PR News From PMK, APCO Worldwide And More

PMK•BNC Promotes Cary Kwok to Sr. Vice President

Marketing and communications agency PMK•BNC has made Cary Kwok its new Sr. Vice President of its brand and communication division. Ms. Kwok is a gaming, technology, and children’s content specialist with over a decade of experience in video game PR. She led Nintendo’s Product PR, promoting popular consoles like Wii Fit and many Mario and Pokémon titles. After joining PMK•BNC at the beginning of 2017 as Vice President. Ms. Kwok was an account lead for Activision, which put out major franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Ms. Kwok believes that as an Asian-American woman, her success in the video game industry will help provide a necessary voice for women of color in the industry. She is especially adept at helping brands connect emotionally to parents, especially mothers. 

APCO Ends Partnership with Huawei

After a nine-year partnership, APCO Worldwide has decided to part ways with Chinese electronics giant Huawei. The split comes in the midst of current technology and trade conflicts between the U.S. and China. The US has recently hit Huawei with sanctions for violating a ban on selling high-tech products to Iran. Huawei’s telecommunications tech has also been criticized by experts as facilitating spying by the Chinese government. “We have reached the end of the contract,” said one APCO employee. “…[W]e came to the mutual decision not to continue the contract.”

Ireland-Based Paint Company Partners with Pollack PR Marketing Group 

Ireland-based paint company, General Paints, has selected Pollack PR Marketing Group to launch a full digital marketing campaign that is intended to introduce its product to the U.S. market. Curator, a line of super premium designer paint, is the first Irish high-end product in this part of the market. The line of high-end paint was created after the General Paints team spent years in the artisan Irish country-side, getting inspiration from a huge array of native creative talent, from potters to jewelers, resulting in a unique color palette of 144 colors. Pollack PR plans to use strategic digital marketing to increase engagement with U.S. consumers and interior designers. The strategy includes PPC, SEO, SEM, and online advertising as well as pad social programs to help convey the unique story behind the Curator line. General Paints hopes to play a key role in bringing modern Irish inspiration to the U.S. market.