Why the Future of PR Depends on Who’s in the Room

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this article:

• Why public relations is more than publicity and how it builds lasting brand trust

• How lack of diversity in leadership leads to costly and avoidable communication failures

• What young people should know about launching a creative, high-impact career in PR

Carmella Glover, CEO of the Diversity Action Alliance, believes that communications can change the world, but only if the industry itself reflects the world it aims to reach. In a candid and compelling interview with Explain It to a Teenager, Glover shared her insights on public relations, authentic storytelling and why senior leadership diversity is not a nice-to-have, but a make-or-break factor for brands.

“Public relations is about building relationships between brands and their audiences,” Glover explained. “That means creating trust, shaping stories and helping clients, whether they’re celebrities or corporations, connect authentically with the people they serve.”

But what happens when the people making those decisions do not reflect the audiences they are trying to reach? Glover pointed to high-profile brand missteps, like a now-infamous Dove ad that unintentionally implied Black skin was dirty. “If there’s no one in the room who can see the problem before it hits the market, then you’ve failed your audience and your brand,” she said.

As the leader of the Diversity Action Alliance, a nonprofit trade association focused on diversifying the PR and communications industry at the senior-most levels, Glover is tackling those representation gaps directly. She noted that the majority of executive roles in PR are still held by white, middle-aged men. That limits the industry’s ability to truly innovate or communicate across cultures.

The issue goes beyond optics or tokenism. Glover shared a textbook example taught in communications schools: Chevrolet’s ill-fated “Nova” launch in Spanish-speaking markets, where “no va” literally translates to “doesn’t go.” It is not just about language, she emphasized. It is about cultural context. And cultural context is impossible to grasp without diverse voices at the table.

Glover’s own journey into communications is unconventional but instructive. With a degree in chemical engineering, she initially worked in the pharmaceutical and skincare sectors before realizing that effective communications were critical to business success, regardless of the industry. That realization sparked her career pivot into PR and ultimately into leadership within the DAA.

“Good communications makes everything work better, from internal alignment to public perception,” she said. “Whether you’re in finance, operations or tech, you cannot do it well without communications.”

For young people considering a creative, impactful career, Glover’s advice is clear. “If you can tell a story, if you can write well and if you care about making change, PR could be for you.”

Her message to communicators is equally clear. Authenticity is not a buzzword. It is a standard. Meeting that standard starts with who is sitting in the room when stories are crafted, campaigns are approved and crises are managed.

For communications professionals, the takeaway is urgent. Your teams should look like the communities you are trying to reach. Anything less is not only a missed opportunity. It is a reputational risk.