The boundaries between PR, advertising, media and influencer marketing are becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish. At Heads+Tales, that convergence is creating an opportunity to move public relations beyond its traditional role of generating coverage and give earned thinking a greater influence over the creative process.

The Toronto agency, which earned Silver in PR Agency of the Year in 2026, is led by co-founders Amanda Shuchat and Katie Muir. Its approach starts with a belief that consumers are largely indifferent to which discipline produces an idea. What matters is whether it captures their interest.

“They ultimately care whether it’s interesting,” Shuchat says.

That philosophy has shaped how Heads+Tales collaborates with other agencies, particularly on integrated campaigns where earned media, social content and physical experiences reinforce one another.

It has also influenced the agency's approach to influencers and measurement. Rather than pursuing reach for its own sake, Heads+Tales evaluates creators based on credibility, audience alignment and engagement. Shuchat argues that traditional impression counts can obscure the difference between widespread exposure and meaningful influence.

The agency's work demonstrates how that thinking translates into campaigns. For Safehaven, Heads+Tales created an educational board game to help families talk about medical complexities and disabilities, generating 66M impressions and contributing to a 235% increase in individual donations. For Sleeman, it shifted attention from golfers to caddies, generating 18M earned impressions and lifting purchase intent by 37%. And when Drake unexpectedly wore a Sleep Country logo, the agency helped turn the moment into a mattress giveaway within 72 hours, generating 57M impressions and an 89% increase in branded search.

The work reflects a broader ambition to identify cultural opportunities rather than simply promote predetermined messages. That requires PR specialists to be involved when ideas are first developed, not after creative decisions have already been made.

“The earlier PR can be brought to the table, the better,” Shuchat says. “They should be there from the earliest brief, along with the creative agency.”

As paid and earned media become more interconnected, Shuchat believes the strongest campaigns will draw on both. For Heads+Tales, the opportunity is to help shape ideas people want to engage with, rather than simply finding places to publicize them.