W2O Group has named Laura Levitan its first chief networking officer, responsible for outreach to potential clients and talent on behalf of its WCG, Twist Mktg and Brewlife units.
The San Francisco-based firm calls Levitan a “super connector,” who has put her word of mouth marketing savvy on behalf of MRY (Mr Youth), Ogilvy, Clarion Marketing and Communications, Revlon and Keller Fay Group.
Levitan also will help staffers understand the shift from push marketing to WOM.
She’ll be based in Atlanta when she reports for duty in April.
W2O is the fourth largest independent firm, chalking up $75M in fee income and employing 373 people as of the end of 2013.
DJE Holdings, parent of Edelman and Zeno, launches RUTH as an independent shop named after Ruth Edelman, mental health advocate, wife and longtime business partner of Dan Edelman.
New York City PR firms make up the largest slice of O'Dwyer's 147 firm overall ranking with 33 of 40 in the New York/New Jersey area either calling Manhattan their home or having a presence there.
Subject Matter+Kivvit, which joined forces in May, has rebranded as Avoq, an integrated shop with more than 200 professionals in Washington, New York, Asbury Park (NJ), Miami and Chicago.
While PR pros stationed at in-house comms. teams and those working for agencies share many of the same objectives, they also have markedly different top priorities, according to a recent report.
Edelman is cutting 240 employees or about four percent of its workforce to cope with the cooling down of the PR sector, according to a memo from CEO Richard Edelman.
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