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A new study from Rosen Group finds that more than three quarters of small businesses (78 percent) do not have a formal crisis communications plan. The firm’s 2025 PR Pulse for Small Business Survey, conducted in partnership with Researchscape International, asked 1,000 small business owners across the US for their takes on topics ranging from crisis preparation to initiative impact to budget allocation and economic uncertainty. The biggest hurdles that respondents said they face over the next 12 months include limited budgets (cited by 54 percent) and time constraints (32 percent). More than half (56 percent) said that the most impactful PR initiative in the coming year would be social media management, with content marketing (49 percent) coming close behind. Showing the high priority that communications still have, more than four out of 10 respondents (41 percent) said they allocate at least 20 percent of their annual budget to marketing and PR—and nine percent said they allocate 50 percent or more. “While tactics, technologies and the media ecosystem have certainly changed over the years, the underlying principles behind a smart, effective PR program certainly have not,” said Rosen Group president Lori Rosen. “We encourage all businesses, regardless of size, to have a PR plan in place.”
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NP Digital announces a strategic agreement to acquire UK-based Yodel Mobile, the 2024 App Growth Awards App Marketing Agency of the Year. The integration will double NP Digital's London office size and bring advanced mobile expertise to its US and international clients. It will also enhance NP Digital's ability to launch, scale and transform the app experience for clients. Founded in 2007, Yodel Mobile has worked with such brands as Tinder and UKTV. “Ninety percent of mobile internet usage is spent in apps; integrating the expertise of Yodel Mobile into our portfolio empowers us to help brands thrive with cutting-edge app growth strategies and take advantage of new opportunities,” said NP Digital CEO Mike Gullaksen.
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Bospar principal Curtis Sparrer’s “Game Face: Becoming a PR Detective” makes its debut as an Amazon best-seller—coming in at number one on its Children’s Career Books list. The book was released on April 2. “Game Face” introduces young readers to the world of PR in a way that is both educational and entertaining. The book follows Sloan, a curious gamer who stumbles into the high-stakes world of public relations after discovering her uncle managing a late-night PR crisis. “This is the perfect book when you’re trying to explain modern PR and communications to your kid,” said Horn Group founder and CEO Sabrina Horn. It is available on Amazon in Kindle and in hardcover and paperback formats.
Acceleration Community of Companies launches PMK Entertainment, a firm focusing on A-list talent, music, sports, premium content companies, corporate entertainment and crisis communications... Sprout Social, launches Sprout AI, an intelligence update anchored by the company’s proprietary AI Agent, Trellis...The Communications Group of Little Rock releases the third edition of its annual B2B Industrial Marketing Trends Report
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Golin launches Lighthouse 360, a service helping companies handle the human side of AI adoption... PR Boutiques International adds five new members... 24 Seven, a marketing, creative and digital talent solutions firm, acquires New York-based marketing consulting firm Markacy.
The Public Relations Global Network adds Rooster, a London-based agency, as its newest member for the United Kingdom... Spectrum Science launches Mo (short for Momentum), an AI-powered platform... Kinetic Marketing Communications, a women-owned marketing communications agency and on-demand marketing talent firm, launches its Strategic Marketing AI Framework.
Ruder Finn launches rf.StoryLab, a creative incubator that merges generative AI tools with human-powered creative vision... Do It On, a Lisbon-based marketing and communication agency, joins INT. Agencies, an international collective of independent full-service agencies with a presence across five continents... The Public Relations Society of America releases “AI Prompting 101: A ‘Start Here’ Guide for Professional Communicators,” a resource offering practical, structured guidance to help communications pros integrate generative AI tools into their daily work.
