AI, PR, and the battle for relevance: Archetype’s big bet

After multiple postponed trips, Helena Maus, CEO of Archetype and Marker Collective, finally set foot in India in March 2025. Her whirlwind tour across Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai wasn’t just about meeting teams—it was also to pave the way for Delve’s entry into the Indian market.

Delve, a media coverage measurement tool launched globally in October 2024, was originally developed for internal use by Marker Collective. Now, it’s being extended to advisors, companies, and agencies, offering automated article aggregation, sentiment analysis, and message effectiveness evaluation. By eliminating the need for manual tracking, it allows teams to concentrate on strategic decision-making.

Leading Delve’s development is Marker Collective’s chief product officer, Andrew Wyatt. “Receiving real-time feedback from potential customers and discussing it in product meetings the same day is incredibly exciting,” he noted in an email. To ensure clients fully benefit from Delve’s capabilities, Marker Collective has also incorporated a consulting element, recognising that not all users may have the time or expertise to navigate the tool independently.

Archetype’s tech-driven evolution

Archetype was founded in 2019 on the premise that every company is a technology company. But as the agency evolved, it had its “Aha” moment: while its clients were tech-driven, Archetype itself wasn’t leveraging technology to its full potential. This realisation set the stage for a strategic shift.

“This felt like a huge opportunity for us to rethink our business strategy and how we drive results for clients by putting technology at the centre,” Helena Maus told Campaign in an exclusive interaction.

With Delve, Archetype aims to transform the way PR agencies track media coverage and measure impact. Traditionally, PR success has been difficult to quantify. But with AI-driven insights, Delve offers concrete metrics, allowing brands to evaluate their media presence with precision.

“We announced Delve over the summer but haven’t launched it in India yet. The official launch is coming soon,” Maus explained. “Delve gathers all coverage about your brand, competitors, and industry, analyses it, and provides a clear picture of how your brand is performing in the market. It gives insights on share of voice, key message penetration, and real audience reach.”

One of Delve’s standout features is its partnership with Memo, which provides exact readership numbers for published articles. “This is the holy grail for communicators,” Maus added. “For years, PR professionals struggled to quantify impact. Now, we can say with certainty that 2.3 million people saw a key message due to media coverage. This unlocks a new level of credibility and ROI measurement.”

AI: Bridging the talent gap in communications

The communications industry is facing a talent crunch. Traditional PR work has long been burdened by monotonous tasks such as clipping newspaper articles and manually tracking media coverage. AI-driven tools like Delve are poised to change this, making PR roles more engaging and strategic.

Reflecting on her early career, Maus recalled, “The work was deadening. I literally used scissors to cut articles out of newspapers and glue them onto paper. Today, the equivalent is copying links into an Excel sheet for hours on end. There’s not a lot of joy in that work. But with tools like Delve, we make the job more strategic and appealing, which helps attract and retain talent.”

The automation of mundane tasks allows PR professionals to focus on high-value activities such as storytelling, strategy, and audience engagement. This shift is crucial at a time when marketing budgets are shrinking.

“Marketing spending has dropped from 11% to 7.7% of top-line revenue globally,” Maus noted. “This means every dollar must be spent wisely. In this environment, PR teams need data-driven insights to prove their value. Delve provides the metrics to make that case.”

Earned media in the age of AI

With the rise of AI and large language models (LLMs), the way people consume information is shifting. Traditional search engines are being challenged by AI-driven platforms like OpenAI. This shift makes high-quality, earned media more critical than ever.

“People used to search on Google and get a mix of organic and sponsored results,” Maus explained. “Now, AI-powered models are shaping how information is retrieved. These models rely on trusted news sources to train their algorithms, which makes earned media more valuable than ever.”

OpenAI recently struck a $250 million deal with News Corp to access premium journalistic content. “How many subscriptions would you need to sell to get $250 million?” Maus quipped. “This proves that quality journalism remains the foundation of reliable information. Brands must ensure they have strong earned media coverage because AI is reinforcing the credibility of established news outlets.”

For Archetype, this trend presents a significant opportunity. The agency is looking to help clients navigate the changing landscape by integrating AI-powered tools with traditional PR expertise.

The rise of influencer-led communications

Another major shift in marketing spend has been the rise of influencer marketing. “Four years ago, creator marketing was almost non-existent. Today, it accounts for 12% of marketing budgets, surpassing traditional communications spend,” Maus revealed.

The younger workforce increasingly turns to influencers as their primary information source. Maus sees a huge opportunity in B2B influencer marketing, where brands can use trusted voices to engage their target audiences more effectively.

“At our core, we are storytellers. No one understands storytelling better than PR professionals,” Maus said. “We believe B2B influencer marketing will be a major growth area, and we are positioning ourselves to help brands leverage this shift effectively.”

As Delve prepares for its India launch, Archetype is focused on reinforcing its position as a tech-driven communications leader. AI, data-driven insights, and influencer strategies are central to its future vision.

With the media landscape evolving rapidly, brands must rethink their communication strategies. Whether it’s measuring PR impact with AI, adapting to changing search behaviours, or embracing influencer marketing, the future of PR lies in innovation.

For Archetype, the message is clear: evolve or be left behind. And with AI-powered tools like Delve, the agency is betting on the former.