Pia Carusone, Alex Bloom
Pia Carusone,
Alex Bloom

SKDK launches a New England practice, which will offer strategic communications and advertising support to campaigns and businesses across the region. The practice will be led by president of SKDK Political Pia Carusone and executive VP Alex Bloom, both of whom have deep experience in New England. Working with its sister agency Sloane & Company, SKDK has already built an extensive portfolio of New England engagements, including Steward Health Care, Gillette, Panera Bread, Hartford HealthCare, and National Grid. The agency also advised the winning campaigns of Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) and Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH). “New England is home to the world’s most advanced businesses, forward-thinking foundations, leading universities, and best hospitals and medical centers, and we are looking forward to helping them tell their stories,” said Bloom.

Penta

Penta acquires Copperfield Advisory, a communications, brand and strategy consulting firm that serves institutions in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Copperfield founder and managing partner Andy Whitehouse will serve as a senior partner at Penta and managing partner of the firm’s New York strategy practice. The acquisition is intended to further expand Penta’s position as a comprehensive stakeholder solutions firm, combining analytics and research with deep expertise. Copperfield’s specialties include brand positioning, transaction communications, talent strategy and crisis preparedness. “Their extensive work on reputation management, especially in complex situations, is a great complement to Penta’s capabilities,” said Penta president Matt McDonald. Penta was established in September 2022 following the merger of Ballast Research, Hamilton Place Strategies, Flag Media Analytics, alva, Gotham Research Group, Decode_M and Hume Brophy.

Red Havas

Red Havas, part of the Havas PR Global Collective, forms a global partnership with Meltwater, which specializes in social and media intelligence. The companies become preferred partners on a global level, with Red Havas using Meltwater solutions in their work with clients, and Red Havas managing media relations and executive thought leadership for Meltwater. “Since 2015, Red Havas has used Meltwater not only to review data, but also to understand what it really means for us and our clients. As communicators and storytellers, we are excited to work with an organization pioneering solutions that augment how our industry operates,” said James Wright, Red Havas global CEO and global chair of Havas PR Global Collective.

Manifest

Manifest launches a new brand identity, along with unveiling its status as a B-Corp and the introduction of a “planetary dividend” for clients choosing to switch to the agency from a fossil-fuel supporting agency. As part of the dividend, Manifest will donate 10 percent of a client’s fees to regulated reforestation projects for the first year of working together. The agency scored 97.4 in the B-Corp assessment process, 17.4 points above qualification and one of the highest scoring agency networks. The process analyses an agency’s governance structure, environmental impact and behavior as an employer, in addition to nature of the work it produces, and who it produces it for. “Programs like B-Corp provide an infrastructure for brands to be confident in the ethical and environmental practices of their creative partners. That’s why it’s not just a significant program for Manifest, but for the industry as a whole,” said Manifest founder and Group CEO Alex Myers.