Kevin McCauley Joined MWWPR and Then Fired or Quit?
Kevin McCauley with more than 30 years’ experience as a journalist covering PR, advertising, and related fields joined MWWPR in October 2015 – and now only a few months later finds himself unemployed. In a move which Jack O’Dwyer of the legendary O’Dwyers PR newsletter described as reprehensible, McCauley is now unemployed. He worked out of their New York office as a VP of Editorial Services. His most recent job prior to this change was 25 years working at O’Dwyers – contributing to the company’s newsletter, online venues, and magazine as an editor/reporter. And before that, 10 years at the Gallagher Report.
At MWW PR he was focusing on content creation, white papers, editorial development, marketing, and executive communications for both the agency and its clients – and now is out. Jack O’Dwyer writes now of having a grudge against the agency, and describes the firm with constant lawsuits scandals and legal skirmishes.
MDC Partner Agencies Win New Contracts
Last week two agencies in the MDC Partners network picked up big accounts. Anomaly will be doing creative work for Beats by Dre and working with their existing PR partner, R/GA, a member of Interpublic Group. Anomaly will also be expanding their operations on the West Coast in Los Angeles to do the work with Apple-owned Beats.
Assembly, another MDC affiliate, became E-Trade’s new media agency. Their bid beat out several other agencies and E-Trade said it was in part because of Assembly’s ability to “navigate today’s complex media ecosystem.” E-Trade has been spending less on their advertising and focusing more on creating digital connections with their consumers for more than a year.
Coyne PR joins with KEF Hi-Res Speakers to Reach Younger Audience KEF added Coyne PR in New Jersey as their PR agent of record to support their U.S. efforts launching new products, and supporting existing ones, all while increasing brand awareness and getting the products in front of more consumers.
Stephanie Scola, KEF America’s marketing manager, said, “KEF is a 55-year-old brand, and it’s very well-known in a small niche market of audiophiles. It’s an old, affluent male demographic, and it’s a demographic that’s shrinking. We’re trying to present the brand to a younger affluent demographic.” KEF is based in the U.K. and within the audio world, they are known for their high-quality and beautifully designed electronics.
Bite Adds Two New Team Members to their London Office
The London office of Bite has added the co-founder of Swipestation, Sam Fresco. Swipestation is a venue-based marketing startup. Fresco will serve as the head of growth and innovation. Fresco been honored in recent years with titles such as Guardian Leader of the Year (2014), and more recently, at EngageWorks’ Flux Innovation Lounge serving as innovation lead. Working at Clock he was a digital strategist, and throughout it all, he’s built experience in key emerging tech fields such as virtual reality, mapping, collaborative working environments, immersive experiences, augmented reality, loT, and wearables.
Another new member of the Bite London office staff is Sophie Holdham, who will work as client services director. Previously she was at Tag Worldwide for six years building brands for Reckitt Benckiser and Land Rover.
University of Delaware honors Hunter Public Relations Alumni Wall of Fame Inductees UD’s Wall of Fame was established in 1984 and currently features more than 250 accomplished alumni. Early in June they added four more. One of them, a PR professional works at Hunter PR – Grace Leong. Leong got her Bachelor’s degree in 1988 studying Communications. The next year, she and Barbara Hunter co-founded Hunter Public Relations, where she currently serves as CEO.
Hunter is based in New York City offering strategic marketing communications counseling for CMOs of Fortune 100 companies and national consumer brands. Some of their clients include Kraft, Johnson & Johnson, 3M, Tabasco, and Outback Steakhouse.
In Leong’s acceptance she said, “Thanks to UD’s outstanding learning environment, I discovered my passion for communication. There is no doubt that my years at UD were my most formative, and I am grateful for the love, learning, and pride of place this University has shared with me.”