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HAVAS Red (formerly Red HAVAS) adds HAVAS Red Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) to its network. Aurélie Jarry, who has served as managing director Ivory Coast & regional director West Africa for HAVAS since 2021, has been named managing director of the start-up. The move follows the network’s initial expansion into Africa last October, when it opened in Johannesburg. The addition brings HAVAS Red’s merged-media capabilities into a total of 18 markets around the world. The Ivory Coast office now operates in a unified way across HAVAS Red’s seven disciplines around the world: health and wellness, corporate PR and reputation management, technology and e-commerce, consumer and lifestyle, automotive and mobility, travel and hospitality, as well as employee engagement and internal communications. “Opening up shop in South Africa last year was a big step for us into an exciting region, and now we’re ready to grow our footprint into West Africa, where our HAVAS colleagues have already been doing groundbreaking work,” said HAVAS Red global CEO and chairman of the HAVAS PR Network, James Wright.
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CURA Strategies, an integrated health care communications and public affairs consulting firm, launches Advocacy Accelerator, an online platform built to help advocates achieve their policy goals. Focused exclusively on health care issues, it offers resources for government relations professionals and volunteer advocates through virtual training, free resources and community-building opportunities. The platform’s flagship training program, Advocacy Academy, is a low-cost virtual course that teaches budding advocates and volunteers the basics of advocacy, providing the essential groundwork needed to prepare advocates for Capitol Hill. “We built the Advocacy Accelerator to create what we could not find in the market—health care-specific advocacy resources and networking with professionals who are improving health care through policy advocacy,” said CURA Strategies CEO Anne Woodbury.
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POV Strategy and Research, which provides gaming-focused marketing and insight, launches in Dallas. Co-founded by industry veterans Zach Eller and Justin Palacios, who have partnered with brands such as Domino's, Jack in the Box, Oakley, PRIME Hydration and Samsung, POV is focused on helping brands understand and engage the diverse and rapidly growing audience of gamers worldwide. Its services range from audience research and influencer marketing to paid media campaigns and world building strategy in platforms like UEFN and Roblox. "Our goal is to help you understand the opportunities in the space and give you our completely honest and impartial advice and recommendations,” said Eller.
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AMP3 PR releases its AMPlified Magazine: Volume 3. The online ‘zine, which first launched during NYFW last Fall, features news, launches, and collaborations from the agency’s mix of fashion, beauty, spirits, luxury and lifestyle brands, as well as interviews with industry leaders (including editors, influencers or stylists), analyses on micro-trends, and Q&As with AMP3 team members. “We don’t believe in gatekeeping information, that’s why we’ve launched initiatives like CAMP3 - our complimentary PR bootcamp - and now the magazine,” said AMP3 CEO and managing partner Alyson Roy. “Since we work all day on pitching media and consuming media, we figured it only makes sense to create some media of our own and to have a little bit of fun with it along the way.”
Ruder Finn launches rf.Voices, an integrated influence offering that brings together AI-powered influencer marketing, customer advocacy and paid amplification under one measurable framework... The Pollack Group is accepting applications through March 31 for The Big Red Grant, a $40,000 pro bono strategic PR and marketing engagement program awarded to a nonprofit organization ready for growth... D S Simon Media releases a report that says almost seven in ten producers (68 percent) are more interested in airing a story when they know it has been optimized for AI.
Precision Strategies, an integrated strategy and marketing agency with offices in Washington and New York, acquires Firehouse Strategies, a DC-based public affairs firm... AVENIR GLOBAL acquires London-based Thinks Insight & Strategy... Good Company, which bills itself as a “cultural engineering firm,” is launched by DJ Hardy, a veteran of Johannesburg-based communications consultancy arxna and M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment and Casey Stickles, who has worked at 5WPR, Rubenstein and MWW.
PSC (Princeton Strategic Communications) acquires Nonprofit Partners... CG Life launches 24/364, a cultural brand platform intended to drive awareness, connection and action aimed at keeping rare disease at the forefront of the health and social conversation... Interluxe Group, which focuses on brand experiences and in-person activations; Quinn, a strategic communications agency; and media and digital agency North & Warren are uniting under the Interluxe Group banner.
KITH, which provides corporate reputation and crisis preparation services, is now owned by CEO Stephanie Craig, who has been with the firm since 2021... The Marketing Cloud, a part of Stagwell, introduces several expansions to Agent Cloud, the platform it launched in October 2025 to simplify access to its AI tools and marketing assistants.... Notified launches its AI Press Release Optimizer.
V2 Communications launches its AI Visibility Solution and Earned Media at Scale, two service offerings designed to help companies increase visibility and credibility in generative search... The Public Relations Global Network brings on Greenough Communications as its Boston member agency... DBC is relaunching The DBC Industry Calendar as a free site to help communicators more easily discover relevant events and awards in the cluttered event landscape driven by the growth of webinars and online events. 
