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A survey from Matter Communications found that nearly all healthcare marketers (94.4 percent) are currently working with a PR/marketing agency, with a sizeable majority (63.5 percent) planning to either increase or maintain their current investment this year. In addition, most of the healthcare marketers who said they don’t currently work with an agency said they did have plans to hire one this year (77 percent). When it comes to what those holdouts are looking for, the biggest draw was a firm that could offer PR, integrated marketing and creative services (cited by 38.7 percent of respondents). Perhaps not surprisingly, just about every healthcare marketer surveyed (98.4 percent) is also relying on AI in their work, with 46.6 percent often using AI tools for their marketing/communications programs, 38.4 sometimes using them and 13.4 percent saying they rarely use them but plan to increase their use in 2024. “As healthcare complexities evolve, marketing leaders are leaning on agency partners with specific industry expertise to drive strategic marketing and communications programs across diverse channels – all under one roof. The results of this survey underpin the value that an experienced agency brings to the activation of multichannel programs,” said Matter Health SVP Paul Berthiaume.
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PAN Communications launches a new website and branding. The move is meant to reaffirm the company’s commitment to meeting client and employee needs for a strategic, creative partner that understands their growth goals. PAN’s new messaging also drops the use of “Communications” colloquially from the brand’s name. The brand refresh comes ahead of PAN’s upcoming 30th anniversary. “When you look at what’s going on in the world of marketing and PR, brands and their leadership teams want to work with partners that are fresh, nimble and full of energy — partners that can connect the dots between brand awareness, demand acquisition and growth,” said PAN CMO Mark Nardone. “The look and feel of our website and brand refresh speak to these attributes by being harmonized yet modern and provocative. We’re showcasing our agency’s personality today, both from a PAN people perspective and from the vantage point of the clients we represent.”
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| Elzaan Rohde |
Semaphore Communications of Cape Town, South Africa comes on board as a member of IPREX. Semaphore, a B2B PR agency specializing in the tech sector, works with clients in the fintech, paytech, security, mobile messaging, ecommerce, renewables and advisory space. Its clients include Forrester South Africa, Network International, Entersekt, iiDENTIFii, Global Kinetic, Sprout Performance Partners and Engaged Business Turnaround. Under the direction of founder Elzaan Rohde, the agency promotes its clients through strategic counsel, messaging, media and analyst relations, social media, content creation, executive positioning and thought leadership. “The African continent is strategically important for the IPREX network,” said IPREX global president and founder Ann-Marie O’Sullivan, who noted that Semaphore’s “impressive portfolio of media relations work and technology expertise across South Africa is a compelling addition to the IPREX fold.”
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| Dave Nobs |
LAVIDGE managing director of growth & development Dave Nobs joins the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication Endowment Board of Trustees. Based at Arizona State University, the school offers professional programs including digital media, broadcast news, sports reporting, media innovation, public relations, digital marketing And Spanish-language news. Trustees advise the dean, support students through mentorship and internship and career opportunities, and philanthropically support the school’s priority funding needs. They also help spearhead the school’s signature fundraising event, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. “Because of Dave’s leadership role at LAVIDGE, I have no doubt that his participation will enhance the board and impact the school in numerous ways,” said Cronkite School dean and professor Dr. Battinto L. Batts Jr. Before joining LAVIDGE, Nobs was managing director of Ruder Finn and executive vice president/general manager of both Weber Shandwick and Rogers & Cowan.
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.
TEAM LEWIS starts up its AI Practice... Thunderly launches a year-long storytelling campaign focused on how franchising can provide a pathway to business ownership... JIN, a European communications consulting group, introduces "AI Campaigning", a corporate offering designed to model and anticipate stakeholder behavior.
