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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.
PKPR, a New York-based boutique shop, launches a book publicity division focused on nonfiction authors... Palantir Technologies and Stagwell form a partnership to create an AI-driven platform for marketers... The Conference Board is presenting a Nov. 18-19 event at the Brooklyn Marriott that will look at the priorities, challenges and opportunities facing AI decision-makers today.
Gregory FCA is marking its 35th anniversary with a comprehensive rebrand... Madden Media, a Tucson-based agency, teams with Denver-based Karsh Hagan... Jasper, an AI content automation platform, launches Jasper Grid, an interface that allows marketing teams to create and orchestrate content across a range of channels, audiences and regions.
Sommerfield Communications, a corporate, financial, and crisis shop that was acquired by Allison Worldwide in early 2021, re-launches as an independently owned firm... D S Simon Media launches a broadcast media tour designed to enhance Generative Engine Optimization... The Public Relations Society of America’s ICON 2025 Conference brought together close to 2,100 in DC from Oct. 28-30.
CorpBridge Advisors is launched by Bob Christie (Brunswick and Alibaba Group veteran) and Russ Rubino (Nasdaq and Intercontinental Exchange/NYSE alum)... Golin marked its 30th anniversary in Miami with an Oct. 23 gathering that celebrated its new outpost in Coral Gables... The Notability Company debuted at the PRSA annual ICON Conference in Washington.
Padilla launches Padilla GEO 3D, a service that aims to improve generative AI search results for brands and organizations... Bader Rutter, a Milwaukee-based B2B marketing agency, unveils the Chef Advisory Network, an initiative designed to bring the voice of the kitchen into food company boardrooms... Dilenschneider Group founder and principal Robert Dilenschneider’s new book, Respect: How to Change the World One Interaction at a Time, was released on Oct. 28 by Wiley... Blue Highway Advisory and Blue Highway Global, founded by former Mercury Public Affairs managing director Ian McCaleb in 2022, rebrands.
