Burson Genesis' work on the "Karnataka Bike Taxi Ban" campaign for client Rapido. Edelman also picked up two awards for its clients in the region, including the "Go Mongolia Brand Film" for the Government of Mongolia and for "Pepsi Anytime" created by the firm's Indian operation. And the Weber Shandwick Collective was recognized for two campaigns: "Making Conversations The New Storefront" for WhatsApp and "Launching In The Dark: How Patron El Alto aligned with a generation in ascent" for Bacardi. In all, 18 Innovation SABRE trophies will be presented during PRovoke Media's Asia-Pacific daytime Summit on 18 August. They cover categories ranging from live events to persuasive content to documentary film and video to best use of AI to real-time engagement. Tickets are available here, along with ables for evening SABRE Awards ceremony, which will reveal the Gold and Diamond SABRE winners as well as our Asia-Pacific Agencies of the Year. Article tags News direct to your inbox The agency playbook. The PR industry's most comprehensive listing of firms from every region and specialty.

The earned media revival: what B2B leaders need to know now. Earned media is back, and AI is the reason. LLMs cite third-party sources to answer buyer questions, and unpaid voices carry five times more weight than paid. All that's prompted B2B marketing leaders to grow their earned media engines. July 22, 2026 Earned media is back in the marketing spotlight. Over the past decade, its reach has declined as audiences have shifted from consuming traditional news sources in favor of social media and video networks. Now, it's finding new life, sparked by AI tools that overwhelmingly cite third-party coverage when answering buyers' questions. "[Studies] show that earned media is taking up a predominance of the trusted sources that AI models are using to reason and answer," says Natasha Whitling, a former senior vice president at communications agency Burson Global. "It's almost like we've gone backwards to go forwards when it comes to the value of earned media." Why earned media works. Natasha says brands can shout from the rooftops that they're great, but when someone else with trust and authority says the same, the effect is far greater. John McCartney, CEO and founder of JMAC PR, says his agency worked with ad tech company 33Across on an earned media program, which targeted top-tier press coverage, executive thought leadership, speaking engagements, and user stories. The effort generated placements in 60-plus publications, with more than 200 million media impressions and a 25% (year-over-year) increase in media impressions and recognition for company executives, compared to their baseline. If a CEO is quoted in news articles, speaking at industry events, and appearing on podcasts, their company will have far more credibility than a competitor with zero press coverage, John says. Lenox Powell, a senior director of corporate marketing at enterprise AI software company DataRobot, says earned media strengthens how brands tell their story. "If a journalist asks a subject matter expert within an organization a question, the person answering the question has the opportunity to convey their value proposition in the way that they want, allowing them to better control their messaging," she says. Where it works today. After placing CEO-bylined articles for the TVDataNow brand, John heard this from the executive: "I'm starting to get a lot more inbounds. People are like, 'Oh, great article. Tell me more about your service.'" When shipping tech company NYSHEX worked with Crackle PR, the brand saw over 100 pieces of coverage in less than a year, leading to a 101% increase in referral traffic and a 36% lift in organic mentions. Results like that still matter, but the top of the funnel has structurally changed, says Gini Dietrich, founder and CEO of the agency Spin Sucks. She is also the creator of the original PESO (paid, earned, shared, and owned) media mix model. "By the time a buyer meets your sales rep, or AI summarizes your category, the shortlist is already formed," Gini says. "So earned media's biggest funnel job now is getting you onto shortlists you don't know exist." In the most successful programs, Gini believes, every earned win reinforces the brand's owned content. "They pitch a bylined article to a trade publication that answers the same buyer question and links back to the anchor [on the brand's website]," Gini says. "The named expert appears on an industry podcast on the same topic. A newsletter creator picks up the theme and links back as 'further reading.'" With that kind of alignment, a B2B buyer or an LLM engine searching for that topic sees the same expert and idea across multiple credible sources, and it all circles back to the brand's owned content. DataRobot integrates its PR and content strategies, Lenox says. Press coverage, thought leadership, and downstream content reinforce each other, and placements are based on where its buyers are. Today, Lenox's team prioritizes AI-focused podcasts because that's where its buyers are. They approach a podcast appearance like a Thanksgiving turkey turned into multiple leftover meals. "A podcast appearance becomes clips for social, a blog post, a pitch, very similar to what we've talked about for decades about reuse, recycle, repurpose for content marketing," she says. Too often, brands treat earned media as an endpoint, but those who view it as raw material get the most value from it. A media placement also becomes a credibility anchor for future byline pitches. "So, the earned placement isn't the deliverable; the downstream content machine it feeds is the deliverable," Lenox explains. How to build an integrated earned media engine. Brands should start their earned media strategy by identifying the brand's top two to three customer segments. Then, map those targets to the media outlets they trust, John says. For example, for his client that's a health tech brand, its target audiences are likely consuming Modern Healthcare and STAT. Brands should also think beyond trade and traditional media publishers. The modern earned media universe includes Reddit, Wikipedia, newsletters, podcasts, and social media creators. Of those, trade publications and Reddit currently carry the most weight with AI models, Gini says. The type of earned assets may matter, too. Gini prioritizes bylined articles and trade and analyst coverage because that's what AI engines are reading. However, before you can get earned media coverage, you must have something to say. "Without any news, you can't work with the media," John says. You also need buy-in from executives willing to share their insights. For example, Fox's planned acquisition of Roku prompted his agency to promote Chris Kelly's (CEO of its client, Upwave) point of view on the subject. It led to positive media coverage and inclusion in a roundup of industry reactions. What brands shouldn't do to earn media coverage is insert sales messages into their pitches. Before sending a pitch, Natasha recommends answering this question: "How self-serving is what I am presenting?" "Don't try to sell me something," Lenox says. "Enlighten me. Inform me." Brands also should make it easy for busy journalists inundated with pitches. Natasha suggests providing a comprehensive package of assets they need to assemble a story. "You're coming with data, a source, relevance, and you're doing it succinctly," she says. How to measure what actually matters. Measuring the impact of earned media has always been problematic. While no solution exists to directly connect earned media to sales yet, some newer metrics offer a better picture than volume and reach alone. John compares media mentions over time, as well as the client's share of voice among its competition. His firm uses tools such as Muck Rack, Truescope, Critical Mention, and Rephonic for podcasts. AI citations of brands hardly ever leave a traditional tracking trail, which is why Gini recommends tracking LLM visibility, citation frequency, narrative share of voice, and credibility-loop close rate. "LLM visibility helps brands identify which AI-generated queries they are and aren't showing up in. Citation frequency helps brands understand how often their organization is cited as a source in LLM answers, not just mentioned," she says. Narrative share of voice is valuable because it tracks who's framing the AI answers to key questions in a category or industry, Gini explains. The credibility-loop close rate measures how quickly someone moves from visibility to trust to action when they encounter their brand. It's possible to track some of these metrics manually by prompting LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude every week with questions such as which organization is best at solving the problem the brand's product addresses. Gini's favorite measurement tool right now is Brandi AI, a platform that shows metrics like generative engine optimization (GEO) awareness. Lenox uses Athena HQ to see how DataRobot is cited in LLMs. But the bottom line is to be honest about what the numbers do and don't say. "Establish baselines now as best as you can," Lenox says. "Be very clear upfront with your leadership team - and your own team - about what you can prove and resist the pressure to overstate what the data shows." Earned media's comeback didn't happen because its measurement problem was solved. It returned because marketers recognize the renewed value of third-party visibility. AI citations may earn the spotlight, but an integrated earned media strategy lights up the whole stage. All tools mentioned in this article were suggested by a contributor to the article. If you'd like to suggest a tool, share the article on social media with a comment. Tilde Herrera is a freelance journalist based in San Francisco. Her work spans food, business, sustainability, media, and technology, appearing in outlets such as Civil Eats, AdExchanger, ADWEEK, San Francisco Chronicle, and others. Looking for fresh content inspiration? Get more of our news on google

The Kallang Group names Burson as communications partner following competitive pitch. by Julian Bartolome July 21, 2026. Its What's NEXT in Marketing 2026 Conference Series returns to the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia - and for the first time in Thailand! Brace yourself for bold ideas driving the next marketing wave. Click here to learn more! Singapore - The Kallang Group has appointed Burson as its communications agency following a competitive pitch, as it looks to strengthen its reputation and grow its presence across regional and international markets. Under the mandate, Burson will lead communications strategy and execution for The Kallang Group, covering earned media, media relations, corporate, and executive thought leadership, as well as issues and crisis management. The appointment supports The Kallang Group's ambition to position the Kallang precinct as a leading destination for sport, entertainment, lifestyle, and community experiences in Asia Pacific. "The Kallang has always been part of Singapore's shared story, and we seek a partner who understands both the emotional significance this place holds for the people who call Singapore home and the global profile this place is built for," said Michelle Yip, Group Head, Brand, Marketing and Communications, The Kallang Group. "We're excited to partner with Burson to tap into their storytelling expertise and global network as we build The Kallang into the region's defining destination for live experiences," added Yip. Meanwhile, Cindy Lim, CEO at Burson Singapore, said that the agency is honoured to partner with The Kallang Group at a pivotal moment in the destination's evolution. "We look forward to bringing strategic counsel, sharp storytelling and seamless execution to strengthen its reputation amongst audiences in Singapore and around the world," said Lim. Building on its legacy as a venue for major sporting and entertainment events, The Kallang Group is seeking to increase awareness of the destination among audiences in Singapore and abroad. The partnership will also focus on shaping a stronger corporate and brand narrative for the precinct as it continues to evolve as part of Singapore's experience economy. The Kallang, formerly known as the Singapore Sports Hub, is home to a range of sports and entertainment facilities and hosts a year-round calendar of events spanning sports, music, and community activities. With the appointment, The Kallang Group is aiming to build greater visibility for one of Singapore's most recognisable destinations as it enters its next phase of growth. With tighter regulations reshaping APAC's social-led financial sector, managing agent activity and misinformation have never been more critical. Discover how banks and insurers are strengthening oversight and protecting their brands in this new industry study by Meltwater - download the free guide here. With public conversations reshaping Australian insurance reputation, managing online sentiment and the trust gap has never been more critical. Discover how providers are addressing friction and protecting their brands in this new industry report by Meltwater - download the free guide here.