The most vulnerable moment for any organisation is not during stable operations. It is during restructuring — when roles disappear, knowledge leaves the building and narrative control fragments.

For centuries, economics has taught us that scarcity drives value and abundance eases crisis. Yet today, that equation has flipped. From universities to pension systems, from energy grids to artificial intelligence, we are living through what can only be described as a great value inversion—a moment when abundance destabilizes systems and scarcity produces prosperity.

The twenty-first century confronts us with a paradox. At the very moment artificial intelligence appears to be automating our professional lives and redefining what it means to be excellent, we may also be witnessing the stirrings of a cultural renaissance. High culture—long associated with exclusivity, refinement, and depth—is beginning to assume renewed relevance, not despite AI, but because of it. When viewed through the philosophical lens of the 80,000 Hours framework and the shifting hierarchies of skills that AI is producing, it becomes clear why human-centered pursuits like ballet and opera may soon be more valued than ever.

In 2022, a song nearly four decades old suddenly became the soundtrack to millions of TikTok videos. Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill re-entered global charts after being featured in Netflix’s Stranger Things (Official Charts), reminding us that the past is never really gone—it only waits for the right moment to return. This was not an isolated moment. It was another sign of how nostalgia has become one of the most powerful forces in today’s media and communication landscape. From Y2K aesthetics on Gen Z’s Instagram feeds to the endless wave of Hollywood reboots, our collective past is being repackaged as one of the most reliable emotional triggers in modern storytelling.

When I worked at BlackRock, I learned two truths about money that have never left me.

The first was just how vast the Dutch investment market is — trillions in assets, complex strategies, a scale so large it makes “big finance” sound like a small phrase. The second was more personal: despite working at one of the most powerful investment firms on the planet, I had little interest in investing through my pension.

That same mindset followed me into my Master’s dissertation – which looked at financial issue management, and how organisations can more effectively navigate and mitigate risks, especially during periods of uncertainty. I studied this through the lens of the 2008 financial crisis, interviewing more than a dozen senior communications leaders active at the time.

Summer has a strange kind of rhythm. Things tend to slow down – the world gets quieter, inboxes emptier, and there's suddenly more room to think. I’ve been taking that space this season to look back a bit, especially at the past half year. Because while it feels like not much is happening in the moment, there’s actually a lot going on elsewhere. Especially in tech.

A proven industry that needs reinvention

The communication industry is resilient and valuable, but also highly fragmented and inefficient. In Western Europe alone, PR, corporate communications and public affairs generate €14–15 billion annually, with tens of billions more when lobbying and strategic advisory are included.

The problem with fragmented communication

One of the biggest challenges organisations face today is fragmentation. Marketing, PR, corporate communications, crisis management, public affairs and investor relations often operate independently. Each team has its own priorities, data sources and messaging

Investing in businesses always involves uncertainty. However, smart investors understand that leveraging intelligence, mastering communications, and proactively managing risks significantly impacts their return on investment (ROI). Let's explore this critical connection using real-world cases from recent developments in the Netherlands.

Strategic communication has always been human

Strategic communication has always been about people. Long before algorithms, dashboards or digital platforms existed, words, gestures and timing shaped alliances, conflicts and power structures. In Ancient Greece, diplomatic conversations could determine the fate of entire city-states. During the First World War, intuition and timing in negotiations sometimes mattered just as much as factual information.