Burson

Burson is integrating strategic market research consultancy and fellow WPP company BSG (formerly Benenson Strategy Group) into its U.S. Insights, Data & Intelligence group, effective January 1, 2025. “BSG’s talent, expertise and commitment to excellence across qualitative and quantitative market research will be the perfect complement to the infrastructure and tech stack we currently have within Burson’s Data & Intelligence group and through the Burson Innovation Portfolio,” said Burson Americas chair, insights, data & intelligence Kari Butcher. BSG co-founder Carl Rossow made the decision earlier this year to retire from BSG, effective December 31. “Carl played an outsized role in building BSG into the renowned consultancy it is today,” Butcher continued.

Baker

French/West/Vaughan announces a strategic alliance with Dallas-based Baker & Bonner Creative Emporium, forming a marketing services partnership that has worked with some of the biggest brands in the Western lifestyle industry. During their 24-year partnership, Baker & Bonner co-founders Rob Baker and Jimmy Bonner have also developed campaigns for Spalding, PGA TOUR Superstore, Jeep, Home Depot, Biltmore and Pegasus Bank. “There is no substitute for the credibility and consumer understanding acquired over 30 years of immersion in the culture of the American West, and with the added horsepower of Baker & Bonner, we’ve taken it to the next level,” said FWV president David Gwyn. FWV will introduce the new alliance at its hospitality and gifting suite for media, brands, influencers and VIPs at Resorts World in Las Vegas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Dec. 5-14. The partnership has established a digital outpost at WaysoftheWest.com.

Stagwell

Stagwell adds Blue Horse Digital Marketing (Malaysia) and Dash Digital (South Africa) to its Global Affiliate Network. Blue Horse provides specialized solutions that focus on maximizing sustainable profitability while automating day-to-day operations for consumer industries, including wellness services, consumer goods, and e-commerce centered activities on marketplace platforms. DashDigital, a specialized design studio, serves a global client base, helping brands connect with their audience via in-depth research, rigorous strategy, well-built technology and responsive design. “We can’t wait to harness the immense resources and possibilities the partnership will afford us,” said Dash Digital co-founder and creative director Rogan Jansen.

Sprout

Sprout Social, a provider of cloud-based social media management software, launches several additions to its product suite intended to help marketers work faster and smarter in the face of tightening budgets and heightened customer expectations. Those additions include Generate Posts, which provides AI-generated post text options (written in a brand’s voice) based on top-performing content. Generate Subtitles and Generate Translations by AI Assist will automate publishing tasks essential to inclusivity and accessibility, while Smart Categories enables marketers to understand the key subjects driving conversations around their brand. Also part of Sprout’s new developments are such new features as PII (personally identifiable information) Masking and Stop Words, which lets brands set triggers to hide PII from agents and enabling admins to define a list of words or phrases that will be automatically blocked. “Our latest enhancements in AI empower marketers to scale their social operations while staying true to their brands and meeting the rising expectations of today’s consumers,” said Sprout Social chief product officer Erika Trautman.