Weber Shandwick leaders launch VOCAL for AI-era communications

Weber Shandwick leaders launch VOCAL for AI-era communications

The leadership team behind Weber Shandwick Australia has launched VOCAL, a new earned-first communications agency focused on helping brands build authority across traditional media and AI-driven information channels. The Sydney-based agency opens with foundation clients across corporate, technology, healthcare and consumer sectors.

The launch reflects a shift in how brands are discovered and evaluated. AI increasingly influences how information is surfaced, interpreted and recommended. VOCAL's proposition centres on helping brands become sources that people trust, journalists quote and AI systems reference.

VOCAL is led by co-founders and managing partners Angela Malkin and Jami Gandha, alongside head of strategy Addie Freyne and client director Akina Taniguchi. The broader team includes Weber Shandwick talent across earned media, corporate communications, healthcare, consumer, creative and strategy.

From earning attention to earning authority

Malkin said the discipline is moving beyond simply earning attention. "For decades, communications has been about earning attention. Today, it's about Earning Authority," Malkin said. "The fundamentals haven't changed. Great ideas, trusted relationships and independent credibility still influence decisions. What has changed is how people find information."

She pointed to the practical consequences of that shift. People search differently. Journalists work differently. AI has become another gateway to information. "Brands need to become trusted sources across all of them, and that's why we built VOCAL," she said.

A measurement framework and a lean operating model

VOCAL has developed an Earned Authority Index, a proprietary framework for measuring how discoverable, trusted and influential a brand is with both people and AI. The agency said the framework is designed to create a clearer link between communications activity and commercial impact.

The operating model keeps senior practitioners close to client work. AI handles repetitive and administrative tasks. Gandha said clients want experienced counsel and measurable outcomes. "Clients are asking for experienced people who stay close to the work, understand their business and deliver measurable commercial impact," Gandha said. "We use AI to remove administration, not relationships. That gives our team more time to think strategically, create stronger ideas and focus on the work that makes the biggest difference for clients."

For PR professionals tracking how AI reshapes media relations and brand authority, the AI for PR & Communications tag page covers related developments. Those building skills in this area can also explore the AI Learning Path for Media Relations Specialists.

Why this matters for PR and communications professionals

VOCAL's launch signals a structural shift, not a rebrand. Agencies are now building measurement frameworks around how AI systems reference brands, which means PR teams will increasingly be asked to show authority metrics alongside traditional coverage reports. If your agency or in-house team isn't tracking how AI platforms surface your brand, expect that gap to become a client question within the next 12 months.