 |
CIVIC, a New York-based brand experience agency, acquires strategic communications consultancy Wave Kilo. With offices in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, Wave Kilo will continue to operate as a stand-alone offering within CIVIC, reporting into CIVIC co-founder and co-CEO Stuart Ruderfer. The acquisition is intended to expand CIVIC’s existing consumer public relations capabilities, which are led by managing director, head of PR Julie Safer. Founded by Howard Clabo, a former chief communications & brand officer who led communications at Hewlett-Packard, Applied Materials, FedEx and Aura, Wave Kilo advises CEOs, boards and executive teams through leadership changes, mergers and acquisitions, activist shareholder campaigns, business transformations, restructurings, narrative shifts and corporate milestones. “Corporate leaders are dealing with continuous transformation at unprecedented speed and looking to us to help translate these pivot points into opportunities for growth,” said Ruderfer. “Wave Kilo’s expertise is exactly what we need to do that at scale.”
 |
Hotwire Global, which includes Hotwire and ROI∙DNA, reaches an agreement with Morning Consult to give Hotwire Global instant access to Morning Consult’s proprietary dataset for its own and client work. That access includes Morning Consult’s Intelligence platform, which features AI-native data analysis tools built on global datasets that reveal consumer behavior, brand perception, market trends and political attitudes. In addition, Hotwire Global has open access to Morning Consult’s panels to run research for its clients to create unique data-driven insights. “This partnership with Morning Consult isn’t just access to data but allows us to give our client set a new standard for how intelligence is created and consumed for ourselves and our clients,” said Hotwire Global CEO Grant Toups.
 |
The Public Relations Student Society of America announced its 2026–2027 International Committee at PRSSA’s 2026 Leadership Assembly, which was held April 10-12 in New Orleans. Teo Ignacio Landoni from the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa was elected as International President. Katie Thomas of Nationwide Children’s Hospital was re-elected to a two-year term (2026-2028) as the National Professional Adviser, beginning on June 1. Alicia Caracciolo of the University of South Carolina will serve as Immediate Past President. Eight new vice presidents were named as well. “Welcoming this new group of student leaders to PRSSA’s International Committee is about more than connection. It’s about shaping the future of our profession,” said PRSA chair Heide Harrell.
 |
Avenue Z is named a Shopify Platinum Partner, the highest tier of Shopify’s Service Partner Program, reserved for fewer than one percent of the platform’s most successful global enterprise partners. The agency will gain priority technical support, early access to new Shopify features and beta programs, and tailored support for global growth. Avenue Z also holds TikTok Platinum Partner status, giving brands a unified growth engine across commerce and content. “Platinum status reflects our ability to operate and scale with both the fastest-growing and most established brands in ecommerce at every level of the funnel and tech stack,” said Avenue Z chief innovation officer Jonathan Snow.
FleishmanHillard has launched an “America 250” unit to help clients capitalize on the events tied to the celebration of the semiquincentennial of the US.
Supreme Group launches Supreme Intelligence FDE+ (Forward Deployed Expert), a service model that embeds AI-native domain experts directly inside client organizations to architect and build custom AI solutions... LaVoie Strategic Communications Group announced that the federal trademark registrations for its LHS Immersion and LHS Fifteen-Slide Presentation have been renewed... Sprout Social introduces an AI-powered social intelligence platform designed to help organizations operationalize real-time, unfiltered market conversations at scale.
Ever Wondered, a London-based advisory firm focused on helping companies deliver clear, consistent messages across every channel in AI search, launches... The Museum of Public Relations launches platform that allows users to connect with an AI persona of Edward Bernays, based entirely on his own writings... PRGN releases a study in which 89 percent of business leaders surveyed said hey find brand influence as “extremely” or “very” important.
BGR Analytics rates Texas as the best state for AI investors to place their money, according to its newly launched BGR Best States for AI Investment Index... Pierpont Communications, a PR and integrated digital marketing agency headquartered in Houston, expands into South Florida... The Pollack Group names Project Petals as the recipient of its 2026 Big Red Grant.
LaVoie Strategic Communications Group launches an integrated market platform and redesigned website meant to reflect the agency’s evolving role advising healthcare, life sciences and government organizations... Highwire publishes “Passing the Torch: A Framework for CEO Transition Communication for Professional Services Businesses"... Auris, a communications lab backed by a strategic investment from Helios & Partners, launches.
