Trust consolidates as the most valuable asset in communication
What began as an internal exercise to reflect on the global challenges facing communication has become a benchmark report for understanding the issues confronting professionals today. “PR2030: The Future of Communication,” produced by SEC Newgate, brings together the perspectives of nearly 500 professionals worldwide and presents a clear diagnosis: we are operating in a high-risk, low-trust environment, where disinformation and the growing use of artificial intelligence are reshaping the relationship between organizations and society.
At the presentation in Madrid, F. Javier de Mendizábal Castellanos, CEO of SEC Newgate Spain, captured the current paradox perfectly: “We have more information at our fingertips than ever before, yet it generates less trust than ever.” This idea runs throughout the study. Trust emerges as the scarcest resource of the coming decade and, at the same time, the most decisive asset for the legitimacy of companies and institutions.
Maurizio Maione, International Project Director at SEC Newgate, emphasized how the erosion of trust, combined with the exponential growth of artificial intelligence, is already shaping the present and will define the future of communication. The challenge is not simply to leverage technology, but to do so with an ethical vision—ensuring that machines support the process while people lead it with judgment, empathy, and creativity.
Ludi García, Managing Director of SEC Newgate Spain, stressed the need to reclaim the information society as a pillar of democracy by reawakening citizens’ critical thinking. “Communication must once again play a strategic role, and ethics must guide the work of journalists, communications leaders, and consultancies,” she noted. Her remarks reflect the key dilemma of the coming years: choosing between a negative scenario of reactive, dehumanized communication, or a positive one in which communicators act as ethical compasses and builders of trust.
Ángel Alloza, CEO of Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership, highlighted that before aspiring to the trust of stakeholders, companies must first build credibility internally. Only then will society grant them the “social license to operate” that is essential for sustaining long-term reputation.
The report also points out that the communication services expected to grow most in relevance are those linked to sustainability management, crisis communication, and strategic advisory. In this context, sustainability ceases to be a peripheral issue and moves to the core of trust-building—provided it is communicated with authenticity and coherence.
Beyond data and scenarios, the conclusion we find most inspiring at ComBoca is that the future of communication will depend on how effectively we balance ethics and technology. AI is already part of the present, but what will truly make the difference is professionals’ ability to preserve critical thinking and human value in every message.
As the report itself states, the greatest challenge is not so much mastering the tools, but safeguarding the essence of communication: building trust through truth, transparency, and responsibility. A challenge we share—and one to which, as an agency, we want to contribute alongside clients who are also driving this conversation, such as Corporate Excellence and Impact Hub Madrid.
