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SOCIETY, an independent female-founded, owned and led marketing communications agency based in Australia, officially expands into the US. SOCIETY Australia was founded in 2017 by Dena Vassallo, a former VP, consumer marketing at Edelman. It has offices in Adelaide and Sydney, working with clients including Woolworths and Unilever Australia & New Zealand. SOCIETY U.S., based in Chicago, is led by Katie Rosholt, who has served as VP of global marketing at Vital Proteins and SVP of marketing at Pvolve in addition to having worked with Vassallo at Edelman. It currently works with US-based brands who share a values-alignment, across many industries and sectors including financial tech, CPG, food and beverage, and maritime trade.
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Lopez Negrete Communications, a Hispanic-owned and operated agency, launches the Latino Network of Creators, a proprietary database that houses over 600 Latino U.S.-based content creators. To become a part of the list, influencers must fulfill the following requirements: live in the United States; have at least 50 percent of their followers in the US; ceeate content or discuss topics that are in-culture; be bilingual or speak Spanish, but English with cultural cues is also welcome. Creators who sign up to be part of the LNC will be added to the agency’s vetted list of high-quality creators. From there, Lopez Negrete Communications will work with agency clients to establish relationships and influencer marketing campaigns with the right creators, all based on the client’s needs. “Establishing brand trust is key for businesses, for building awareness, engagement, relevance, and ultimately, business results,” said Lopez Negrete Communications president and CEO Alex López Negrete. “Our experience shows us that this begins by establishing relationships with people and their communities, and influencers are key to making that connection.”
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5WPR releases a study that says back to school season is a big cause of stress for parents, with 66 percent of those surveyed calling it one of the most stressful seasons of the year. As might be expected, money is the biggest cause of that stress. Almost half (49.5 percent) of parents cited expenses associated with sending their children back to school as a major source of their anxiety. However, money was not the only concern: changes in parents’ daily routines (43 percent) and social pressure for their kids (30 percent) also amped up respondents’ anxiety level. The top strategies parents said they use to manage stress during the back-to-school season include planning and organizing in advance (64 percent), prioritizing tasks and activities (62 percent) and setting a budget (47 percent). “These findings underscore the importance of offering support to parents as they navigate sending their children back to school,” said 5WPR North America CEO, Matt Caiola. “Understanding these stressors can help us develop strategies alongside our clients to ease the burden on parents and allow them to better support their own children in the process.”
The PHA Group, which has offices in London, Manchester and Leeds, is expanding to New York... The Next Solutions Group launches NSG Health... Rational 360, a DC-based firm, has relocated to an 18,000-square-foot space on the city’s K Street business corridor... KAOH Media, a firm specializing in clean energy, sustainable infrastructure, and ESG-driven investments, launches Fieldwise Civic Engagement.
SKDK merges with digital advertising firm Wavelength Strategy... Supreme Group launches Supreme Intelligence, an artificial intelligence platform designed to meet the commercial needs of healthcare and life sciences companies... Relevance International introduces Artificial Intelligence Amplification Optimization, a proprietary service designed to help brands create a competitive advantage for AI visibility... IMAGINE PR introduces a brand partnerships division, which will focus on ensuring that partnerships are meaningful and measurable, rather than transactional.
SourceCode Communications acquires Rally Point Public Relations... Ruder Finn launches its AI Accelerator, a set of tools and capabilities that will be embedded across client work, agency workflows, and talent recruitment and development, as a way of building AI-native expertise across disciplines... Ceisler Media & Issue Advocacy, a communications, media strategy and public relations firm, is merging with Athena Global Advisors. 
MikeWorldWide launches a supply chain, logistics, and infrastructure practice... Kroll introduces two practices: Kroll Economics and Decision Intelligence... Orange Orchard founder Heather Ripley is hosting a free 60-minute live masterclass on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. EST to help animal sanctuaries earn meaningful earned media coverage and turn that visibility into stronger community support.
Stagwell agencies Doner and Colle McVoy form a “strategic alliance” that will operate as DonerColle Partners... Merryman Communications, a healthcare marketing and communications agency, rebrands as M+... Crowe PR launches Crowe Media platform... Tauth Labs, which provides content authentication solutions for clients in the communications, financial services and local government sectors, has been certified by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity.
