UK soft power: A strategic asset the PR industry cannot take for granted
No other country has such breadth of influence via its media as the UK but the dominance of American and Chinese-owned social media platforms and LLMs mean we can’t be complacent.
The UK has long punched above its weight in global influence. From the BBC World Service and the British Council to Premier League football, higher education and the wider creative industries, Britain’s soft power is the invisible engine behind our reputation. For those of us working globally in PR, it has also been the source of our international edge.
While Washington DC is a consequential capital for countries and companies shopping for public affairs, London remains the media capital of the world with an astonishing number of global media houses with influence spanning beyond national borders and diasporas. We have the BBC, the Times, the Financial Times, the Economist, the Guardian, the Daily Mail and even the Telegraph and Spectator are rapidly picking up audiences in the US. No other country has this breadth of influence via media, however as we know traditional media’s influence is waning and rapidly replaced by social media platforms and large language models (LLM), almost all platforms are American or Chinese. Not a single British platform in this new world order of influence, a stark contrast indeed.
Soft power, hard power, smart power
The late Joseph Nye, who first coined the very concept of soft power, passed away earlier this year. He advocated that soft power and hard power leads to smart power for nations. In essence, the carrot and the stick.
There has been some much-need momentum; the UK Soft Power Council launched in January [when culture secretary Lisa Nandy praised TV drama Peaky Blinders, singer Adele and other British cultural exports for helping to make the UK an attractive place to invest].
However, last month in Parliament, the Foreign Policy Centre launched its report, Playing to Our Strengths: The future of the UK’s soft power in foreign policy, which calls for a long-term, coordinated strategy. It rightly argues that while the UK is well placed to lead in soft power, past successes are being eroded by complacency. Global narratives are now being reshaped by geopolitics and the ‘race’ around AI. If we do not act, influence will slip away to more coordinated rivals.
A crucial insight in the report is the 80/20 rule. Around 80% of soft power is recommended to be generated by non-state actors: our culture, media, sport, universities and businesses. The role of government should be to focus on its 20%, clearing barriers, providing consistent support, setting strategic narratives, regulating fairly and forging international partnerships. This is where a proposed central soft power unit in the Cabinet Office could make a real difference.
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For practitioners, the parallels are clear. Just as reputation is now routinely valued on company balance sheets, we are starting to see governments recognise the importance of the strategic management of influence. PR professionals have always understood that reputation is a long-term asset. The same lesson now needs embedding in policy.
PR benefits from the UK's soft power
This global perspective has shown me how powerful the UK brand remains, but also how fragile it can be. Working globally, I have seen first-hand how Britain’s institutions, from education to media, open doors and frame opportunities. But I have also seen how quickly alternative narratives gain traction if left unchallenged.
Country of origin impacts brands. The UK PR industry massively benefits from the UK’s soft power; our journalist cousins have paved the path for our industry in the UK to be a centre of excellence in the world. Our government’s ability to preserve and build on the nation’s assets of influence has a direct impact on our industry’s balance sheet. We are at a crossroads where the UK’s influence on the world stage continues to decline, or the government moves from being a ‘nepo-nation’ resting on influence foundations built by previous generations to strategically managing our nation’s soft power.
Soft power is not a luxury. It is a strategic asset, one that requires careful management, long-term thinking and investment. The UK still has extraordinary advantages but unless we nurture them, we risk losing the invisible engine that powers both our national reputation and our industry’s global standing.
Farzana Baduel is CEO of Curzon PR and the CIPR President-Elect 2025. Curzon PR is a CIPR Corporate Affiliate member.
Further reading
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