 Alfred Leach |
MMI rebrands as BAERING. The renamed firm will be providing advisory, strategic communications and creative services for a variety of clients in North Carolina’s Research Triangle region. In addition to taking on a new name and visual identity, the firm is moving from Cary, North Carolina to Raleigh. The new name—a hybrid of “Faering,” an early ship used in Viking sea exploration, and the directional term “bearing”—is meant to reflect the firm’s ability to provide clients with counsel and direction through uncharted challenges and opportunities. “Baering is a new breed of agency,” said president and chief strategy officer Alfred Leach. “With accountability center stage, C-suite leaders require trusted advisors who understand the unique challenges they face. This is our currency and what Baering is built to deliver.”
 Jonathan Goldman |
Fenton created a partnership with Change Research, a public interest corporation that says it offers fast, affordable and accurate political polling at a 90% discount on traditional polling. Started by former LinkedIn data scientists Jonathan Goldman and Mike Greenfield, and PR & Company founder Pat Reilly, Change Research uses proprietary techniques that aim to combine the speed and low cost of online polls with the scientific approach of traditional phone surveys. The company is working on races in New Jersey and Virginia for this election cycle, as well as with issue-advocacy non-profits across the country.
 Audra & Jim Weiss |
W2O Group and Syracuse University will mark fifth anniversary of the W2O-Newhouse Center for Social Commerce with festivities slated from Nov. 8-10. W2O founder/CEO Jim Weiss and wife, Audra, both Syracuse graduates, established the Center, at SU's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, in 2012. “Given the transformative nature of business, we believed it was imperative to create a mechanism to educate the next generation of communications professionals to excel in a social and digital environment,” said Jim Weiss. An evening event, “Making Data Work: Marketing, Public Relations and Organizational Health,” will run at the Newhouse School’s Joyce Hergehan Auditorium from 6-7:30 p.m. on November 9, and is open to the public (no tickets necessary). In addition to Jim Weiss, the speakers will be Mike Fay, VP-communications, IBM; Gulden Mesara, VP health & commercial communications, AbbVie; and Melanie Marcus, chief marketing officer, Surescripts. Information is at http://socialcommerce.syr.edu/.
4media group completes its acquisition of Family Features Editorial Syndicate... Illumination PR, which represents lifestyle brands, influencers and celebrities, launches DR Media Group... EAG Advertising and Marketing acquires pay-for-performance firm INK inc. Public Relations. 
LLYC launches Signs of Pride, a campaign that revives the original protest banners of the first Pride marches... The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry forms the Public Relations and Digital Marketing Working Group... Circle of One Marketing, a Miami-based, minority-owned marketing agency, is named official agency of record for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami. 
Vogel Group, a DC-headquartered government affairs and consulting firm, forms a strategic partnership with Montreal-based public affairs firm Boléro Stratégies... Matter Communications launches project-based offerings for B2C companies looking to increase brand awareness and visibility... Tucker/Hall, a Tampa-based PR and public affairs firm, opens a new office in Orlando. 
Why investing in public relations is ultimately about building bridges in a connected world.
Edelman is laying off 330 people (5.3 percent of its workforce) to cope with an anticipated eight percent shortfall in 2024 US revenues, and client demand for one-stop shopping for speciality services.
