Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Creato Urban, Odion Aleobua, has declared that reputation has become one of the world’s most valuable assets, insisting that trust is now the foundation of lasting prosperity for businesses, institutions and nations.
Speaking at the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Lagos State Chapter Monthly Clinic on the theme, “The Golden Age of Strategic PR,” Aleobua argued that public relations has evolved beyond publicity and media engagement into a leadership function that directly influences enterprise value and business success.
According to him, the profession has progressed through four major phases—from publicity to media relations, reputation management and now strategic value creation.
“PR is no longer managing publicity. PR is influencing enterprise value,” he said.
Aleobua identified information overload, declining public trust in institutions, and rapid technological disruption driven by artificial intelligence and digital media as the forces reshaping the communications landscape.
He warned that professionals who fail to adapt to these changes risk becoming obsolete, while those who embrace strategic communication will become indispensable.
Backing his position with industry data, Aleobua noted that the global public relations industry expanded from about $64 billion in 2015 to $106 billion in 2025, representing a 66 per cent increase, with projections showing growth to $161 billion by 2031.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s communications sector as one of Africa’s fastest-growing, recording 11.2 per cent growth in 2024, while the global PR intelligence, monitoring and analytics market reached $15.8 billion in 2024 and is expected to rise to $29.5 billion by 2030.
“The world is not spending less on trust. It is spending more every year,” he said.
Aleobua described reputation capital as the multiplier of financial, human, technological and intellectual capital, citing research showing that 35.3 per cent of total market capitalisation across more than 200 companies is linked to corporate reputation, representing about $16.8 trillion in shareholder value.
He added that studies indicate every one-point improvement in a company’s reputation score can increase its market value by an average of $500 million, while as much as 90 per cent of the world’s largest companies’ enterprise value now comes from intangible assets such as brand, relationships and reputation.
Drawing a distinction between traditional and strategic public relations, Aleobua said legacy PR focuses on publicity and media coverage, while strategic PR is driven by measurable business outcomes, return on investment and executive decision-making.
He urged communications professionals to develop competencies in strategic intelligence, data analysis, digital communication, stakeholder management, narrative development and business strategy.
“Tomorrow’s communicator is a strategist, risk adviser, behavioural scientist, data interpreter, reputation architect and CEO counsellor. PR has become a leadership discipline,” he said.
Summing up his message, Aleobua stressed that while communication creates awareness and strategy creates influence, reputation creates value and trust delivers enduring prosperity, challenging public relations professionals to embrace what he described as the profession’s golden age.
