PR & Comms Signals: Loyalty

​In an increasingly crowded and noisy landscape, long-term relationships and genuine community stand apart.

​Our first edition of PR & Comms Signals explores why loyalty is emerging as one of the most valuable assets in communications, media and brand building.

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The Signal

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Future Plc just bought what money can’t usually buy: loyalty.

SheerLuxe has been acquired by Future Plc in a deal worth up to £80m. On the surface, it’s another media acquisition. Look closer, and it becomes a lesson in playing the long game.

While much of the media industry spent the last decade chasing clicks, SheerLuxe quietly built connection.

Future isn’t buying audience reach.

They’re buying relationship equity.

Loyalty and trust have always mattered. In a noisier world, they matter even more. That’s the strategic bit.

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Why This Matters

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SheerLuxe has quietly proved that lifestyle media doesn’t mean light. It means loyal.

It means:

• 6m+ people opting in

• Newsletters over newsfeeds

• Engagement over impressions

Something most brands (and agencies) would kill for.​

From a talent and comms perspective, this move is telling us a lot.

• Community-first thinking is now a commercial superpower.

• Editorial personality scales better than performance marketing.

• Founders staying close keeps the DNA intact.

Culture doesn’t transfer neatly on paper.

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The Bigger Shift

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It's a reminder that being:

• Niche

• Consistent

• Human

...still wins. Even in a world obsessed with automation, efficiency and scale. Possibly especially then.

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Why PR Should Pay Attention

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Big media isn’t just buying audiences anymore. They’re acquiring credibility, tone and trust.

Expect more acquisitions where authenticity is the real asset.

Hats off to the SheerLuxe team. Proof that deep audience understanding, paired with creative instinct, is still one of the smartest business models around.

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Looking Ahead

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Are we about to see more moves like this, as large media groups look to buy back authenticity rather than scale?

For PR & Comms leaders, this raises bigger questions about where trust is built, how audiences are earned, and which models are actually sustainable long term.

If you’re thinking about what this shift means for your team, roles or leadership, our PR & Comms specialist Tirna Sweeney is always happy to share insight and perspective.