13 October 2026

Twenty years ago, a common trope was that traditional media was in terminal decline. Social media democratised publishing, blogs gave everyone a voice and citizen journalism was set to displace professional reporting. The belief was simple: if everyone could be a publisher, why would society need gatekeepers?

Yet in the age of AI, the opposite appears to be happening.

While social media, creators and AI-powered search have fundamentally changed how information is consumed, they have also increased the value of trusted, authoritative journalism. In fact, for businesses in Asia, securing coverage in highly regarded media outlets may be more important today than at any point in the past decade.

The reason is that there are now two audiences that matter: humans and machines.

The first audience remains investors, the business community, consumers, regulators, employees. The second is increasingly AI systems that are becoming the new intermediaries of information.

This shift in how information is consumed is often mistaken for a decline in traditional media. In reality, it has increased the importance of trusted sources.

The Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2026 found that social media and video platforms are now the most widely used route to news globally, overtaking both TV and news websites. Yet even as distribution fragments, trust in news remains a critical issue, and audiences continue to value impartial, independent journalism.

This creates an important paradox in the AI era.

People may increasingly encounter information through social platforms, creators or AI assistants, but the underlying source material those systems rely on is still produced by established publishers with editorial standards, fact checking and recognised authority.

In other words, discovery has decentralised, but credibility has re‑centralised.

The emergence of generative AI reinforces this trend. Large language models are designed to identify authoritative information, reconcile conflicting claims and surface trusted sources. Increasingly, they look for signals that professional journalism naturally provides: expert quotes, original reporting, verifiable data, sector expertise and editorial oversight.

Many leading AI providers have also entered formal licensing or partnership agreements with major publishers, recognising the importance of trusted journalism in training and informing their systems.

For companies’ marketing strategies, this has important implications.

Historically, media relations focused on reaching readers. Today it is equally about creating authoritative digital assets that influence how AI systems understand and describe your organisation.

A prospective institutional investor may ask an AI assistant about your investment capabilities. A graduate recruit may use AI to research your corporate culture. A journalist may use AI to understand your market position before an interview. In each case, the system is synthesising information from multiple sources and making decisions about which narratives to trust.

If your organisation’s expertise appears consistently in respected financial media, that increases the likelihood of those messages being reflected in AI-generated responses.

Conversely, if your digital footprint consists primarily of marketing content, social posts and corporate messaging, you may be leaving a vacuum that others fill.

This shift requires a recalibration of communications strategy.

Five implications for PR strategy in the AI era

1. Prioritise authority alongside reach

Audience reach remains important, but it is no longer the sole measure of communications effectiveness. As AI systems increasingly help people discover and evaluate information, organisations should consider not only how many people they reach, but also where their messages appear. Coverage in respected business, financial and specialist publications can provide independent validation that may carry influence with investors, customers, employees and other stakeholders.

2. Build authority across multiple trusted sources

Authority is increasingly shaped by an ecosystem of sources rather than any single channel. For many organisations, this means combining visibility in relevant media with strong corporate content, research, industry participation and subject-matter expertise. In financial services, for example, consistent contributions to discussions around wealth management, private markets, ETFs, sustainability or alternatives can help establish recognised expertise over time.

3. Invest in original insight, evidence and expertise

In an information environment saturated with content, originality matters. Research, proprietary data, market analysis and expert commentary are more likely to differentiate an organisation than promotional messaging alone. Whether consumed directly by people or surfaced through AI-powered tools, content that contributes genuinely useful insights is more likely to be referenced, shared and trusted.

4. Maintain consistency across earned, owned and social channels

Stakeholders increasingly encounter organisations through multiple touchpoints, including media coverage, company websites, executive LinkedIn activity and AI-assisted search. While each channel serves a different purpose, a consistent narrative can help reinforce credibility and reduce confusion. The objective is not message repetition, but alignment around core themes, expertise and positioning.

5. Treat reputation as a long-term asset

Traditional PR has often been evaluated through individual campaigns and short-term outcomes. However, organisations increasingly benefit from building a sustained body of credible, discoverable content over time. Media interviews, bylined articles, research reports, conference participation and digital content can collectively contribute to how an organisation is understood by stakeholders today and how it may be represented in future information environments.

5 October 2026

Two of the industry’s most experienced operators have launched Decantas Communications, an independent, Asia-focused consultancy specialising in financial and corporate communications.

Hubbed out of Hong Kong, Deborah Tsui and Linda Pui are leading a growing team across Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing and Shanghai, with Tokyo and Taipei set to join the Decantas network in the coming months. Together with proven partners in Seoul, Sydney and across Southeast Asia, the firm offers clients broad regional coverage through one accountable point of contact.

Being privately owned and independent allows Decantas to take a personal, responsive, long-term approach, fully focused on clients’ needs. This dedication and our specialist expertise define who we are above all.

Deborah commented: “We know companies want their advisors to be agile across the region to align with their business growth and they need advice based on deep market and industry knowledge.  That’s why Decantas will operate seamlessly across Asia Pacific, providing our clients with senior-hands-on counsel which can flex with their needs.”

Linda added: “We both bring over 20 years of experience managing complex situations for many of the world’s best known financial institutions and public and private companies. And we’ve done it both as consultants and in-house, so our natural approach is to operate as if an extension of a company’s team, with a long-term perspective, focused on their objectives, helping them navigate market and regulatory environments across Asia to consistently reach their goals.”

The name Decantas derives from decanter, a vessel which clarifies a wine’s profile and brings its expression forward, a simple way to capture how we cut through complexity, distil what matters and provide clear, considered advice.

The Decantas team bring deep expertise and heritage to a fresh new brand offering trusted advice, adaptability and persistence, energy and entrepreneurial spirit.

To find out more, visit our website: https://decantas.com/

Or email us:
Linda.Pui@decantas.com and Deborah.Tsui@decantas.com

29 September 2026

For years, WeChat has been the default digital channel for financial institutions seeking to engage Chinese audiences. Its Official Accounts remain an essential tool for brand building, investor communications and thought leadership. Yet China’s social media landscape has evolved significantly, and so have the expectations of investors.

Many brands have already established WeChat Channels to complement their Official Accounts with short-form video content. Today, leading financial services firms are also looking beyond the WeChat ecosystem to reach audiences on platforms such as Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) and Douyin. Even regulators are embracing this shift. Earlier this year, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission announced the launch of its official Xiaohongshu account as part of its efforts to strengthen investor education and public engagement.

The message is clear: China’s social media ecosystem is becoming more diverse, creating new opportunities for financial brands to strengthen visibility, build trust and engage investors across multiple touchpoints.

Where Investors Are Consuming Information

WeChat remains unparalleled as a platform for in-depth content, community management and customer engagement. However, user behaviour has fragmented.

Investors increasingly consume information across multiple platforms, each serving different purposes. For example, Xiaohongshu has emerged as a powerful discovery platform where younger affluent consumers seek recommendations, lifestyle content and increasingly, financial knowledge.  Douyin, which helped popularise short-form video in China, has evolved into a platform where the mass public consumes a wide range of content, including news, investor education, market commentary and financial insights alongside more traditional entertainment content.

Rather than competing with WeChat, these platforms complement it, allowing financial institutions to engage potential investors throughout different stages of their information journey.

The Opportunity for Earlier Engagement

The increasing presence of financial institutions and regulators on social media reflects the growing role these platforms play in investor education, complementing established channels such as corporate websites, webinars and traditional media.

Investors now expect information to be accessible, visual and tailored to their preferred platforms. Topics such as retirement planning, asset allocation and market trends are increasingly discussed in social channels where users spend significant amounts of their time.

For financial services brands, this creates an opportunity to reach audiences earlier and more frequently than ever before. High-quality educational content can help build credibility long before a potential investor becomes a client.

However, this opportunity comes with significant responsibilities.

The Compliance Challenge

As social media activity expands, so too does regulatory scrutiny.

Recent developments have underscored the heightened regulatory attention being paid to cross-border marketing practices. Authorities in China have increased scrutiny of online promotion and sales activities involving offshore investment products targeted at mainland investors.

The lesson extends beyond WeChat.

Content published on any social platform can create a permanent and highly visible record. Messages designed for one audience may be viewed by another. Educational material can sometimes be interpreted as product promotion. A global campaign that appears compliant in one jurisdiction may raise questions in another.

For financial institutions operating across borders, social media strategies must therefore be developed with compliance considerations built in from the outset, rather than treated as an afterthought.

The objective is not to avoid social media. Rather, it is to use it intelligently and responsibly.

Looking Ahead

China’s social media environment will continue to evolve, and financial brands will need to evolve with it. The opportunity extends far beyond simply opening accounts on new platforms. Success will depend on understanding how investors consume information, adapting content to platform-specific behaviours and navigating regulatory expectations with care.

For global financial institutions, the challenge is no longer whether to participate in China’s wider social media ecosystem, but how to do so effectively and responsibly.

At Decantas, we work with financial services firms to navigate China’s rapidly changing communications landscape, helping brands develop compliant, audience-relevant content strategies across multiple platforms while supporting long-term reputation building and investor engagement.

We’d be interested to hear how your organisation is adapting to China’s increasingly diverse social media landscape. Feel free to reach out to continue the conversation.