The Next Frontier of Innovation Will Happen in the Physical World

We’re launching a Physical Industries practice for companies bringing AI to the real world—from factories and stores to roads and skies. It builds on our sector depth, relationships, and track record telling stories about how innovation is reshaping commerce, manufacturing, mobility, aerospace, and defense.

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The Moment We’re In

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The dominant AI narrative right now focuses on knowledge work and IT. But the larger, more complex story is physical; the global economy runs on things that are built, moved, and sold. People show up on factory floors and job sites every morning. Robots assemble cars and smartphones. AI is embedded in cars, trains, and planes.

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AI is moving out of the ether and into the real world. When software fails, a page does not load. When physical systems fail, it happens in a warehouse or on a street, in front of the people who use them. In these markets, trust determines who leads. Companies need communications expertise that matches the complexity of their business, not a standard enterprise tech playbook.

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The companies that define the physical AI era will communicate with the same precision they bring to their operations— and early enough to own their category before someone else does.

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What We’re Seeing

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Consider what happens to a company in this space that waits.

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In physical industries decisions about safety, policy, and community engagement—and the way you communicate about them—shape whether audiences trust you to lead.

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You spend years perfecting your robotics product, raise a funding round that earns admiring coverage, and build a loyal customer base. Then, a competitor with a less differentiated product closes a major enterprise deal, dominates the narrative, and becomes the reference name for the category. By the time you realize you’re behind, you’re spending twice the resources to recover ground you should have owned.

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The pattern we're seeing across industries is clear; the best technology won't win on its own. The companies defining their categories value communications as much as their product. They understand the difference between a fleeting product launch and a durable narrative: one that goes beyond what a product does to show the meaningful difference it makes in people’s lives and the systems they rely on.

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Our Roots and Focus

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We have a deep history bringing technology into the physical world. We launched the first smart hairbrush for L’Oreal and partnered with Stord to create the cloud supply chain category, laying the foundation for bridging the physical and autonomous worlds. We helped Simbe build the narrative for a technology that’s changing the operating model for retailers. We supported Instacart as it moved AI out of a lab and into local grocers and retailers. And, we work with Thales across North America as it secures aerospace, defense, and critical infrastructure.

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These are companies at the leading edge of innovation, and incumbents adapting from within. They’ve taught us what it takes to tell that story to investors, customers, regulators, media, and talent.

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Our Physical Industries practice codifies that expertise and commits us to building upon it. We’re launching with a focus on four verticals:

• Commerce: The companies driving AI and automation into retail infrastructure, store aisles, and supply chain logistics.
• Manufacturing: The innovators deploying autonomous systems, robotics, and digital intelligence directly onto factory floors and job sites to modernize industrial operations.
• Mobility: The platforms and technologies reshaping how goods and people move through the world.
• Aerospace & Defense: The companies securing critical infrastructure, defense systems, and modern aviation technologies against complex regulatory and global operational landscapes.

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Let’s Build Together

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If you’re leading communications at a company putting AI to work in the physical world, let’s talk. Whether you’re a robotics startup defining your narrative, an enterprise retail platform redefining your category, or a manufacturer ready to tell a transformation story that your competitors can’t, we'd love to hear from you.

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Reach out to us.