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PlayWise Partners picks up FAO Schwarz, including the full portfolio of FAO Schwarz toys and its flagship retail store. PlayWise Partners co-founders Rachel Griffin and Sheena Stephens will lead efforts to create new opportunities for the FAO Schwarz brand. FAO Schwarz was purchased from Toys "R" Us by ThreeSixty Group in 2016, and following an eight-year absence from NYC, the company opened its new flagship location there in 2018. "We are excited to partner with PlayWise and benefit from their leadership as veteran PR experts in the toy industry," says MerchSource CMO Jill Nordquist.
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Sage Growth Partners, a Baltimore-based healthcare marketing, strategy and research firm, renews its partnership to provide PR and media relations services for ProgenyHealth, a tech-enabled women's healthcare company dedicated to maternity and NICU care management. SGP's scope of work includes proactive media relations, the development of thought-leadership content, and securing national media placements and byline articles. "The team at Sage Growth Partners has continually collaborated with our leadership to develop and implement highly-effective media and public relations efforts on a national level," said ProgenyHealth CEO and founder Dr. Ellen Stang.
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EP+Co signs on as agency of record for John Deere's construction division. The agency has served as AOR for Deere's residential agriculture and turf division since 2018. EP+Co will lead the creation of a revitalized brand platform and long-term marketing strategy designed to drive growth and position Deere as the category leader in reliable, innovative construction equipment. "We considered several agencies but found the strategy and energy we were looking for in EP+Co," said John Deere, manager of creative and content delivery Heather Hartley. EP+Co has also been selected by global packaging solutions company Sonoco to produce a marketing asset that positions the brand's products for buyers seeking premium materials.
5W is named agency of record for Strength of Nature, which offers such multicultural haircare brands as African Pride, as well as Motions Xpress Shampoo Hair Color... RG2 Communications is representing Rebelo de Andrade, an architecture and design studio based in Portugal... Big Fish Collective is engaged as agency of record for publicity and media relations for Nikwax, which produces PFAS-free waterproofing and aftercare solutions for outdoor apparel, footwear and gear.
Lou Hammond Group lands Visit St. Petersburg Clearwater, Florida’s Historic Coast and VIVA Cruises... Champion picks up Snooze Eatery, a breakfast and brunch restaurant with nearly 70 locations nationwide... Red Lorry Yellow Lorry wins US PR duties for ArgusEye, a tech company providing an autonomous AI workforce that helps engineering teams ship secure, compliant cyber-physical products more quickly. 
Doner lands AOR status for Navy Federal Credit Union, the world's largest credit union... P-22 Agency picks up El Encanto, a Santa Barbara, CA resort located on seven acres of terraced gardens overlooking the Pacific Ocean... Parasol, which specializes in the luxury lifestyle and hospitality sector, signs on as US shop for Château Minuty, a wine estate located on the French Riviera.
Nickerson lands Sport Fishing Championship, a competitive saltwater fishing league... French/West/Vaughan is retained as agency-of-record for Los Angeles-based hardtech learning & development expert Matt Gjertsen.... CIIC PR picks up The Resorts Companies, timeshare, resort management and real estate organization headquartered in Massanutten, VA.
Stagwell signs on as lead creative partner for IBM. Stagwell’s Code and Theory and Anomaly units will work alongside IBM, helping to evolve its “Let’s Create Smarter Business” campaign... Campstories is named PR firm for the National Forest Foundation... RG2 Communications lands the Dexter Hotel, a 29-key boutique property that opened on May 19 in Elk Rapids, Michigan.
