“If PR cannot be tied to outcomes anymore, brands will stop defending it  and start questioning it.”

In today’s fast-moving markets, brands can no longer afford to treat PR as a vanity exercise. Yet much of the industry still operates on outdated metrics: the number of publications secured, the estimated ad value, the promise of “visibility.” The conversation often ends with a report that says, “We got you featured in 42 publications,” without answering the only question that now matters — what did it actually do for the business?

This disconnect is becoming harder to justify, particularly in the UAE, where brands are investing heavily in PR, events, and influencer partnerships, yet quietly questioning why sales, footfall, or sign-ups remain unchanged. The issue is not that PR does not work. The issue is that it has rarely been held accountable.

From Awareness to Action

Public relations can, and should, directly influence sales. One needs to look at how the top of brands in the UAE operate with PR to understand this shift.  For instance, Huda Beauty is a clear example of how PR, when executed with performance in mind rather than strategy alone, moves beyond awareness and into action.

The launch of their recent product – Easy Bake Pressed Powder was not built around traditional press releases alone. Instead, Huda Kattan became the primary influencer and storyteller, integrating the product naturally into her daily content, showing real usage, responding to consumer feedback, and sparking organic creator interest long before mass adoption. The result was a wave of user-generated content, viral tutorials, and influencer-led conversations that preceded retail demand.

This was not accidental hype. It was PR designed to trigger behaviour. Every piece of content, every media mention, every creator post served a commercial purpose. Sales followed because the storytelling was embedded into the consumer journey, not separated from it.

This is the distinction many brands miss. Performance PR reframes the discipline entirely. It is not about chasing coverage for coverage’s sake, but about designing PR around outcomes such as sales, sign-ups, bookings, footfall, or demand generation and structuring campaigns so impact can be measured and justified. Visibility is no longer the end goal, it is the starting point.

Why PR Has Escaped Accountability for So Long

“PR has been allowed to sit in a separate lane from sales because no one insisted on measuring it properly.”

The long-held belief that PR is only responsible for reputation and awareness exists because the industry itself reinforced it. Traditional agencies focused on outputs instead of outcomes, reports instead of results. When everyone operates this way, accountability becomes easy to avoid.

In the UAE, this is particularly visible. Brands host large-scale events without tracking conversion. Restaurants invest in six-month PR retainers without linking coverage to bookings. Press campaigns run in isolation from paid media, digital funnels, or CRM systems. The data exists, yet it is rarely connected.

Meanwhile, every other marketing channel is measured ruthlessly.

Accountability Is the Real Disruptor

Performance-based PR is not a trend, it is a correction. It acknowledges that PR is powerful, but only when tied to measurable outcomes. Ticketed events can be tracked. Restaurant launches can be linked to reservations. Press campaigns can be activated alongside ads to measure uplift. Influencer coverage can be analysed for conversion, not just reach.

When brands pay for outcomes rather than potential, behaviour changes on both sides. Agencies become sharper, more strategic, and more invested. Clients gain clarity on ROI. PR stops being defended emotionally and starts being justified commercially.

Why Every Brand Will Eventually Catch On

The shift is inevitable. As budgets tighten and scrutiny increases, intangible value will no longer be enough. UAE brands are already moving toward cost-efficiency, performance marketing, and measurable growth. PR cannot remain the exception.

“In a cost-conscious world, anything that cannot prove its impact will struggle to survive.”

Performance PR does not remove creativity or storytelling from the equation. It strengthens it. It forces PR to work harder, think smarter, and integrate deeper into the business ecosystem. Brands that adopt this model early will gain an advantage. Agencies that resist it will be forced to explain why accountability feels uncomfortable.

For founders and marketers, the message is clear. PR is no longer a “nice-to-have” brand layer. When executed with intent, measurement, and responsibility, it becomes one of the strongest drivers of growth. The future of PR is measurable, performance-based, and results-driven and every brand will eventually demand it.