Leadership Lessons with Ben Craig, Head of Digital and Campaigns at Montfort

Our digital lead, Daisy Hughes, recently sat down with Ben Craig, Head of Digital and Campaigns at Montfort, to talk about the challenges, trends, and opportunities facing organisations in the communications industry this year, and in the future.

Read the full interview below:

How has Montfort Communications integrated digital strategies into its traditional PR services, and what impact has this had on client outcomes?

Digital is at the core of everything we do – treating it as a separate tactic is outdated. Even in more traditional sectors, clients now recognise that digital is essential to reputation management and influence. By fully integrating digital into our strategies, we’ve helped clients achieve greater cut-through, better targeting, and measurable impact, ensuring they actively shape their narratives rather than just respond to them.

What are the most common digital challenges your clients face today?

One of the biggest challenges our clients face is that audience habits are shifting faster than many executives realise. People are consuming far less written content and far more video and long-form audio. Yet, many leadership teams still approach digital strategy as though written press coverage or static reports are the primary way to shape reputation. That disconnect creates a real risk – if businesses don’t adapt to where and how people engage with information, they lose control of their own narrative.

The second challenge is that AI is completely changing the way information is surfaced, yet many companies still see it as something to be feared or managed, rather than a tool to be harnessed. AI-driven search and content generation are fundamentally reshaping the way corporate reputations are formed. Companies that fail to optimise their digital presence for AI risk being misrepresented or deprioritised in search results, while those who actively shape their digital footprint will be able to control how they are perceived in a way that was never possible before.

How does Montfort address those challenges?

We ensure businesses understand the move away from traditional formats and help them adapt their messaging to where audiences are actually paying attention. We also work closely with leadership teams to demystify AI, showing them how to use it to strengthen rather than undermine their reputation. The companies that embrace these changes will be the ones that thrive.

Which digital trends do you foresee having the most significant impact on the communications industry in the next 3-5 years?

AI will revolutionise workflows, from research and content generation to message testing and predictive analytics. We’re already seeing tools like Deep Research replace days of manual work in minutes. Meanwhile, hyper-personalisation will make real-time audience engagement more sophisticated, requiring a very different type of communication strategy. Our industry is going to change profoundly and those who don’t adapt will quickly find themselves obsolete

In the age of social media, how has crisis communication evolved, and what digital tools are essential for effective management?

Crises now unfold faster than ever, but they also tend to burn out more quickly. The days of a crisis dominating the media cycle for weeks are increasingly rare; instead, organisations must be prepared for short, intense bursts of scrutiny that can still do significant reputational damage if not handled correctly.

The ability to monitor and respond in real time is critical. Best-in-class monitoring tools are essential for identifying emerging issues before they escalate, allowing organisations to get ahead of the narrative. More than that, AI is now enabling crisis response teams to test potential statements and messaging in real time using synthetic audiences, giving a clearer picture of how different responses might land before they are published. This allows for more strategic, data-driven decision-making rather than purely instinctive reactions.

How does Montfort ensure that its digital strategies align with clients’ broader business objectives and resonate with their target audiences?

Every digital strategy we develop is rooted in business objectives. The days of chasing vanity metrics – likes, shares, or views – without a clear connection to reputation and influence are over. Instead, as platforms have evolved, so has our ability to target the right audiences in ways that directly support business goals, whether that’s influencing policy, shaping investment narratives, or driving reputation shifts among key stakeholders.

Montfort’s Corporate and Campaigns Unit applies a campaigns mindset to everything we do, ensuring that digital isn’t treated as a siloed function but as a core driver of broader communications and business strategy. Every initiative is built around clear objectives, strategic messaging, and measurable impact.

Given the rapid evolution of digital platforms, how does Montfort stay ahead of competitors in offering innovative and effective digital communication solutions?

Montfort’s advantage lies in its agility. We are not burdened by legacy approaches or rigid ways of working – we adapt quickly, seeing change as an opportunity rather than a threat. While many agencies focus only on what has worked in the past, we actively seek out and experiment with the best emerging tools, ensuring our clients are always ahead of the curve.

We also take a global perspective. Some of the most significant innovations in digital strategy are happening outside the UK, whether in the marketing industry or US political campaigns, which tend to be years ahead in digital communications. By looking beyond our immediate sector, we can anticipate where things are going rather than simply reacting to where they are now.

How do you envision the role of digital communications evolving over the next 5-10 years, particularly with advancements in AI, automation, and new digital platforms?

It has been a digital-first world for years – our industry and traditional media have just taken longer to catch up. Montfort stays relevant not by reacting to change, but by anticipating it. We constantly track how digital consumption habits are shifting, experiment with new tools, and refine our approach based on real-world results.

The reality is that communications will continue evolving at speed. Agencies that are slow to adapt will struggle, while those that embed digital and AI at the heart of their strategies – like Montfort – will thrive.

With the rapid pace of technological change, how does Montfort plan to adapt its digital communications strategies to stay relevant in an increasingly digital-first world?

The world has been digital-first for years – our industry is just catching up. Montfort stays ahead by continuously testing, refining, and integrating new approaches. We don’t just follow trends; we anticipate them, ensuring our clients are always prepared for what’s next and how they get ahead.