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Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock has partnered with Public Opinion Strategies on a study that reveals the reluctance many Americans have to get vaccinated for COVID-19 once a vaccine becomes available. According to the study, just over half of Americans (53 percent) say they are highly likely to get vaccinated, while 17 percent are somewhat likely, 21 percent are not likely and 10 percent say they’re unsure. Respondents said that the top reasons for their reservations about a vaccine are fears of potential side effects (47 percent) and being infected by the virus from the vaccine (22 percent). While respondents as a whole placed a high degree of trust in healthcare workers, making them key to any effective vaccination campaign, 40 percent of healthcare workers surveyed said they are on the fence or unlikely to get a vaccine when available. “This data shows that there is significant need and opportunity to develop vaccination campaigns,” said Jarrard CEO David Jarrard. “Before launching any campaigns for the public at large, though, healthcare organizations must build trust first within their own teams to reassure them about the safety of their facilities and the vetting of any vaccination.” To see the full study, click here.
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Icon Source, a digital marketplace that connects brands with pro athletes, has opened its platform to college athletes following the decision of the NCAA board of directors to have schools in all three of its divisions consider rules that would allow players to profit from their name, image and likeness. Beginning Oct. 1, college athletes will be able to register on Icon Source, with their profiles remaining private until college compensation laws go into effect. Athletes who register on the platform will be able to build profiles based on division, conference, school and sport, in addition to the metrics already included on the platform such as social stats, location and personal interests. Companies will be able to perform organic searches for athletes or utilize Icon Source’s AI technology to be paired with an athlete based on social audience demographics.
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| Drew Piers |
Sachs Media partner and director of campaigns Drew Piers has become president of the Florida Public Relations Association Capital Chapter. FPRA is a statewide organization linking over 1,000 professionals dedicated to advancing the profession of public relations. The Capital Chapter is the largest in Florida, featuring over 100 members. “Drew Piers is one of the smartest, sharpest, and most strategic professionals I have ever had the pleasure to call a colleague,” said Sachs Media founder and CEO Ron Sachs. “I know he will further contribute to the success of the Capital Chapter, our community, and the entire industry with his strong leadership.”
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.
PSC (Princeton Strategic Communications) acquires Nonprofit Partners... CG Life launches 24/364, a cultural brand platform intended to drive awareness, connection and action aimed at keeping rare disease at the forefront of the health and social conversation... Interluxe Group, which focuses on brand experiences and in-person activations; Quinn, a strategic communications agency; and media and digital agency North & Warren are uniting under the Interluxe Group banner.
KITH, which provides corporate reputation and crisis preparation services, is now owned by CEO Stephanie Craig, who has been with the firm since 2021... The Marketing Cloud, a part of Stagwell, introduces several expansions to Agent Cloud, the platform it launched in October 2025 to simplify access to its AI tools and marketing assistants.... Notified launches its AI Press Release Optimizer.
V2 Communications launches its AI Visibility Solution and Earned Media at Scale, two service offerings designed to help companies increase visibility and credibility in generative search... The Public Relations Global Network brings on Greenough Communications as its Boston member agency... DBC is relaunching The DBC Industry Calendar as a free site to help communicators more easily discover relevant events and awards in the cluttered event landscape driven by the growth of webinars and online events. 
PAN releases new original research showing that a significant share of B2B citations surfaced by ChatGPT are inaccurate, misattributed or entirely fabricated, introducing a new credibility risk for brands... REQ, which has offices in DC and San Diego, opens in Phoenix... Notified introduces Market Intelligence, an addition to its all-in-one IR Hub, which gives IR teams a more streamlined way to prepare for earnings calls.
