26 February 2026
In a world where consumers are drowning advertising, visibility is no longer enough to prompt a purchase. Today, 90% of Canadians look at reviews before completing a purchase, as they systematically search for external validation. The real challenge for brands in 2026 isn’t the lack of key messages, it’s the lack of proof.
During the latest Substance Lab, Sébastien Voyer and Juliette Ferland discussed how public relations act as a vehicle for credibility, an essential strategy to make the consumer shift from awareness to actual trust.
1. Earned attention: The fuel to consideration
Visibility can be bought, but credibility is earned. Unlike advertising that’s more interruptive, earned attention is invited into consumers’ daily lives through trusted third parties like journalists, experts or content creators.
See it vs. Believe it: While bought attention is effective for reach, earned attention leaves a lasting trace and builds legitimacy.
Proof through third party: An external recommendation is perceived as more credible and more useful, because it’s positioned in a context the audience actively chooses.
2. PR at every step of the consumer journey
PR can’t be perceived as a one-off tool, but as a guiding principle throughout the conversion funnel:
Visibility (Existing): Use cultural relevance and current events to boost brand
Interest (Intriguing): Transition from “seen” to “interested in” with explanatory contents or experts’ platforms.
Consideration (Reassure): Reduce perceived risk with product tests, testing grounds and believable testimonies.
Conversion (Legitimize): Make trial the next logical step with practical content and activations with clear calls to action.
Loyalty (Engage): Turn the client into an ambassador with continuous storytelling on the brand’s successes and impact.
3. Case study: Bù and Spotify
The conference outlined two specific approaches to PR to transform perception:
Spotify: Positioned itself as an ally to Quebec culture during the introduction of Bill 109 by using listening data and exclusive events to demonstrate its support of local creators.
Vins Bù: Managed to change the perception of the “grocery store wine” category by leaning on the credibility of Jessica Harnois, famed sommelier, effectively transferring her expertise to the brand. The result: making their wine one of the top-sellers in Quebec.
Consideration is something to win over
In 2026, PR isn’t just an additional channel, it’s a discipline that converts earned attention into a choice. To succeed, brands must stop talking about themselves and start earning their place in people’s lives by providing real and consistent proof of their worth.
