AKOS Words of the Year: Consolidation, Cooperation, Strategicity
2025-12-25 07:18
On December 18, AKOS gathered its friends and partners for a Warm Winter Meeting to take stock of the key results of 2025 and share predictions and plans for 2026 ahead of the New Year. We discussed what delighted and disappointed us, what made us think, and what inspired us in the past year. We also socialized and congratulated each other on the upcoming holidays.
“Today, AKOS members, our agencies, are surrounded by friends and partners from the AKOS Advisory Board, the State Duma, the Federation Council, the Government of the Russian Federation, National Priorities, friendly associations (RASO, AKAR, AKMR, the Managers Association), the Russian Academy of Public Relations (RAOS), the Union of Journalists, the Reputation Management Center, HSE, MGIMO, the Lime and Silver Mercury festivals, the board of the Russian UN Association, and many other dear guests. And we are very pleased that we were able to gather you today for the AKOS New Year's meeting,” said AKOS Chairman and President of the Insiders Group, Andrey Lapshov. “We are organizing this format for the first time, but AKOS has been doing many firsts lately. We formed the Advisory Board for the first time, reached the level of the SPIEF for the first time, and established our own international AKOS forum for the first time. Behind all of this lies our desire for consolidation, cooperation, and strategic thinking. These are our words of the year, and we are taking them with us into the new year.” next, in our foreseeable future.”
At the meeting, AKOS members presented two important, relevant studies: the 2025 Communications Industry Business Activity Index (Oleg Mukovozov, Managing Partner of PROGNOSIS) and the 2025 Modern Media Trends in the Russian Market (Evgenia Nemchinova, Managing Partner of PR-Consulta and Chair of the AKOS Media Relations Committee), as well as a digital scoring service for communications agency clients (Vitaly Samolet, Vice President of Strategic Communications at PROGRESS Consulting Group).
The 2025 Communications Industry Business Activity Index is a study that captures the current state and dynamics of the Russian communications market and is being conducted at the initiative of the Russian Association of Communications Professionals (RASO) with the support of AKOS and AKAR. According to the Index, in 2026, the market will need to maintain quality while demand falls (redesign processes, reduce manual operational workload, use AI), treat personnel as a strategic resource (retain mid-level specialists, develop a pipeline of young specialists), adapt functional roles to new market demands (analytics, product contour, data approaches, quality management), and improve the adaptability of teams and practices (update processes, training, redesign work architecture).
Trends in Modern Media in the Russian Market 2025 is an annual survey of media representatives and communications specialists conducted for the fourth time this year by AKOS, the research company PR News, the new media development center (Vmeste Media), and the communications agency PR-Consulta. The trend toward chaotic media consumption topped the list of this year's top five trends (54% of experts consider it the most pressing). It is followed by a crisis of trust and quality (51%), tightening control and the legalization of the media environment (48%), the entrenchment of self-censorship as an editorial culture (46%), and the transformation of AI into a routine work tool (45%).
The Communications Agency Customer Scoring Service is a platform for conducting customer satisfaction surveys for communications agencies. It includes an analytics module that identifies problem areas and allows clients to influence the quality of the services they receive.
Sergey Skripnikov, Chairman of the ACOS Advisory Board and Director of Public Relations at UC RUSAL, presented his personal expert perspective on the 2025 trends that will shape current communications practices and shift the roles of communicators.
These trends include the rapidly expanding capabilities of neural networks, an overabundance of information noise and clutter, a rethinking of the role of instant messaging apps, and a growing demand for open dialogue with people.
“Emotional intelligence is becoming increasingly important as corporate and artificial intelligence advance. Yes, we live in an era where AI is already quite good at writing press releases, but we increasingly lack live communication, real stories, and genuine emotions. We sorely miss the captivating stories that only humans can create,” said Sergey Skripnikov. “This brings to mind the parable of Buddha’s cunning disciple, who caught a butterfly in his hands and came to his teacher, wanting to catch it—with the question of whether the butterfly in his hands was alive. The idea was simple: if Buddha answered that it was alive, he would squeeze his fingers, and the butterfly would die. If he answered that it was dead, he would open his hands and release the butterfly. And when he asked his trap question, Buddha looked at him thoughtfully and said, ‘Everything is in your hands.’ So it is with us, colleagues, despite all the diversity and contradictions of new trends—everything is in our hands. Let’s hold on, and I hope, “You will succeed!”
A session of AKOS chairpersons was held at the AKOS New Year's meeting.
The session symbolically concluded the AKOS 25th anniversary celebrations, which had previously included a series of events, from campaigns and a student competition to an international forum.
AKOS was founded in 1999, becoming the first (and remains the only) professional association of PR consulting firms and receiving the status of the Russian branch of the International Association of Public Relations Consultants (ICCO). AKOS's core membership consisted of 13 leading agencies. The first chairperson of AKOS was Veronika Moiseeva (1999-2000).
“The decision to create AKOS in 1999 was literally in the air. It was a classic ‘era of romanticism.’ If we were to use football comparisons, the PR industry in the 90s was definitely like Brazilian football – star-studded, bright, sincere, and spectacular, but unstable and unpredictable… We were captivated by the idea of forming a fundamentally new industry, looking to the future and literally living for tomorrow… You could say that the Russian PR business emerged as an independent industry precisely from the moment AKOS was created, and since then, it has been perceived as such by society, business clients, and the government. Today, we live in a completely different country. The main difference in the PR market today is, of course, its maturity and adulthood, with all its positive and negative aspects. We have largely settled down, lost our enthusiasm and drive, preferring standard, effective procedures and methods, taking advantage of quality and, as they say in football, crushing with class” (from an interview) Veronika Moiseyeva in honor of the 25th anniversary of AKOS)
From 2000 to 2008, AKOS developed as a union of professionals and began to influence the formation of the national PR market (client service quality standards, PR effectiveness criteria, ethical issues, and approaches to organizing and conducting tenders). AKOS chairmen included: Sergey Mikhailov, head of Mikhailov & Partners Group (2000-2001); Ilya Kuzmenkov, editor-in-chief of Vera Radio (2001-2002); Mikhail Maslov, CEO of maslov:agency (2003-2004); and Sergey Trofimenko, president of RAOS (2004-2008).
Mikhail Maslov commented on his time as ACOS Chairman while attending the 47th All India Public Relations Conference (Dehradun, India) as part of the ACOS delegation: “In 2003, I attended the ICCO Board meeting in Delhi—and now, 22 years later, I’m once again representing ACOS in India… In the early 2000s, ACOS focused on getting large agencies to talk to each other and discuss industry issues. So, we met and communicated a lot, in a friendly, relatively small circle. This was very important at the time. We didn’t set any grand, overly ambitious goals, I think. My other goal was to focus on international development, strengthening contacts with ICCO, giving our agencies access to the international organization’s resources, and positioning the Russian market on the international stage.”
"I'm proud to have been at the forefront of this wonderful organization! My role at the time was primarily foreign policy," said Sergey Trofimenko. "It was a golden age; we were, in a sense, conquering the West, entering Western markets, and establishing connections. There was a flurry of international activity, and everyone was a partner, literally. Thanks to the ICCO system, we met all the world's leading agencies, and they saw what reliable partners they had in Russia. But perhaps that was also the most difficult part—conveying to our Western partners what a great team we were. Today, we see that AKOS has become a systemically important organization in the field of public relations. I wish it continued prosperity!"
Between 2008 and 2016, the number of ACOS members grew to 30, its activities became systemic, and regular research, monitoring, and event cycles, along with initiatives for memoranda and guidelines, emerged.
Andrey Barannikov, AKOS Chairman from 2012 to 2016, joined the Chairmen's Session from Cairo, Egypt: "It was a very interesting time. I agree, the international component was very strong back then, and Russia was respected. The market had already formed, and a regional market had also emerged. Now, we take AKOS membership for granted, but back then, it wasn't like that. We had to convince people to join. And I set myself the goal of having at least 20 new agencies join AKOS. Being AKOS Chairman means bearing a colossal responsibility. You must dedicate at least 30% of your time to this public work, which includes much that goes unnoticed. The AKOS Chairman can be compared to a player-coach—a person chosen at a specific moment by the community as a successful, active professional who promotes the profession and the entire business, rather than just a few companies. And “What AKOS is currently doing in this direction is professional and mature.”
From 2016 to 2020, AKOS acquired a status that allowed it to represent the industry's interests in government agencies and develop intersectoral and international cooperation. During this period, AKOS was chaired by Sergey Zverev, head of KROS and Chairman of the AKOS Committee on Education and Professional Competencies.
"Dear colleagues and friends! I wish you all a happy New Year! I wish us all peace and health. I wish all our endeavors success, may the market grow, our clients be good and satisfied, and may we all succeed. Well then, Association, go ahead! Because without the Association, life is bad, with the Association, it's great!" (from Sergey Zverev's congratulatory address to the meeting participants).
From 2020 to 2024, AKOS united 50 agencies and became a center of excellence. During the pandemic, AKOS is doing much to support the communications industry, develop legislative initiatives, expert platforms, awards, and competitions. AKOS Chairperson is Lilia Glazova, CEO of PR News.
"I was elected two weeks before the onset of COVID-19 and the lockdown. The first ACOS meeting under my chairmanship was the first ever online ACOS meeting. Everyone felt a heavy burden; we shared our pain. But that's precisely what's most powerful about ACOS—its atmosphere. ACOS brings together agencies that compete with each other, and yet, despite this, they meet to discuss their problems and pain points," said Lilia Glazova. "We conducted a survey of the Association's members back then and found that, for most, ACOS was an elite club. This was fine at one point, but we realized it was time to change this perception, both internally and externally. And we've done a lot to achieve this, including in collaboration with partner associations. I'm glad that today, this direction of ACOS is fully supported and continues to develop."
Since 2024, AKOS has been chaired by Andrey Lapshov, president of the Insiders Consulting Group. AKOS has relaunched many processes, introducing new formats and initiatives as a leadership organization, open to new partnerships and connections, professional and creative collaborations.
“The most difficult thing is to embrace what has been built over the years that preceded me, build on it, and move forward, without destroying or erasing anything. This is the foundation on which we must build AKOS’s future,” said Andrey Lapshov. “These are very challenging times, which have impacted both business and international relations. And it’s important for us to recalibrate. We are learning to work with other markets, opening up new areas. We have reached a stage of closer cooperation with the government. Of course, I feel a very significant burden of responsibility. But I am supported by the energy of AKOS member agencies, and the often passionate energy of my colleagues. And the fact that you are here and smiling probably indicates that we are moving in the right direction.”
At the AKOS Winter Meeting, the book "Baltic Weekend: 25 Years of Communications in Russia"—a chronicle of a quarter-century of Russian communications, told through the stories of the people who shaped the profession—was also presented. Certificates were also presented to communication professionals who had recently completed PR specialist certification (a RASO project with the support of AKOS and the Managers Association).
The certificate recipients were Daria Lapshina, Director of Business and New Product Development at AKOS member PR agency Comunica; Oksana Reznik, Partner, Co-Founder, and Deputy General Director at AKOS member PR agency Comunica; Olga Ocheretina, PR Director at OTP Bank and member of the AKOS Advisory Board; and Adlan Margoev, Research Fellow at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies.