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PRSA was named Global Public Relations Association of the Year by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management during the World Public Relations Forum 2024 in Bali, Indonesia. The 2024 Global Alliance World Public Relations & Communication Awards received over 100 entries from 20 countries worldwide. PRSA was the only finalist selected from the United States. The Global Public Relations Association of the Year category is open to associations with outstanding work in the public relations and communication industry that push the profession forward. “For 75+ years, PRSA has been a leading advocate for the communications profession in the U.S. and around the world, and we are thrilled to be recognized as the Global Public Relations Association of the Year,” said 2024 PRSA chair Joseph Abreu.
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Cornerstone Government Affairs brings on new state offices and personnel in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Texas and South Carolina. The additions expand the firm’s national footprint beyond its headquarters in Washington, DC and offices in 14 states. Lauren Vella, who was most recently chief of staff to the president at the University of Delaware, will lead the opening of Cornerstone’s Delaware office. Cornerstone’s capabilities at the local level in the District of Columbia and within the state of Maryland will be bolstered by the addition of Manny Geraldo and Derron Parks, while Matt Garcia will work with clients in the Dallas area, and Mark Harmon will help build out Cornerstone’s Charleston, SC location, which opened in August. “Clients continue to ask us for advice and counsel at the state level, and we are excited to be able to expand these capabilities to meet their needs,” Cornerstone president Campbell Kaufman said. “The political landscape is ever-changing, and we are working to stay ahead of the curve.”
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Mercury Public Affairs is merging Chicago-based Serafin & Associates into its Illinois business. Serafin & Associates president and CEO Thom Serafin will join Mercury as co-chair for the agency in Illinois. The partnership is intended to strength Mercury’s Chicago and Illinois statewide operations, leveraging Serafin's knowledge of the Midwest and strategic resources from coast to coast. "Our clients require strategic communications counsel and execution, and Serafin has been a leader in this space. Mercury-Illinois will be full service in every sense in the public affairs world," said former Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), who leads Mercury’s Illinois team.
Mark Allen & Co. acquires Alban Communications, establishing its first Miami office... Buchalter, a business law firm, launches a crisis management and strategic response group... 5W PR expands its beauty practice to include TikTok Shop-aligned PR campaigns and creator amplification strategies.
Caster Communications is acquired by long-time agency leaders Alexandra Crabb and Peter Girard... DiGennaro Communications launches The Authority Studio, a freestanding content strategy and production offering... The Brandman Agency, which specializes in luxury travel and lifestyle, rebrands as Brandman.
Public Inc., a social impact agency based in Toronto and New York, acquires Rocket Social Impact, an advisory firm that works with nonprofit and corporate social impact organizations... Ruder Finn launches “What’s Next: The Ruder Finn Podcast,” a new platform hosted by CEO Kathy Bloomgarden... Crowe PR joins United Partners Network, a network of independent PR agencies with members across more than 65 markets worldwide.
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.
