PR Firm News: Praytell Expands Influencer Unit
Thu, Sep. 3, 2026
By Steve Barnes
Praytell expands its Influence Department—which unites media, creators and social under one team... LRJ PR & Communications and Canopy Brand Group form an alliance that the firms say will bridge the operational divide between high-end brand design and strategic public relations... Twin Minds Media, Hispanic market specialist, increases the scope of its services in an effort to help brands build deeper connections with audiences through culture, storytelling, media and experiences.
VPE Communications, which helps organizations authentically connect with diverse audiences, celebrates 38 years in business and announces a new ownership structure... Praytell expands into the Asian market with the opening of a new office in Singapore... The International Public Relations Network unveils a new visual identity and redesigned website. 
Targeted outreach to the U.S. Hispanic market is essential for brands seeking to truly connect with the second-largest ethnic group representing a purchasing power of $3 trillion, as reported by the Latino Donor Collaborative.
Jackeline Stewart-Hawkins has joined BCW as executive VP and leader of its polycultural consulting unit.
Gen Z Latinos are on their way to becoming the main engine of population and economic change in the U.S. within the next decade. Communicators are taking notice.
The Axis Agency, which launched in 2005 as Weber Shandwick’s multicultural marketing unit, is now an independent and minority-owned shop as CEO Armando Azarloza and COO Carmen Lawrence have acquired the brand from Interpublic.
Multicultural audiences account for almost 40 percent of the U.S. population, yet multicultural media buys made up only about five percent of the total ad and marketing revenues in the U.S. last year, according to a report.
Horizon Media and hip-hop artist Pitbull have joined forces to start a marketing agency aimed at the multicultural market.
Inclusive marketing today has moved beyond a differentiating factor and has now become a consumer expectation.
The current marketing landscape is diverse in every way, from age and ethnicity to ideas and interests. Representation begins with inclusion, and brands and agencies looking to reach target audiences today must foster diverse workplaces that reflect this environment. 
The PRSA Foundation and the Museum of Public Relations have published a book designed to help communications pros better understand the challenges facing people of color in the industry today.
Havas acquires investment stake in Republica, a 120-member Miami shop, which will lead its multicultural offering in the US.
