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Havas acquires SportVibes, a Dutch sports marketing agency that specializes in brand activation, sponsorship rights and IP, communication, events, ticketing and hospitality. SportVibes will join Havas Play in the Netherlands, operating as SportVibes by Havas Play. It will continue to be led by managing partners Frans Vleggeert and Imre van Leeuwen. The acquisition also includes Track Record, SportVibes’ digital commerce agency specializing in “return on fan engagement.” It is intended to strengthen Havas Play’s position as a leader in connecting brands and audiences through vertiacals including sport, music, art & culture, entertainment, fashion and gaming. “SportVibes’ exceptional expertise in sports marketing, live experiences and fan engagement makes it a natural fit for Havas Play and further expands our capacity to deliver impactful, client‑centric solutions across the Benelux region and throughout Europe,” said Havas chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré.
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| Anna Rozwandowicz |
The Story Mob, which was founded in 2018 by Anna Rozwandowicz to help teams, tournament organizers, players and publishers tell their stories, unveils a new brand identity and launches Play Makers, a strategic consultancy arm designed to help brands, rights holders and leadership teams understand, navigate and grow within player culture. Play Makers is led by specialists who are players as well as advisors. Its immersive sessions combine cultural intelligence, audience mapping and strategic planning to identify where an organization has the credibility to participate, which communities it can meaningfully serve and where it should stay out. “As gaming has moved further into sport, entertainment, identity and community, our work has moved with it,” said Rozwandowicz. “Gaming culture is where we started. Player culture is where the opportunity now sits: in the rituals, communities and sense of belonging shaped by play far beyond the game itself.”
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Signal Group launches Signal Health, a dedicated healthcare practice group. The new practice brings policy, communications, digital and stakeholder engagement together into a single workstream. It integrates dozens of public affairs strategies to influence and solve the most pressing healthcare challenges, helping clients advance their reputation, navigate regulatory complexity, capture the attention of key decisionmakers, build momentum for key policy initiatives, and manage sensitive issues. Signal Health’s service offerings are wide-ranging on both the state and federal levels. “This practice group recognizes Signal’s longstanding partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, coalitions, associations, advocacy groups, public health entities, health systems, and much more,” said Signal Group president Chelsea Koski. “At the same time, it outlines our talented team’s unique approach to problem solving the most pressing of challenges in healthcare, whether it be regulatory uncertainty, access barriers, affordability pressure, funding instability, or reputational risk.”
Matter relaunches its local marketing services, which will focus on providing approachable, agency-caliber marketing programs to help smaller-scale businesses grow in the age of AI... Publicis Sports, the sport and culture marketing arm of Publicis Group, is collaborating with Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and 3 Arts Sports on the launch of TEKTA, a Name, Image and Likeness consulting and activation offering... The 23rd Annual International Business Awards announces its Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners for 2026.
The Pollack Group launches its Brand Visibility Index, a research series that examines how brands are represented, ranked and cited by generative AI platforms... PARC Solutions, a New York- and London-based advisory firm, forms a strategic collaboration with Guillot Consulting, a provider of lobbying, government relations, political advocacy, and business development services... SalterMitchell PR, a Tallahassee, FL-based firm, wins two 2026 Florida Public Relations Association Golden Image Awards.
Page launches the Polansky Future Leaders Fund, which was established through a gift from 2025 Page Hall of Fame inductee and former Weber Shandwick Global CEO Andy Polansky... Ruder Finn reintroduces its website, ruderfinn.com, which will now feature a large language model (LLM) as its primary user interface... Higher Plane Media is launched by former Sloane & Company CEO Darren Brandt.
Champion, which specializes in restaurant, franchise and consumer brands, opens a Miami office, adding to its operations in Dallas and Los Angeles... Violet PR, a Montclair, NJ-based firm that focuses on economic development, commercial real estate and place branding, opens a second office on Park Avenue South in New York... Inflection Point, a founder-led, senior growth systems partner for startups and growth-stage businesses, launches... PRSA announces the recipients of its inaugural Women of Impact Awards. Honorees honorees were recognized during the PRSA Women of Impact Summit & Awards at the Union League Club of Chicago.
FleishmanHillard is shuttering its 20-member Dublin office as Omnicom Public Relations reorganizes its global operations... Vested acquires Watermark, a D.C.-based public affairs and special situations firm.... Matter earns two Pinnacle Awards 2026 Marketing & Communications honors for its clients.
