Ingenuity client services director Jess Bird believes standout PR comes from clear ideas delivered with real human insight.
With eight years at Ingenuity and a rise from PR account coordinator to senior account director to her current client services role, Bird brings both depth and perspective to the work. As a PR juror for The Drum Awards Festival she draws on her experience running diverse accounts across digital, marketing, advertising and PR, raising the profile of agencies like MullenLowe, Neverland and The Corner. She helps guide clients toward stories that matter and ensures her team stays focused on work that is relevant, thoughtful and built to last.
“AI is already changing the game,” she says. It can spot early warning signs in crisis situations and help shape quicker response, and it can sharpen storytelling at speed. “It’s like having a 24 hour radar and a writing assistant rolled into one.” Still, she sees its role as supportive rather than central, especially when the message demands emotional intelligence.
Authenticity is the thread she returns to most. Brands cannot control every channel but they can control their core narrative. “You need a strong story at the centre,” she says. When that foundation is clear, brands can stay open, flexible and real while letting audiences make the story their own. The consistency of that voice is what gives the work real credibility.
Advertisement
For building trust she believes honesty still wins. People know when they are being fed polished lines or vague promises. “Trust comes when businesses own both their wins and their mistakes,” she says. Speaking clearly, even when it is uncomfortable, is what sets the groundwork for long-term credibility.
If she could use only one tactic next year she would choose solution led thought leadership. “People want clear thinking from real humans,” she says. In uncertain or crowded categories, strong opinions and useful insights help brands stand out far more than surface level messaging.
She also believes internal communications is the most undervalued part of PR. Employee alignment drives everything else. “If your own people don’t believe the story, no one else will,” she says. Internal advocacy becomes the backbone of reputation and growth.
Looking ahead, she says PR leaders will need to blend creativity with cultural awareness and technical skill. They must be strong storytellers who understand people as well as platforms and who are willing to speak up when it matters. Curiosity and courage will shape the work that rises above the noise.
Her current challenge is helping clients say something new in a space full of repetition. “Audiences are bombarded with messages,” she says. The work is getting brands beyond safe or familiar points of view and into ideas that feel meaningful and bold enough to stand out.
The Drum Awards Festival celebrates the PR leaders pushing brands to think sharper and speak with purpose. Follow jurors like Jess Bird as they define what effective communications looks like in 2025.
Ingenuity London
Ingenuity offers agencies business development and marketing services. Ingenuity also helps brands find the best agency or tech solution to crack their marketing...