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| (L-R) Derek De Vette, Franco Bossa |
HALO Comms, which provides media relations for boutique health and values-based lifestyle brands, launches in Los Angeles. The agency was founded by managing partners Derek De Vette (head of strategic communications) and Franco Bossa (editorial director), who have more than 40 years of combined experience. HALO firm will work to bridge the growing trust gap between consumers and new wellness trends, focusing on story-driven strategies and third-party validation to help clients build visibility, and long-term reputation. “Wellness and health remain sensitive topics; the overall system has failed to address key issues, and false promises have left clients mistrustful,” said De Vette. “That’s why we created our agency: to help boutique businesses doing deeply important—but often overlooked—work step into the light.”
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| Curtis Sparrer shares Audit*E details with Researchscape's Tony Cheevers on O'Dwyer's YouTube page. |
Bospar launches Audit*E, a tool that helps companies analyze their competitive positioning across AI platforms. The tool evaluates company presence and content performance across such major AI platforms as Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Meta AI, Mistral Perplexity and DeepSeek. The key features of Audit*E include cross-platform audits that measure visibility, prominence and accuracy; a performance dashboard that tracks changes over time, sentiment and provides competitive benchmarking; detailed reports with platform-specific recommendations; customizable queries for company-specific visibility goals; and recurring audits to monitor evolving brand presence. “AI platforms learn about companies through earned media coverage in authoritative publications,” said Bospar principal Curtis Sparrer. “Audit*E shows companies exactly how AI platforms see them based on their earned media footprint.” Bospar plans to initially offer Audit*E on a client-by-client basis, and will then expand it as a subscription service designed for smaller businesses and startups
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Global Situation Room will go over the Q3 findings of its Reputation Risk Index in a webinar from the UC Berkeley Center for Law and Business on Oct. 7 at 11:30 a.m. EST (8:30 a.m PST). The discussion, “What Is the Greatest Risk to the Tech Industry’s Reputation?,” will be hosted by former U.S. Small Business Administrator and chair of the Global Risk Advisory Council Isabel Guzman. She will be joined by Global Situation Room president Brett Bruen, and the session will be moderated by Berkeley Center executive director Angeli Patel. It will focus on the latest issues impacting organizations and businesses, particularly in the technology sector. Recent reports have covered such topics as disinformation, undermining consumer confidence by adopting artificial intelligence too rapidly, and attacks on brands across a hyper-polarized political environment.
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Crosby Marketing Communications recently hosted its 13th annual Inspiring Actions That Matter Day. Partnering with three local nonprofits, Crosby employees donated more than 650 hours of volunteer service and $20,000 to benefit the community. The Crosby team beautified spaces and greenhouses in the Arnold, MD location of Providence of Maryland, an organization that empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead fulfilling, self-directed lives. For the Baltimore Station, which provides residential treatment programs to veterans suffering from homelessness and substance abuse disorders. Crosby volunteers prepared and served lunch for residents in addition to hosting yoga and other wellbeing activities. The agency also supported Coastal Conservation Association’s Living Reef Action Campaign by building oyster reefs at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center. “This day of service has become a valued tradition for our team to make a powerful difference in our community,” said Crosby president and CEO Raymond Crosby.
53Six, a Dublin- and London-based sports marketing agency, is acquired by Irish experience and entertainment group FUEL... Blue Highway Advisory releases a report that looks at how the shift from CEO to AI has changed the way in which consumers access information, and offers advice on how to handle the new landscape... Get Engaged, whose services include campaign ideation, social media management, influencer marketing, celebrity partnerships, content production and paid media, joins SAMY, a social-first agency headquartered in Madrid. 
The Hoffman Agency, a Silicon Valley-based firm with offices in Europe, Asia and the U.S., teams up with United Partners Network, a global community of independent communications agencies... ChangeMakers acquires R&G Strategic, a Halifax, Nova Scotia-based firm with a practice that spans ESG and sustainability strategy and reporting; stakeholder engagement; climate and GHG consulting; sustainability campaigns; branding; communications; and marketing... AltaVista Strategic Partners, a Baltimore-based firm, opens an second office in Tampa, effective Oct. 15.
Curley & Pynn Public Relations Management rebrands as Biplane focused specifically on helping nonprofits build visibility, reputation and trust to advance their philanthropy... SKDK launches a payer negotiation practice that is designed to support health systems as they navigate increasingly complex negotiations with insurers... ChangeMakers, a strategy and communications firm with over 400 professionals across North America, launches RepScore.
Prosek Partners opens in San Francisco under the leadership of partner Nadia Damouni... Caliber Corporate Advisers, which works with clients in the fintech and financial services sectors, introduces the Caliber Authority Index (Caliber AI), a proprietary measurement platform... Herbie Thiele Consulting, a public affairs firm blending lobbying and communications, is launched by the longtime Sachs Media partner.
Bospar expands its Audit*E tool for small- and medium-sized businesses, which provides comprehensive visibility scoring, competitive analysis and platform-specific improvement recommendations, giving users actionable intelligence to help with brand positioning.... 5W is increasing its presence in Tampa and the Florida market....PR Consultants Group, a nationwide network of senior-level public relations, strategic communications and marketing specialists in more than 50 U.S. markets, has brought on 13 independently owned public relations firms across 13 markets and 12 states so far in 2026.
