News From Weber Shandwick, Zeno, FleishmanHillard, and Portland Communication
Cognitive Context Launched by Weber Shandwick and Storyful
The content intelligence service for marketers and corporate communicators, Cognitive Context, was recently launched as a joint venture between Storyful and Weber Shandwick. The two agencies bring their expertise in strategic planning and data-driven content insights to optimize social media and brand campaigns. The venture will allow clients of Weber Shandwick to Storyful surfaced pre-viral social media content with speed and accuracy.
Julie Georgas to Become Managing Director for Canadian Operations of Zeno
Julie Georgas has been running her own firm, Instigator Communications, but is leaving that behind to become the managing director for Zeno in their Toronto office as well as other operations for the agency in Canada. The Canadian presence is not large at this point, but it is growing after being established there in 2010. Gerogas’ expertise is in consumer, B2B and corporate, and PR. She brings several of Instigator’s clients with her to Zeno.
Georgas said: “I instantly connected with Zeno’s fearless, roll-up-your-sleeves attitude and value-driven approach for clients. As a mid size global agency, Zeno is agile, entrepreneurial, and scrappy like Instigator, yet big enough to handle the largest and most complex assignments all over the world. I am proud to join the Zeno team and their pursuit of the unexpected.”
Leadership Changes at FleishmanHillard Hong Kong
The new general manager of the Hong Kong office of FleishmanHillard is Geoff Bilbrough, and the deputy general manager is Patrick Yu, filling the position left open with Bilbrough’s promotion. Bilbrough came from New Zealand in 2014 and was made a partner in 2016. He’ll report to the Greater China president and senior partner, Rachel Catanach. Bilbrough’s prior experience includes work for Metia (London – previously known as Write Image), and 10 years with an agency in New Zealand as Group Account Director.
Communications Match Reports Survey About PR and Communications Chosen Through Word of Mouth
The survey results show that 76% of business leaders seeking a new PR agency do so through word of mouth recommendations from their peers. The survey, 2017 PR & Communications Agency Search Report, was done in partnership between CommPro.biz and Communications Match. Watch a video that discusses a summary of the findings.
In addition to the 76% word of mouth results, other information showed 37% of those responding are planning to hire new PR or communications firms this year. Though comments showed those who will be looking are not unhappy with their current AORs, they will be looking because they want more and different capabilities than are available through their current affiliations.
Unions Complain About Ministers Spending too Much on Outside PR Counsel
A Union (Unite) in Jersey, UK doesn’t like that more than £50K has been spent to prepare Jersey’s ministers for handling international media in PR situations. Specifically, Nick Corbel of Unite claims that taxpayers’ money has been used to teach politicians how to “avoid answering questions” when workers in the public sector are losing their jobs. The government just released their spending showing $33.5K to Portland Communications and £18K to Ramsay Jones for that purpose.
All that money when, according to Corbel, dozens of States workers are to be made redundant in connection with a £73M cost-cutting effort, as well as new taxes via the waste charge are being considered. Corbin said: “The public don’t want our ministers avoiding answering questions. That money could be better used, and once again this spending comes at a time when we are being told that times are tight, that cuts are having to be made, that user-pays charges will have to come in, which will impact on business. It is astonishing.”
