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Deerfield Group, a marketing, communications and media firm focused on the healthcare and life sciences sectors, receives a strategic majority investment from Martis Capital, a private equity firm based in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Miami that is focused exclusively on the healthcare industry. Deerfield’s previous investment partner was Edgewater Funds. The investment from Martis Capital will provide resources to accelerate development of Deerfield's proprietary solutions built to drive speed to market and return on investment across the brand life cycle. "We are investing in Deerfield because it has built a differentiated platform at the intersection of healthcare, integrated marketing, media, communications, and technology," said Martis Capital managing partner Mario Moreno. "The Deerfield team is a trusted partner to clients with a strong reputation for strategy, responsiveness, execution, and results.”
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Bospar and market research firm Propeller Insights release the results of a study that shows public understanding of AI and the role it plays in brand discoverability is lagging behind the progress of the technology itself. Over 1,000 adults representative of the U.S. population answered a series of questions between June 16 and 19 about how pivotal GEO is in bringing brands to their attention and forming their opinion of those brands. The study also looks at how people generally underestimate how important “high-authority media” is in building the answers that AI provides. Only 41 percent of respondents agreed that earning authoritative coverage on those platforms is “the most effective long-term strategy to improve AI search visibility.” Survey participants were also asked about their awareness of some snags faced by AI users. For example, fewer than half (43 percent) identified loss of institutional knowledge and unique value creation as the primary risk of outsourcing AI infrastructure to a handful of LLM providers. “This data is a brutal wake-up call for communications professionals and brand executives alike,” said Bospar principal Curtis Sparrer. “Investing in authoritative earned media is essential to your brand’s visibility. AI doesn’t index your ad spend or your owned content. It indexes trust. And trust, in the age of generative AI, is built one credible byline, one media mention, one third-party validation at a time.”
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Highwire launches AcroIntelligence, a proprietary Large Media Model designed to help companies identify emerging narratives, understand competitive shifts, and make faster, more informed decisions. AcroIntelligence continuously ingests and analyzes diverse data streams capturing media and competitive signals, giving C-suites, boards, communicators and marketing teams the clear, practical insights they need to manage business priorities and surface opportunities before they become mainstream conversations. Its features include custom intelligence briefings; narrative and market analysis; deep dives into media behavior insights; and early warning and opportunity alerts. “An endless feed of information can make it difficult to isolate and prioritize fresh trends, let alone get ahead of opportunities or risks that demand attention,” said Highwire co-founder and president Carol Carrubba. “AcroIntelligence was designed to simplify this level of complexity.”
The Messina Group is rebranding as Fortius Global and opening an office in London. Jim Messina, who launched the firm in 2013 after serving as campaign manager for Obama for America, will serve as CEO of Fortius Global and continue to set the vision, strategy, and execution for Fortius and its companies... The New York Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute names the new members of its NextGen Committee for the 2026-2027 term... Billion Dollar Boy, a social and influencer marketing agency with offices in New York and London, acquires Santa Monica, CA-headquartered Creator Authority.
Slowey McManus Communications is receiving a majority stake investment from Adi Sarosa, founder and managing partner of AA24 Communications... Seven Letter, a Washington, D.C.-based bipartisan strategic communications and public affairs firm, marks its 20th anniversary... Jack Morton launches a new global brand identity.
Peregrine, which specializes in asset and wealth management, adds a Los Angeles office to its locations in New York and London... The Dilenschneider Group, which was founded by Hill & Knowlton CEO Robert Dilenschneider, marks 35 years in business... Meltwater launches Intelligence is Always in Style, a marketing campaign based on a short-film series starring actress Kim Cattrall.
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.
