 |
Zapwater Communications launches a dedicated bilingual services division, Chispa, to provide services for clients in Latin America. Zapwater’s Miami office will lead the division under the supervision of VP Bertha Diaz. Comprised of PR professionals from all three of the agency’s offices (Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles), Chispa will handle original Spanish-language content, translation, localization of marketing materials, bilingual media relations services, social media management, crisis communications, influencer marketing and overall message development. “Our team’s deep understanding of the Latin American market, coupled with their bilingual proficiency, allow us to develop compelling narratives and engage with audiences on a more personal level,” said Zapwater Communications founder and CEO David Zapata. Zapwater is also part of the Travel Lifestyle Network, a global network of marketing communications agencies, which recently expanded its presence to strengthen its network in the Americas.
 |
IPREX onboards six new partner agencies across its Americas region: Carve Communications (Miami), Chirp PR (Atlanta), Curious Public (Toronto), Ditto PR (New York), LaVoieHealthScience (Boston) and The TASC Group (New York). The network has also formed a Partner Value Committee, which conducts research, gathers benchmarking data, develops thought leadership content, provides agency recommendations and implements partner feedback through the development of new tools and topic-specific webinars. “By collaborating to share data and resources, each of our partnering members has access to the newest best practices in our quickly advancing communications industry,” said Tunheim director of integrated communication, Emily McGrath, who chairs the PVC alongside Susan Davis International VP Sean O’Leary.
 |
Richard Edelman provides an introduction for Strategic Crisis Communication, a new book from James O’Rourke and Jeffrey Smith that outlines the steps an organization should take in the heat of a crisis. The book says that rather than follow “The FiveDs”—Delay, Deflect, Deny, Discredit, Defame—communicators need to follow a game plan that includes quickly defining their core values, disclosing everything fast to steal the news media’s thunder, accepting responsibility, making meaningful amends, embracing employees in solutions, and informing all stakeholders. Examples are given of how companies like Starbucks, Wells Fargo, Target and many others handled their crisis communications, alongside interviews with several prominent journalists that provide insider tips on successfully interacting with them in a crisis.
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.
