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| Donelle Harder |
Pinkston, a strategy and communications consultancy based in Falls Church, VA, acquires messaging and communications firm Pliris Strategies. Pliris founder and CEO Donelle Harder, who previously served as a senior advisor to Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt, will join Pinkston as a senior vice president. Pliris and its existing staff will remain based in downtown Oklahoma City, where the agency has offices. “Donelle has built an incredible practice during some of the hardest years to build a business in recent history,” said Pinkston founder and partner Christian Pinkston. “She and her team bring breadth and depth of perspective that will fuel our continued growth and help us make a bigger impact for and through our clients.”
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The DRAM Agency, which will provide digital marketing consulting and services to wine and spirits suppliers, is launched by beverage alcohol distributor Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits. DRAM (which stands for the Digital Revolution of Alcohol Marketing) has already been working with Southern Glazer’s suppliers to provide access to key platforms and equip them with the necessary tools and information to maximize media effectiveness. “With this new agency service, Southern Glazer’s can provide industry-leading data and analytics, as well as media buying power to increase the efficacy of suppliers’ digital strategies and improve share of shelf across digital platforms,” said Southern Glazer’s vice president, B2C eCommerce Nathan Mansperger.
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PROI Worldwide creates the PROI Founders Award to recognize outstanding contributions to the organization. The first Founders Awards have been awarded to Allard and Valerie van Veen, and Claire Parsons. Allard van Veen, along with his wife Valerie, was the owner of a leading Canadian communications agency when he served as one of the founders of PROI. In the more than 50 years since, he served as global chair of the organization, and then was global managing director from 1994-2020. In the van Veens’ honor, PROI made a contribution to Doctors Without Borders. Clare Parsons, chair of longtime PROI partner Lansons, was the first woman to serve as global chair of PROI, during the 2018-2020 term. In Clare’s honor, PROI made a contribution to The Felix Project, a London-based organization that collects fresh, nutritious food that cannot be sold, and delivers this surplus food to charities and schools.
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.
