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| Binna Kim |
Vested acquires Red Lab Technologies, a web design, development and digital marketing firm that partners with healthcare and finance companies looking to bolster their marketing teams. Red Lab will provide Vested clients with expertise in Wordpress design and development, search engine optimization and marketing, paid social advertising and marketing automation. Both firms will continue to operate under their current names, and there are no staffing changes planned. The acquisition is intended to augment Vested’s digital capabilities as well as adding talent to their team. “What excites me about Red Lab is not just their deep digital expertise and skill sets. It’s their entrepreneurial mindset and creative spirit,” said Vested president Binna Kim.
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| Michael Olguin |
Havas Formula establishes a Midwest regional hub in Chicago. Initially, Havas Formula Midwest will encompass two offices, located in Chicago and Denver (the agency’s last US hub, established in April 2021). It will primarily focus on consumer, CPG, lifestyle, B-to-B and tech brands. The Chicago hub will be led by Tara Reid, who has been promoted from senior vice president to president. “The Midwest is rich with opportunities, especially with so many large food companies, retailers and tech startups from the Great Lakes area—and even as far south as Texas,” said Havas Formula CEO Michael Olguin. “Establishing a Midwest regional hub in this market will fuel the agency’s growth strategy as we seek to expand into other flourishing markets in this area, like Austin, Minneapolis and Columbus.”
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| Gail Heimann |
Weber Shandwick introduces The Weber Shandwick Collective, a strategic communications and consulting network. In addition to Weber Shandwick, the agencies that will be a part of The Weber Shandwick Collective include Prime Weber Shandwick, United Minds, Powell Tate, Revive, Resolute Digital, Flipside, ThatLot, KRC Research and Cappuccino. The firm is also launching Weber Shandwick Futures, which will work to identify potential investments, partnerships or M&A opportunities that help shape future-forward offers to clients. It will be led by chairman Chris Perry, who calls the unit “one part think tank, one part incubator and two parts business engine.” Its first partnership is with venture capital firm Social Starts. “We’re scaling our consulting expertise, introducing a new model for innovation and evolving the articulation of our brand to more accurately reflect the value and scale that our ecosystem delivers today – and to establish a foundation for future growth and disruption,” said Weber Shandwick CEO Gail Heimann.
53Six, a Dublin- and London-based sports marketing agency, is acquired by Irish experience and entertainment group FUEL... Blue Highway Advisory releases a report that looks at how the shift from CEO to AI has changed the way in which consumers access information, and offers advice on how to handle the new landscape... Get Engaged, whose services include campaign ideation, social media management, influencer marketing, celebrity partnerships, content production and paid media, joins SAMY, a social-first agency headquartered in Madrid. 
The Hoffman Agency, a Silicon Valley-based firm with offices in Europe, Asia and the U.S., teams up with United Partners Network, a global community of independent communications agencies... ChangeMakers acquires R&G Strategic, a Halifax, Nova Scotia-based firm with a practice that spans ESG and sustainability strategy and reporting; stakeholder engagement; climate and GHG consulting; sustainability campaigns; branding; communications; and marketing... AltaVista Strategic Partners, a Baltimore-based firm, opens an second office in Tampa, effective Oct. 15.
Curley & Pynn Public Relations Management rebrands as Biplane focused specifically on helping nonprofits build visibility, reputation and trust to advance their philanthropy... SKDK launches a payer negotiation practice that is designed to support health systems as they navigate increasingly complex negotiations with insurers... ChangeMakers, a strategy and communications firm with over 400 professionals across North America, launches RepScore.
Prosek Partners opens in San Francisco under the leadership of partner Nadia Damouni... Caliber Corporate Advisers, which works with clients in the fintech and financial services sectors, introduces the Caliber Authority Index (Caliber AI), a proprietary measurement platform... Herbie Thiele Consulting, a public affairs firm blending lobbying and communications, is launched by the longtime Sachs Media partner.
Bospar expands its Audit*E tool for small- and medium-sized businesses, which provides comprehensive visibility scoring, competitive analysis and platform-specific improvement recommendations, giving users actionable intelligence to help with brand positioning.... 5W is increasing its presence in Tampa and the Florida market....PR Consultants Group, a nationwide network of senior-level public relations, strategic communications and marketing specialists in more than 50 U.S. markets, has brought on 13 independently owned public relations firms across 13 markets and 12 states so far in 2026.
