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Publicis Groupe acquires Influential, which it says is the largest influencer marketing company in the world by revenue. Led by founder and CEO Ryan Detert, Influential will be positioned centrally within Publicis, offering its services to all the company’s clients and teams. Influential’s proprietary AI-powered platform includes access to and data on 90 percent of global influencers with 1M+ followers. It currently serves more than 300 brands around the world. “Influential is above all an outstanding team of talent at the very cutting edge of their sector,” said Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun. “With the new creator economy set to exceed linear tv on adspend in the next year, thanks to Influential we are able to fully embrace its outsized influence and put it at the service of all of our clients.”
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The Museum of Public Relations elects Philip Bonaventura, Natan Edelsburg, Jim Olson and Dave Samson to its board of trustees. The four new members bring the number of trustees to 25. Bonaventura is chief financial officer of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), as well as treasurer of the Swiss-based Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management, which represents more than 360,000 practitioners and academics around the world. Chief partnerships officer at Muck Rack, Edelsburg is also a trustee at the PRSA Foundation. Olson, head of brand and communications at Avelo Airlines, has also held executive communication posts at United Airlines, Starbucks and US Airways, and was a senior practice leader at WE Communications. Samson, who is chief corporate affairs counsel of the IQ 360 business consultancy, was previously Edelman’s U.S. chief operating officer and global vice chairman of corporate affairs. “Of particular importance to the Museum,” said PR Museum board of trustee chairman Dick Martin, “each of the new trustees has been dedicated to ensuring the success of the next generation of professionals—one of the Museum’s top missions.”
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The TechTrailblazers Awards, a global recognition platform for enterprise technology startups, celebrating innovation, impact and entrepreneurial excellence. are accepting entries through Aug. 20, with an early bird discount available for entries received by July 31. The awards cover such categories as AI, big data, blockchain, cloud, fintech, IoT, and sustainable tech. The 2024 judging panel for the awards is welcoming two new members, Ian Ellis and Chris Holscher. Ellis, co-founder of the OperAngels syndicate, a group of industry experts focused on angel investments in the enterprise tech and cybersecurity spaces, has worked with organizations including Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Prudential Financial, Microsoft, and Bank of Ireland. Holscher has a proven track record in gaining qualified visibility for emerging vendors, accelerating the journey to market breakthrough and unlocking better investment. The award winners will be announced in November.
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. 
