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KRG Advisors is launched by former Weber Shandwick president of corporate advisory Chris Deri. Deri, who has also held senior posts at Teneo, Burson and Edelman, will be leading a team of sixteen senior client advisors. KRG’s advisors are experienced in such verticals as in-house communications & public affairs, Big 4 management consulting, career foreign service, military intelligence, political campaign management, technology product development and ESG. The team’s offerings (executive positioning, communications & public affairs, and geopolitical risk & intelligence) will leverage human-led AI models to provide scenario planning for clients. With no junior handoffs, the firm says that it will give all clients access to seasoned practitioners, resulting in faster turnarounds, greater ROI and no bureaucracy.
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Sprout Social, a cloud-based social media management software company, acquires NewsWhip, which provides AI-powered, predictive media intelligence. The NewsWhip team will join Sprout Social, with NewsWhip co-founder and CEO Paul Quigley taking the role of general manager for Sprout’s Listening business, overseeing both NewsWhip and Sprout’s Listening products. The acquisition is focused on expanding Sprout Social’s footprint in the predictive intelligence market and creating a solution that empowers brands and publishers to navigate the digital media landscape with foresight and agility. NewsWhip’s real-time monitoring and AI agents uncover tens of millions of stories and over half a billion engagement signals daily, empowering top brands and publishers to identify stories gaining momentum before they hit peak virality. “This acquisition accelerates our vision of delivering an agentic, AI-powered platform that seamlessly connects media foresight with social strategy to drive transformative outcomes for our customers,” said Sprout Social CEO Ryan Barretto.
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Fire on the Hill, which has offices in London and New York, launches a generative engine optimization service focused on helping brands shape how they appear in the responses provided by Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overview. The GEO service is part of Fusion, Fire on the Hill’s digital arm, which already specializes in AI and SEO solutions. The service includes discovery and communications mapping across key AI platforms, strategic content development and placement across earned and owned channels, an AI Visibility Index, and continuous optimization informed by AI platform behaviors and visibility insights. GEO has subtle differences to SEO, with generative engines favoring trusted sources such as editorial coverage, analyst reports, structured databases, Wikipedia, and properly formatted owned content. “In a world guided by AI, the core discipline of clearly explaining what your brand does, how it relates to industry issues and your audiences, is even more important,” said Fire on the Hill co-founder Nick Ward.
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WordHampton Public Relations moves to a new office in East Hampton Village on Long Island. The new space is intended to give the agency greater proximity to its clients in the East End business community. WordHampton owner and president Nicole Castillo says that the move from the agency’s longtime headquarters on Three Mile Harbor Road in Springs seemed like the right next step and that being in the heart of the village gives the agency more visibility and “raises the level of professionalism” according to an article on the company in The East Hampton Star. WordHampton, which made a name for itself representing East End restaurants, created Hamptons Restaurant Week and later Long Island Restaurant Week. Its roster includes clients in the hospitality, real estate, lifestyle, and nonprofit fields across Long Island and in the New York metropolitan area.
Havas acquires MUT, a Barcelona-based firm focused on experiential marketing and sustainable events... IPREX lauches its AI Task Force...D S Simon Media, one of the first companies to produce a satellite media tour, celebrates its 40th anniversary... Washington Women in Public Relations is sponsoring an event that shows communications pros who work with associations how they can get their messages across clearly, credibly and courageously. “How Associations Lead with Strategic Storytelling,” at 6 p.m. on July 16.
TEAM LEWIS starts up its AI Practice... Thunderly launches a year-long storytelling campaign focused on how franchising can provide a pathway to business ownership... JIN, a European communications consulting group, introduces "AI Campaigning", a corporate offering designed to model and anticipate stakeholder behavior.
Karsh Hagan and Madden Media join forces as KHM... Endeavor Communications opens an office in the Harbor Point neighborhood of Stamford, CT... Big Red Oak, a Toronto-based communications firm, and D.C. area-based PA firm New Hill Consulting have launched a joint service exclusively for companies in the nuclear energy sector... The Pollack Group has partnered with Brandi AI, a platform for enterprise brand intelligence, AI visibility and Generative Engine Optimization.
Real Chemistry acquires Spurwing Communications, which advises pharmaceutical and healthcare organizations—as well as clients across a broader range of industries—throughout APAC... 5W AI Communications (5WPR) is moving its headquarters from New York to Florida (Miami, Tampa)... Valence Communications, which will focus on biopharmaceutical companies, launches under Matt Middleman, who was founder and CEO at LifeSci Communications.
Moburst, which specializes in digital marketing and AI-powered solutions, acquires Amazon marketing agency Hyperzon... The Public Relations Global Network launches its Health Practice Group, which brings together more than 20 independent agencies across four continents to support health care, life sciences and pharma organizations... ICR’s newly released Q2 2026 SPAC Market Update & Outlook shows a healthy environment for IPOs... Red Banyan, a senior-level crisis management, litigation PR, and reputation management firm, makes its first appearance in the Chambers and Partners listings.
