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Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, conservative powerhouse firm, has rebranded as Shirley Banister McVicker Public Affairs. The name change reflects the elevation of Kevin McVicker, a 20-year veteran of the firm who has served as vice president since 2015, to partner. McVicker worked to publicize major litigation in the Supreme Court cases of Hobby Lobby in 2014 and the Little Sisters of the Poor in 2016 as well as spearheading media coverage and exposure for such clients as the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Ann Coulter and the late Robert Novak. In addition, the firm is moving from its South Patrick Street offices in Alexandria, VA to a location on King Street in the city’s historic Old Town district.
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BCW has launched BCW CyberTREE, a strategic model focused on helping clients develop an individualized cybersecurity crisis communications response and planning system. The new initiative enables clients to create tailored strategies based on more than 25 factors in four domains (threat considerations, response considerations, meeting media and stakeholder expectations, and engagement considerations) that influence reputation risk during a cyber event. It also provides strategies intended to help clients develop cybersecurity crisis communications playbooks or to audit existing plans. “BCW CyberTREE is our firm’s effort to codify and systemize a strategic approach to cybersecurity crisis communications that helps clients mitigate business and reputational damage during and after an attack,” said BCW global CEO Donna Imperato.
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Prosek Partners is launching a dedicated HR Special Situations Practice Group for clients experiencing a crisis or other special situation which impacts their employees. The new practice will be managed by Prosek partner and chief human resources officer Karen Niovitch Davis. She will work with special situations partners Andy Merrill and Mickey Mandelbaum. Services the practice will offer include independent onsite HR investigations, HR strategy advisory services, internal and external communications, digital reputation audit and strategy, and media and public relations strategy and execution.
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| Chris Hubble |
Australia-based Bastion Collective has acquired db5, a consumer insights and strategy consultancy with offices in New York and Los Angeles. The consultancy specializes in quantitative and qualitative research, brand strategy, innovation and communications. As part of the transition, it has rebranded as Bastion db5. Bastion db5 will continue to operate as their own individual agency within the Bastion Collective. Chris Hubble will remain president and Neva Shah will continue to serve as president. Bastion db5’s client roster includes MillerCoors, KFC, BuzzFeed, Hyundai, Airbnb, Twitter and YouTube.
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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