Contrary to the belief of some performance marketing gurus, PR is not an indulgence.
Extensive data, show that it is a demand-creation system that measurably improves conversion efficiency, lowers acquisition costs, and increases revenue durability. Brands that underfund PR do not just lose awareness. They pay more for every sale and trap themselves in a performance-marketing-dependency cycle.
This shows up clearly in independent consumer and market data.
Brand Is a Primary Purchase Driver in the US
PR and solid creative are the chief servants of brand. The idea that brand is secondary to price or promotion does not hold up in American consumer behavior.
Google and Kantar research shows that brand accounts for 31% of US purchase decisions, outweighing price at 27%. In other words, reputation and familiarity influence more buying decisions than cost considerations alone.
Nielsen data reinforces this risk aversion. 59% of US consumers prefer buying new products from brands they already recognize, even when alternatives are available.
This is the structural role PR plays. It creates recognition before the moment of comparison. Performance marketing cannot do this alone.
Trust Directly Increases Willingness to Pay
PR’s most underappreciated function is not awareness. It is a trust transfer that increases willingness to pay.
According to Salsify’s 2025 consumer research, 87% of shoppers say they are willing to pay more for products from brands they trust.
UserTesting’s 2025 global study quantifies that premium. American consumers are willing to pay approximately 25% more for trusted brands in the same category.
This is how brands escape price competition. Not through better ads, but through credibility built before conversion via upper-funnel channels like PR.
Brand Pull Reverses “Cheaper Alternative” Defection
The value of PR is often clearest when consumers abandon cheaper options.
EY’s US Future Consumer Index shows that 55% of US consumers who try private-label products eventually switch back to branded options. Nearly half cite better quality, taste, or performance.
That perception gap does not come from product specs alone. It is shaped by narrative, reputation, and third-party validation. All PR territory.
Brand Affinity Drives Purchases Without Promotions
One in five American purchases happens without price or feature comparison.
Invesp research shows that 21% of US consumers buy new products solely because they like the brand.
Performance marketing cannot manufacture this behavior. It emerges from repeated exposure, earned credibility, and consistency over time.
Consistency Creates Measurable Revenue Lift
PR does not operate in isolation. Its power compounds when messaging is coherent.
A Marq study found that consistent brand presentation across channels drives 10% to 20% revenue growth in US markets.
PR is the connective tissue that enforces that consistency across earned, owned, and search surfaces.
The Performance Failure Mode
When PR is underfunded, the consequences are predictable. Acquisition costs rise as familiarity drops. Discounting becomes a crutch. Demand turns volatile and disappears the moment spending pauses.
The math is straightforward. With roughly 95% of buyers out of market at any given time, performance marketing can only target a small, finite pool. Without PR maintaining mental availability, future demand simply does not form. This is not a creative problem. It’s a question of numbers.
Why This Matters More in the US Than Elsewhere
American consumers demonstrate stronger brand loyalty and higher trust thresholds than many international markets.
UserTesting shows 73% of US consumers remain loyal to favorite brands despite price increases, compared to 63% in the UK and Australia.
Cross-cultural research from GAB and ChemLinked shows Western consumers are more likely to maintain long-term favorite brands, while Asian consumers are more experimental outside luxury categories. This makes US market entry uniquely brand-sensitive.
Bottom Line
PR is not soft spend. It is cost-containment and revenue insurance.
It reduces acquisition friction.
It stabilizes demand.
It enables pricing power.
Brands that skip PR are not being efficient. They are deferring the bill.