TBWA\Media Arts Lab’s Lu Borges says great PR starts inside the brand

Communication begins long before a message reaches the outside world, according to Lu Borges, global chief communications officer at TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Apple’s bespoke agency.

Borges, who oversees how that thinking is applied across the agency’s eight creative hubs worldwide, says it starts with culture, alignment and a clear point of view inside the organisation. She is also judging the PR category of an industry awards programme.

“AI will amplify human creativity, not replace it,” she says. The technology can personalise storytelling, monitor reputation and speed up crisis responses, but critical decisions still rest with people. “Understanding context, reading culture, and knowing when to speak versus stay silent, that’s deeply human work.” Successful agencies, she says, will use AI to free up time for understanding people and making work that connects.

Trust from the inside out

Borges argues that control is the wrong goal. “I don’t think brands can control the narrative,” she says. What they can do is build something consistent and real. “Authentic storytelling starts from the inside out.” If internal culture does not match external messaging, audiences notice, so brands need a clear point of view that can evolve through real interaction.

“Trust is built through consistency between what you say and what you do,” she says. It takes time to earn and can vanish quickly, and every touchpoint counts, from how a company treats employees to how it behaves under pressure. “Be honest, own up to mistakes before someone else points them out,” she adds, warning against chasing every news cycle. Brands that last invest in people, not just reach.

The work as PR

The most effective PR tactic today does not look like traditional PR, Borges says. “The best tactic isn’t a press release,” she says. “Great creative work is its own best PR because it earns attention rather than renting it.” When everyone has a platform, the work that travels is the work that sparks conversation.

She also highlights an often-overlooked area. “Everyone thinks PR is about external perception, but the most powerful work is often internal,” she says. Aligning teams around a shared story turns employees into advocates whose belief carries further than any campaign.

“The next generation of PR leaders will be defined by their ability to read culture,” she says, including how it shifts between markets, which requires curiosity, perspective and the confidence to challenge safe ideas. “The ones who thrive won’t just follow culture, they’ll help shape it.”

In her own job, working across global hubs means balancing consistency with local relevance, “Ensuring every piece of work feels authentic and relevant in each market, while also speaking to a global audience.” That demands speed and precision, particularly when representing a brand like Apple, where expectations for quality and cultural relevance keep rising.