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| Sarah Willis |
Public Policy Holding Company launches Concordant, a policy and communications advisory firm that offers services including government relations, PA, audience insight capabilities and full-service, strategic communications. Concordant, the eighth independent agency with the PPHC group, is led by CEO Sarah Wills, who was most recently EVP and chief corporate affairs officer at Cardinal Health, served as chief communications officer at GE Healthcare, and has held a range of political and policy positions on Capitol Hill and for the State of New Jersey. The firm will work to build multi-disciplinary teams for areas in which organizations are investing for long-term growth and resilience, such as AI, progress towards a healthier planet, advancements in precision medicine, and the reconfiguration of global supply chains. PPHC units include O'Neill & Assocs., Alpine Group, Forbes Tate Partners, Seven Letter and Crossroads Strategies.
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The Racket Club, a South African-based agency providing brand strategy, creative development, digital activations, live activations, and influencer and public relations campaigns, opens a London office. The new venture will be headed by business director Jemima-Faye Goodall, who was previouly CEO and co-founder of Coco Creative, has extensive experience in the UK market and expertise in full-service digital and branding solutions. Founded in 2014 by managing director Grant Pleming, The Racket Club works across sectors such as food and beverage, automotive, sports, hospitality, fashion and apparel, banking, television, telecommunications and consumer goods. “International expansion has always been one of our goals, and with the opening of our London office, we’re pleased to build on our successes and continue partnering with more brands,” said Pleming.
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RTC Partners, private equity firm, closes investments in marketing and sales services firms fama PR, Intelisent, MarketBridge and Quarry, with the goal of creating an integrated and data-driven platform designed to drive value creation across a wide spectrum of marketing and sales initiatives. The combined platform comprises more than 220 professionals across five offices in the US and Canada and partners with more than 150 clients worldwide. John Shomaker, an RTC Partners operating partner, has assumed the role of chief executive officer of the platform. “These first four firms comprise the resources, high-quality senior expertise, and reputations of excellence to deliver on the unmet strategy, execution, and analytics needs of ambitious enterprise growth leaders,” said RTC Partners managing partner Tony Brindisi.
Taylor launches "Earn Everything," a repositioning that is intended to reflect both its heritage and its emphasis on relevance that is earned, not bought... The Net Zero Conference, which takes place on October 8 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will convene climate leaders to re-envision the built environment and inspire a net zero future... Kite Hill launches Kite Hill Integrated Comms Intelligence, a client reporting framework that incorporates AI and custom workflows to give brands a holistic view of their communications performance across PR, owned and social media, search and AI search visibility... The Washington Women in Public Relations hosted “How Associations Lead with Strategic Storytelling,” on July 16 at Avoq's rooftop.
Brunner, a Pittsburgh-based integrated marketing agency, acquires AdSkate, an AI-powered creative analytics and marketing intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies optimize advertising performance... Augustine Agency launches Flavor Theory, a foodservice marketing practice aimed at helping restaurants, food manufacturers, distributors and institutional dining organizations grow their brands and businesses... The Acceleration Community of Companies releases a report finding that almost half (49 percent) of Gen Z sports fans say they have become interested in a new sport or athlete because of fan-created content or something entirely outside the sport. 
VPE Communications, which helps organizations authentically connect with diverse audiences, celebrates 38 years in business and announces a new ownership structure... Praytell expands into the Asian market with the opening of a new office in Singapore... The International Public Relations Network unveils a new visual identity and redesigned website. 
SourceCode Communications launches SourceCode Germany, establishing the agency's first office in continental Europe... Clario Group acquires Ted Miller Group, a Miami-founded agency focused on clients in the technology, travel & leisure and financial services sectors... Global Situation Room’s Global Risk Advisory Council is hosting a July 23 webinar that will go over the results of its new Reputation Risk Index.
Havas acquires MUT, a Barcelona-based firm focused on experiential marketing and sustainable events... IPREX lauches its AI Task Force...D S Simon Media, one of the first companies to produce a satellite media tour, celebrates its 40th anniversary... Washington Women in Public Relations is sponsoring an event that shows communications pros who work with associations how they can get their messages across clearly, credibly and courageously. “How Associations Lead with Strategic Storytelling,” at 6 p.m. on July 16.
