Newgate

SEC Newgate, a global insight, communication and advocacy group, starts up its Global Corporate and Geopolitical Advisory Council. The council brings together subject matter experts and top communications and advocacy advisers from across the globe to provide strategic advice and counsel to C-suite executives, focusing on areas such as trade and tariffs, demographics, national security concerns, new technologies and geopolitical dynamics. It will provide the strategic insights and counsel required to inform business decisions, understand and shape stakeholder perceptions and achieve favorable policy and regulatory outcomes. "By convening SEC Newgate’s experts and leveraging our global reach, we will deliver the strategic counsel needed to navigate this moment and execute effectively," said SEC Newgate global chair of corporate affairs Dan Doherty, who will lead the Advisory Council.

Burson

Burson launches Decipher Tech, an AI-powered solution designed to enhance and perfect messaging impact across such key B2B technology audiences as senior IT decision makers, developers, IT frontline staff and senior business executives. Using AI-driven driven predictive believability and virality indicators, Decipher Tech forecasts how messaging will resonate, allowing enterprise tech brands to shape narratives that drive engagement with the right stakeholders and deliver business impact. Its predictive analytics also offer clients a scalable tool to benchmark against industry trends; test positioning, feature announcements and thought leadership content; monitor and mitigate credibility threads in an AI-driven landscape; and align narratives with market expectations. “Our ability to anticipate reactions, assess risk and fine-tune narratives ensures maximum communications impact, reputation enhancement and protection and, ultimately, measurable business resultsm” said Axicom CEO and Burson global technology practice lead Matthew Lackie.

VVK

VVK PR + Creative, a Detroit-based agency, acquires New Jersey-based Stern Strategy Group’s PR division. The employees who formerly worked for that division will now serve as VVK’s “national team,” increasing its work force to 30 employees in offices across Michigan, New Jersey and South Carolina. The acquisition is intended to expand VVK’s national presence and deepen its capacity to support the demand for national-scale executive and organizational positioning services. VVK provides public relations, video production and marketing services to 75-plus clients nationally in industries including nonprofits and foundations, professional services, health care and insurance, real estate and hospitality, legal and education. “Our guiding principles during the acquisition process were rooted in advancing the goals of our clients, ensuring there was a strong cultural fit with our team, and establishing a solid platform for future growth,” said VVK CEO Peter Van Dyke.