PR News From Cone Communications, FleishmanHillard, Timberland, and Feintuch Communications
Cone Communications Now Under Porter Novelli
Both Cone Communications and Porter Novelli are Omnicom Group entities, but Omnicom just moved Cone, so they will report through PN. The brands will remain separate and distinct, and leadership remains the same with the exception that Cone’s CEO, Bill Fleishman, now reports to PN’s chief executive, Brad MacAfee. Omnicom says this opens up Cone’s access to the 60 countries where PN has representation, and PN gains CSR and consumer brand communications experience from Cone.
FleishmanHillard’s Manila General Manager Mourned
Cosette Romero has been with FleishmanHillard since 2002 and rose to become general manager, leading with head and heart as a trusted advisor and mentor. She served in the Philippines as a former president of the International Association of Business Communications, and she was awarded the John D. Graham Award of Excellence in 2013 – the highest recognition at FH for counselors exemplifying the firm’s values and demonstrating outstanding leadership. Theresa Defensor, VP, serves as acting general manager in Manilla currently.
Timberland’s “Made to Flex” Campaign Brings Life to Solarflex™
Comfort System Timberland, most known for their boots introduced in 1973 has expanded over the years to include premium footwear, accessories, and apparel for outdoor and adventure lifestyles just started a new “Made to Flex” campaign. Agencies supporting Timberland’s in-house people include Pereira & O’Dell, Assembly, Coyne PR, and the influencer program partnering with Cycle.
The new campaign is all about flexibility found in dance and movement and features season 12’s winner of “So You Think You Can Dance,” Virgil Gadson. His moves display mind-bending flexibility in a deep backbend above the ground and wearing the Timberland® Killington Sneakerboot. The new campaign was launched in New York City early in February where other dancers such as Stephen “tWitch” Boss joined at The Box. More than 200 people enjoyed the show. Ads will be featured in such magazines as GQ’s March and April issues.
Brand Finance Global 500’s Report Released
According to the recent Brand Finance Global 500 Report, the Google brand’s value went up by 24% in 2016 while Apple declined. So Google currently is the most valuable brand in the world again for the first time since 2011, while Lego is the world’s most powerful brand. The BFG 500 reports on many other brands’ standings.
The process Brand Finance follows is to evaluate brands to assess their strength and power involves looking at familiarity, loyalty, marketing investment, corporate reputation, and staff satisfaction. Using strength, they decide what proportion of revenue from the business comes from the brand. Then they rank the world’s 500 most valuable brands for the report.
Feintuch Communications Named MPOWER Financing as Their AOR for PR
MPOWER Financing is a fintech company that provides high-promise international students educational loans when they don’t qualify for traditional credit criteria with lenders and banks. They were founded in 2014 by Mike Davis and Manu Smadja, former classmates at INSEAD in France. In the less than three years since they opened, they’ve received applications for loans equaling over $150 million. They just signed with Feintuch Communications to attract and educate more equity and debt investors.
