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| Marion Janic |
Rooney Partners is joining forces with investor relations agency LHA to provide integrated investor relations and public relations programs to healthcare clients. Both firms will continue to operate independently, and there are no staffing or executive changes planned. Rooney Partners partner Marion Janic says over the past two decades the firms have “informally partnered to offer integrated IR and PR services to more than 20 clients in the U.S. and Europe.” With offices in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, LHA works with public companies and those going through the IPO process. Rooney Partners provides services for companies in such market verticals as finance, healthcare, manufacturing and technology.
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IntelligenceBank has launched a “crisis communications hub,” an online platform intended to help cross-functional teams to develop unified messaging around COVID-19. The company says the platform offers one-click access to crisis statements, protocols, content and collateral. Its features include digital asset management (with crisis-specific sections for such content as media releases, customer hardship offerings, internal communications, customer communications and government relations) as well as assistance with crisis communications briefs and project management, workflow approvals, crisis brand guidelines and crisis news.
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Israeli PR technology company Propel has conducted research indicating that the volume of pitches sent to journalists has increased during the COVID-19 crisis, while the engagement by journalists with such pitches has remained stable. The study shows that so far this month, PR professionals are sending an average of 16 pitches per day to journalists, up from 14 in March, 13 in February and 10 in January. When it comes to how many of those pitches are opened, journalists polled said they opened 47 percent of pitches received in April, compared to 45 percent in March, 51 percent in February and 46 percent in January. “The pitch volume increase in April and March may indicate a rise in creative story ideas around COVID-19, or crisis management related pitches. The slightly lower but relatively equal open and response rates are likely due to journalists adjusting to remote work,” said Propel co-founder and CEO Zach Cutler. The study is based on pitches sent by over 100 U.S.-based PR professionals in 2020.
Mark Allen & Co. acquires Alban Communications, establishing its first Miami office... Buchalter, a business law firm, launches a crisis management and strategic response group... 5W PR expands its beauty practice to include TikTok Shop-aligned PR campaigns and creator amplification strategies.
Caster Communications is acquired by long-time agency leaders Alexandra Crabb and Peter Girard... DiGennaro Communications launches The Authority Studio, a freestanding content strategy and production offering... The Brandman Agency, which specializes in luxury travel and lifestyle, rebrands as Brandman.
Public Inc., a social impact agency based in Toronto and New York, acquires Rocket Social Impact, an advisory firm that works with nonprofit and corporate social impact organizations... Ruder Finn launches “What’s Next: The Ruder Finn Podcast,” a new platform hosted by CEO Kathy Bloomgarden... Crowe PR joins United Partners Network, a network of independent PR agencies with members across more than 65 markets worldwide.
Ruder Finn launches rf.Voices, an integrated influence offering that brings together AI-powered influencer marketing, customer advocacy and paid amplification under one measurable framework... The Pollack Group is accepting applications through March 31 for The Big Red Grant, a $40,000 pro bono strategic PR and marketing engagement program awarded to a nonprofit organization ready for growth... D S Simon Media releases a report that says almost seven in ten producers (68 percent) are more interested in airing a story when they know it has been optimized for AI.
Precision Strategies, an integrated strategy and marketing agency with offices in Washington and New York, acquires Firehouse Strategies, a DC-based public affairs firm... AVENIR GLOBAL acquires London-based Thinks Insight & Strategy... Good Company, which bills itself as a “cultural engineering firm,” is launched by DJ Hardy, a veteran of Johannesburg-based communications consultancy arxna and M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment and Casey Stickles, who has worked at 5WPR, Rubenstein and MWW.
