by Michael Farino | Aug 18, 2025 | Blog Post
Every few years, someone in marketing declares, “PR is dead.” The latest version of this claim suggests that digital channels, paid social, and content marketing have replaced traditional public relations, and that media coverage is no longer the powerful brand-building tool it once was.
I recently had this debate with a digital marketer, and I believe the opposite is true: PR has never been more important than it is today, especially as large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews reshape how information is found, shared, and trusted.
Here’s why brands that ignore PR in this new search landscape are making a critical mistake.
AI Search Relies on Third-Party Credibility
Traditional search has always rewarded authority. In the past, that meant SEO-optimized websites, backlinks, and keyword-rich content. But LLM search goes further, it doesn’t just list pages; it summarizes trusted information sources into conversational answers.
If your brand isn’t being mentioned by credible, independent media outlets, industry blogs, analysts, and reviewers, it risks being invisible to AI-driven search. Paid ads don’t factor into LLM training data. Your own website can only go so far. What really influences AI results is a rich, distributed footprint of credible mentions across the web, and PR is the engine that creates that footprint.
PR Shapes the Narrative AI Repeats
Large language models don’t invent brand reputations; they absorb and amplify the consensus of what’s already published. If the only content available about your company is your own press releases or blog posts, you’re essentially whispering into a void.
PR ensures that reputable third parties, e.g. journalists, analysts, and influential creators, are telling your story in ways that become part of the public record. Over time, this coverage helps train AI to recognize your brand as credible, authoritative, and relevant in your space.
PR Fuels Discovery Beyond Traditional Clicks
While the traditional “PR value” model, e.g. outlet impressions, ad value equivalence, and referral traffic, is still useful today, these metrics don’t quite tell the whole value story. The real value today is future discoverability.
Every article, interview, and review acts as a signal to search engines and AI platforms that your brand matters. Those signals live indefinitely, making PR a long-term investment that keeps working for you, even as algorithms evolve. Paid campaigns stop the moment you cut the budget. PR-driven coverage can surface in AI-generated recommendations months or years later, influencing buyers in ways you can’t buy your way into.
The Marketing Mix Without PR Is Missing Its Foundation
Social ads, influencer campaigns, email marketing, etc., all of them work harder when there’s independent validation behind the brand. PR builds that foundation. It creates the credibility layer that other tactics amplify. Without it, brands are shouting into the void, hoping owned and paid media alone can carry the message.
Today, AI assistants are answering questions for customers, recommending products, and influencing purchasing decisions, PR is not optional, it’s the source material that trains these discovery engines.
So, PR Isn’t Dead. It’s Evolving, and More Vital Than Ever.
PR is no longer just about headlines or vanity coverage, it’s about owning your presence in the broader digital ecosystem, ensuring your brand is:
- Visible to journalists and influencers today
- Indexed and cited in AI-generated results tomorrow
- Trusted as a credible solution in your category
Digital marketers who overlook PR risk falling behind not just in awareness, but in the very conversations that will define buyer decisions in the AI era. The brands winning the next decade won’t just have the best ads, they’ll have the strongest, most credible presence in the content AI trusts.
by newerapr | Aug 12, 2025 | Case Study
The Challenge
Despite having innovative computer glasses designed to combat the symptoms of computer vision syndrome, the company experienced challenges in maintaining media and consumer engagement. Following two years of minimal press coverage, GUNNAR saw decreased sales and diminished brand visibility. To reverse this trend, GUNNAR collaborated with New Era Communications to revitalize its brand messaging, create massive brand awareness and generate interest for key product launches.
New Era Communications aimed to reintroduce GUNNAR and effectively communicate the benefits of its blue light-blocking technology to media and consumers, increasing both visibility and sales. We also supported GUNNAR in launching new products and partnerships, with their marketing team focusing on showcasing collaborations with major brands, including Amazon Studios, Marvel, Ubisoft, and Blizzard. Notable product partnerships resulting from these initiatives included:
- Fallout Vault 33 (March 2024): Launch with Amazon Studios, coinciding with the Fallout TV series.
- Groot Marvel Edition (April 2024): Debut of eco-friendly Arbor Collection featuring Marvel’s Groot.
Overall Strategy
To enhance GUNNAR’s profile, New Era Communications implemented a multi-channel strategy engaging press, podcasts, and influencers in technology, optometry, health, pop culture, and gaming. We generated product reviews, news coverage, and widespread excitement for major launches, including Fallout Vault 33 and Groot Marvel Edition, through focused campaigns promoting licensed partnerships.
GUNNAR was reintroduced to the media through 30 early CES 2024 Digital Showcases, highlighting their latest innovations and partnerships. Thought leadership opportunities for CEO Joe Croft reinforced the company’s credibility, with podcast and health publication appearances explaining the science behind GUNNAR’s products.
The Strategy: Fallout Vault 33
Our objective for the launch of Fallout Vault 33 was to build anticipation, drive pre-orders, and secure impactful media coverage leading up to the premiere of the Fallout live-action TV series.
- We leveraged Fallout’s devoted fanbase by aligning the launch with fan-favorite elements from the franchise and the anticipation for the upcoming live-action TV Series.
- Our media outreach focused on key outlets familiar with GUNNAR, as well as expanding into optometry, lifestyle, and fashion publications to broaden our audience.
- Identify the new outlets we targeted and the response given
- A strategic pre-launch campaign (March 7 – April 3, 2024) featured early announcements, unboxings, reviews, and influencer previews, successfully building anticipation and fueling demand ahead of the official release.
The Strategy: Groot Marvel Edition
To ensure the Groot Marvel Edition stood out to both the press and consumers, we developed a dual-track media strategy targeting:
- Track 1: Gaming, comics, and Marvel-focused
- Track 2: Health, optometry, fashion, lifestyle, and design
Each track received customized embargoed pitches ahead of the April 24 launch, crafted to be engaging, personal, and relationship-driven. We infused humor, Marvel-inspired language, and thematic storytelling to resonate with each target. On launch day, we delivered tailored announcements to each vertical, consistently highlighting what set Groot apart:
- A design inspired by one of Marvel’s most beloved characters
- A sustainability-forward collection made from ethically sourced wood
- A brand with deep roots in gaming, pop culture, and eye health
Fallout Vault 33 x Amazon Studios
By aligning our campaign with the excitement for the Fallout TV series, we positioned Fallout Vault 33 as a coveted collectible, resulting in one of GUNNAR’s most successful launches to date.
- Immediate Sell-Out – The glasses sold out within days on both Amazon and GUNNAR’s website during pre-orders and at launch.
- Sustained Demand – Overwhelming interest prompted GUNNAR to restock and re-release the glasses in August 2024.
- Substantial Sales Impact – By August 2024, over 3,600 units were pre-sold, making this one of GUNNAR’s best-selling releases.
- New Partnerships – The campaign’s success led to a collaboration with IGN, featuring Fallout Vault 33 in the IGN Store Summer Sale and generating additional exposure.
Groot Marvel Edition x Arbor Collection
With eco-conscious storytelling, beloved IP, and a strategic media approach, we helped make the Groot Marvel Edition one of GUNNAR’s fastest-selling and most discussed collaborations.
- Top-tier placements – across gaming, tech, and lifestyle media: Windows Central, XDA Developers, Culturess
- Sell-Out Status – Groot Marvel Edition sold out within days on Amazon and GUNNAR.com, becoming the flagship of GUNNAR’s Arbor Collection and sustainability efforts.
- Marvel Recognition – The campaign’s impact earned recognition from Marvel’s brand team.
Overall Results
Our campaigns for Gunnar Optiks have secured over 1,300 high-profile media placements, garnered 47 billion UVMs, and generated $437 million in advertising value across leading publications in gaming, entertainment, lifestyle, health, and optometry. These results demonstrate New Era Communications’ ability to deliver measurable, high-impact outcomes through creative strategy and storytelling.
Total Placements: 1,359
Total Media Impressions: 47.26 Billion UVMs
Top Placements
- Fandom (187,167,477 UVMs)
- IGN (40,637,330 UVMs)
- Fox News (39,234,719 UVMs)
- Game Rant (31,497,597 UVMs)
- CNET (21,466,725 UVMs)
- GameSpot (16,527,022 UVMs)
- Billboard (11,123,770 UVMs)
- ComicBook.com (7,666,375 UVMs)
- XDA Developers (6,021,616 UVMs)
- Dexerto (5,456,959 UVMs)
- Yardbarker (5,386,564 UVMs)
- Kotaku (3,244,243 UVMs)
- Windows Central (3,145,110 UVMs)
- T3 (2,383,963 UVMs)
- Pocket Gamer (1,925,229 UVMs)
- Bleeding Cool (1,625,608 UVMs)
- Winter Is Coming (1,003,325 UVMs)
