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UpSpring, a women-owned PR, digital marketing and creative agency, names the winners of its first annual UpSpring Launch:HER Awards. The awards provide pro bono PR and marketing services to women leaders in nonprofit organizations. This year’s winners are The Adventure Project, Project Petals and Engender Health. The Adventure Project, which will receive $250,000 in services for one year, focuses on ending extreme poverty by creating jobs that empower communities to address urgent global issues. Project Petals, also the recipient of $250,000 in services over the next year, works to connect communities with resources to help them develop sustainable green spaces, as well as equipping youth with leadership skills to advocate for their neighborhoods. EngenderHealth, which works to expand access to contraceptive care, in addition to addressing gender-based violence, is getting $100,000 in services. “The winners of this year’s Launch:HER Awards exemplify the incredible potential of women leaders to drive meaningful change,” said UpSpring CEO Tiffany Rafii.
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Madden Media is expanding Voyage, its data analytics offering for destination marketing organizations, through the addition of several specialized intelligence service lines. Voyage GPS will break down visitor trends, economic impact and lodging data. Voyage Atlas will leverage visitor preferences and behaviors to discover clients’ true audiences and what drives their travel decisions. Voyage Beacon will use marketing campaign insights to drive metrics for digital and non-digital campaigns. Voyage Flare is a dedicated tool for clear, real-time visibility into a destination’s PR and earned media performance. Voyage Waypoint examines cross-channel content to measure the effectiveness of tactics from SEO performance to email engagement. “Each dedicated Voyage service line will support DMOs by pulling out insights across tourism, audience, paid media, and owned media data,” said Madden Media senior director of strategic insights Heather Molina.
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Civilian, a San Diego-based marketing agency focusing on social impact, celebrates its 25th anniversary. Starting out as a small agency focused on traditional advertising, Civilian (a certified B-Corporation since 2015) has supported such initiatives as championing mental health and heading up public health efforts across the state. The agency also helped establish B Local San Diego, which unites area businesses to promote sustainability and social impact, further cementing the city’s reputation as a center for ethical and impactful business practices. “The next chapter for Civilian is about expanding our impact, deepening our partnerships, and remaining steadfast in our commitment to improving lives and strengthening communities,” said Civilian CEO Stacey Nelson Smith.
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.
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.
