In this blog, Whiteoaks’ Creative Director Mark Wilson discusses:
- The importance of human creativity in B2B PR
- Reactions against excessive use of AI
- How true craft gives Performance PR campaigns more impact
For years, the creative industry has been obsessed with speed and scale. AI tools now generate content at a pace no human can match and every brand suddenly has access to the same visual styles, the same prompts, the same templates and the same generative tools. Which means something surprising is happening. Craft is becoming a differentiator again.
Clients want to know who is behind their campaign
In a world where anyone can produce a passable headline or a quick animation the real value lies in the work that feels like it was made by people not machines. Clients aren’t just asking what you can make for them anymore. They’re asking who is behind it.
This is as true in the B2B tech sector as it is in any other area of public relations. Tech companies want to stand out and be known among the right audiences for their unique proposition. A creative department helps them achieve that.
In Performance PR, we increasingly find that clients are fully aware that run-of-the-mill campaigns rely very heavily on AI. A global survey by Adobe in 2025, for example, found 86% of creatives using AI. Another survey found AI in use with 91% of UK PR professionals, with three-quarters claiming it boosted their quality.
AI may increase output, but it does not guarantee work that is memorable, credible or genuinely aligned to how a brand wants to be seen.
Brands need true creativity to stand out
There is increasing wariness among clients about such claims of high quality. Companies want assurances that the thinking, the taste and the judgement behind creative ideas are human. Not because AI is bad, but because AI is predictable. It tends to average everything out. It produces the most statistically likely output which is the opposite of what brands need when they’re fighting for attention.
This shift isn’t anti-AI. The smartest teams are using AI as a tool not a replacement, accelerating their work. They’re using it to free up time for the part that matters most – the craft.
The edit that takes the idea from good to great. The line of copy that carries attitude instead of just information. The design decision that breaks the template to make the work memorable.
The need to connect with audiences
To be effective in B2B PR, campaigns need to trigger initial interest in journalists and then captivate potential customers. Average, derivative content and visuals don’t stand out or spark a connection with real people. There’s a lack of context, precision, empathy and humour.
That is why in fully-integrated PR campaigns for the B2B tech sector, increasing numbers of clients want reassurances that human creativity is behind the ideas in videos, animations, graphics, social media tiles, branding, website design, podcast creation and so on.
The return of craft – it never went away
It’s why craft is becoming commercially useful in ways it wasn’t a few years ago. Audiences can instinctively feel when something has been rushed or auto-generated and then they switch off. The brands that invest in creative quality win trust because quality signals care. It signals authenticity and that you actually wanted to say something not just publish something.
The future won’t belong to the fastest content producer. It will belong to the people who understand taste, distinctiveness and nuance. AI can give you the ingredients. Craft makes it a meal. And that’s where the industry is heading next.
Hand-made, not auto-generated content gives you the edge
If everything becomes AI-generated, the brands that stand out will be those that still feel hand-made. The ones where you can sense the people behind the work. That’s where the edge is now. That’s where the value is moving. And that’s the part AI can’t automate.
If you want be certain that your PR campaign is driven by human insight to fully express your distinctive proposition with maximum impact, please get in touch.
