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The Institute for Public Relations launches IPR ELEVATE, a membership program for leaders who are dedicated to IPR’s research-focused mission. The program is open to mid- and senior-level, high-achieving communication professionals with at least 10 years of experience. Members are elected by the IPR ELEVATE Committee, which is comprised of CCOs, as well as agency, nonprofit and executive search leaders. IPR ELEVATE will limit its membership to fewer than 35 in its inaugural year. Applications will be accepted on a quarterly basis with the first review of applications due on April 1. “IPR ELEVATE offers leadership and professional development opportunities for a generation of leaders who care about the importance of research and insights to the field,” said Steve Cody, founder and CEO of Peppercomm and inaugural chair of the IPR ELEVATE Committee. “I’m excited to work with these leaders to launch this program and advance IPR’s mission.”
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Maracaibo Media Group expanded into larger headquarters on Feb. 1. Founded in 2006, the New City, NY (about an hour from NYC) firm specializes in broadcast, print and web-based media campaigns, national broadcast print and online media placements, social media, live event production, video production and media training. The agency also has satellite offices and a network of affiliated professionals across the country. The new hybrid space is equipped with a large screen TV connected to a remote work-station for Zoom calls, and there are big “creative spaces” both inside and outside for employees to mingle and collaborate. Agency CEO and founder Lynn Munroe is excited about “hopping out of the zoom box” with her staff and being there in person three days a week.
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| Suzanne Tobin |
With the Australian border opening on Feb. 21 (allowing Australians to travel internationally for the first time since March 2020), PR firms that service the country are preparing for a wave of interest from travelers. Suzanne Tobin, CEO of Australia-based tourism and destination management firm Latitude PR, notes that “for the past two years, when Australians talked to friends, one of their first discussions would be, ‘What are the top destinations you are going to visit when the borders open?’” Before Covid 19, almost one out of three Australians traveled internationally every year, and the country ranks ninth on consulting firm Timetric’s survey of the World’s Top Ten Biggest Travelers.
The Communications Group, a Little Rock-based shop releases its first Public Affairs Marketing Trends Report... The Worldcom Public Relations Group votes Paris-based firm SEITOSEI•ACTIFIN into its global partnership... PRNEWS, a European PR-tech firm, relocates its U.S. headquarters to downtown Miami.
af&co., a San Francisco-based hospitality marketing and PR agency founded by Andrew Freeman, is marking its 20th anniversary... Notified launches Syndicated Articles... Crosby Marketing Communications selects four students from Anne Arundel Community College for its marketing scholars program.
KCSA Strategic Communications launches the KCSA AI Lab, which will develop proprietary AI systems to expand what strategic communications can achieve for PR and IR clients... Clipbook, a vertical AI platform for strategic communications and public affairs, closes a $3.3 million seed round co-led by Mark Cuban, Commonweal Ventures and Carpenter Capital... VizSense, a Boston-based AI influencer marketing agency, teams up with holographic storytelling company Geminai, to launch what they say is the next frontier in brand experiences: interactive holograms powered by AI.
Ways Marketing Solutions, a Saudi Arabia-based marketing and communications group, teams with H&K alum James Drewer and Cake founder Mike Mathieson, to launch Ways Global Communications with HQs in London and Riyadh... UNICEPTA, a media intelligence provider within Stagwell’s The Marketing Cloud, launches an integration with Microsoft 365 Copilot... MAD Global CEO Mike DuHaime has been named to New Jersey Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill’s transition team.
Ogilvy launches CultureCurrent, a social-first earned media offering that integrates cutting-edge technology with human cultural intuition to listen, identify, activate and amplify brand stories.... Forward Global, a risk and reputation management advisory firm, opens in Abu Dhabi... Lyons Broadcast PR marks its 20th anniversary with the introduction of new virtual production technology, enhanced media outreach tools, and integrated broadcast-digital strategies.
