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PRSA adds author and branding expert Sally Hogshead and three-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning journalist and entrepreneur Gaby Natale to the keynote lineup for ICON 2026, its annual conference for public relations and communications professionals. The event will take place Oct. 18-20 in Orlando, Fla. ICON 2026 will bring together communications professionals, executives, agency leaders, educators and students, providing opportunities for learning, networking and industry conversations focused on the future of public relations and communications. Hogshead’s presentation, “The Fascination Factor: Authentically Communicate Who You Are at Your Best,” will be on Oct. 19, with Natale’s “PIONEER: Embrace Your Uniqueness, Break Barriers and Redefine What is Possible” taking place on Oct. 20. They join Savannah Bananas head coach Tyler Gillum, previously announced as the first keynote speaker for the conference. “This keynote lineup reflects the bold thinking and inspiration we want attendees to experience at ICON 2026,” said PRSA chair Heide Harrell.
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Publicity for Good founder and CEO Heather Holmes releases “Seen by AI, Found by Customers,” a book that says if a brand isn't recognized as a source of truth by the media, it simply doesn't exist to the AI models that gatekeep consumer discovery. It cites data indicating that 89 to 95 percent of AI citations trace back to earned media—journalism, podcasts and third-party validation—rather than paid ads or SEO keywords. The book introduces what it calls the Architecture of Authority, a proprietary framework designed to help new brands master generative engine optimization, ensure unshakable credibility and convert authority into revenue, providing what it calls a 90-day blueprint for market dominance. “Seen by AI, Found by Customers” is now available on Amazon.
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5W AI Communications publishes “The 5W Retrieval Index — Volume I: The AI Retrieval Economy, 2026.”The 220-page research volume, authored by 5W founder and chairman Ronn Torossian, maps which media properties, institutional publishers, vendor research arms, community substrates, and data publishers are actually cited by AI engines when answering buyer questions across 38 sectors of the global economy. Its central finding: the publications people read are not always the publications the AI engines cite. The most-read journalism is not the most-cited journalism. Each of the 38 sector editions does five things. It explains how AI engines answer questions about the sector. It ranks the sources that get cited, on a fixed five-component composite score from 0 to 100. It assigns the sector an overall grade. It names the recurring structural pattern that defines the sector’s retrieval map. And it identifies what operators can do to be cited more reliably. “Across millions of queries a day, AI engines are now answering the questions that used to start with a Google search,” said Torossian. “They answer by citing a specific set of sources. The Retrieval Index is the map.”
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.
Real Chemistry launches MaestroHCP, which is designed to help pharmaceutical marketers plan, activate and measure HCP engagement with more speed, precision and control... Laughlin Constable Public Relations receives a Skyline Award from PRSA... 1Milk2Sugars, which has offices in New York, Toronto and Montréal, is expanding its influencer marketing offering with the establishment of a dedicated U.S.-based influencer team.
10Fold launches MetricsMatter 5.0, a proprietary communications intelligence platform that brings together earned media, social, digital, competitive performance, website activity and visibility across five leading LLMs... Stagwell increases its investment in Real Clear Holdings, publisher of political intelligence platform Real Clear Politics and creator of the RCP Poll Average... Aim & Grace, which works with tourism, hospitality and lifestyle brands, is launched by Amy Skelding and Grace Parker, who previously led Finn Partners' UK travel practice.
