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Fire on the Hill, and Fourth Day, along with its sister company Quatrième Jour, are merging. The combined agency, which will operate as Fire on the Hill, is intended to bring together Fire on the Hill’s strengths in international communications, strategic advisory and purpose-led storytelling with Fourth Day’s expertise in media relations, strategic content and multi-market campaign delivery. It will run from wholly owned offices in New York, London, Paris and Manchester. The agency will support organizations across sectors including technology, energy, manufacturing, investment and education, from high-growth startups to established global brands. “Fire on the Hill and Fourth Day share the same ambition: to build an international agency with the reach clients need, alongside the senior attention and entrepreneurial energy they value”, said Fire on the Hill co-founder and managing partner Chris Clarke. “Our merger gives us the opportunity to grow further by bringing together the characteristics that have made both agencies distinctive.”
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5W publishes a study that says many long-time media heavy hitters are coming up short in terms of their AI influence. “Who AI Cites Now” takes a look at which publications, platforms, and sources actually shape the answers ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews produce when an American consumer asks about a brand. The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and the Financial Times do not appear in the top twenty cited domains in the 5W Citation Source Audit. Forbes is the only U.S. business publication that does — ranked #18 at an estimated 1.38% citation share. On the other hand, Wikipedia (~13.15%) and Reddit (~11.97%) together account for more than a quarter of all ChatGPT citations in the United State. "Communications leaders are still buying placements in publications that no longer drive the answer their buyer is reading. The hierarchy is being repriced in real time—and most brands have not measured the move," said 5W founder & chairman Ronn Torossian.
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EducationDynamics, a higher education marketing and enrollment management company, acquires Net Natives, a firm with expertise in market intelligence, performance marketing, international engagement and enrollment technology. The firms say that their existing relationships, service and points of contact will remain unchanged as they begin the integration process. The move is meant to offer clients expanded global expertise across student engagement, audience strategy and international markets; broader market intelligence and audience insights; enhanced technology and measurement capabilities; and greater depth and flexibility across global teams.
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Mark Allen & Co. is launching an expanded thought leadership model with multiple activations at Cannes Lions 2026. As part of the expanded model, the agency is moderating conversations at five of the festival's venues: LBB Beach (the festival’s kickoff breakfast), Unplugged Collective (focused on LGBTQ+ narratives), Creators & Culture Villa (which explores emotion-driven creative strategy), Brands & Culture (on converting cultural energy into lasting brand relationships) and Signal (why earned media is crucial in the age of AI). "While everyone debates what AI will replace, one thing is certain: It cannot replicate a speaker on stage," said Mark Allen founder and CEO Mark Pasetsky. “The audience knows the difference."
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.
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.
