Notable headlines this week around the public relations industry include some expansions of leadership staff, hiring updates, and strategic moves made by businesses in the public eye. Let’s wrap up the headlines and take a look at the latest news in PR:
WeWork Turns to New Interim CMO
Maurice Levy, chairman of the Publicis Group, has been tapped as the interim chief marketing officer for the embattled WeWork. The coworking company has seen its fair share of publicity trouble this year following the exit of co-founders Adam and Rebekah Neumann earlier this year. An initial public offering also flopped on the markets, making for an all-out crisis in need of expert management.
Levy, 77, acknowledged the emergent nature of the scenario and agreed to come on board to navigate in the short term, though he also acknowledged a desire to hire a younger CMO going forward. Asked about the challenge ahead, Levy described it as an “interesting and fun challenge.”
Golin Earns Twitter’s Consumer and Product PR
After a competitive agency review process, San Francisco and New York based Golin has been selected to handle social media giant Twitter’s consumer and product public relations. The move comes in advance of the rapidly-approaching 2020 presidential election and the expectation is that social media platforms will be subject to heightened scrutiny and criticism during this time. In the past, political messaging has been a subject of much contention for users as some purport that the platform did not do enough to curb the prevalence of hate speech. The platform is coming off a poor third quarter earnings report.
Expect to see Golin’s approach to come in the form of a storytelling strategy spread across both print and social media as well as through influencer channels.
Ruder Finn Names Two New Leadership Members
Global independent public relations agency Ruder Finn has named two new leaders for its office in Washington, D.C. Monica Marshall and Meredith Isola will help bolster an already strong leadership team. Marshall will take over as Head of RF DC while Isola will be a senior vice president focusing on government relations, policies, and advocacy.
Both have strong experience in government relations and will be critically valuable to assist with the navigation of government policy and communications as they relate to public opinion and behavior.
Highwire PR Expands Leadership Team
San Francisco PR agency Highwire PR has announced the addition of several new leadership members in an effort to bolster its new business that has proved fruitful to date. With rapidly growing revenue numbers, Highwire hopes to cash in on the momentum and continue to build a robust business with the addition of experienced new team members.
Carolina Binstadt has joined the Highwire team as an executive vice president after previously serving as the general manager for the San Francisco office. Highwire senior vice president Kim Paone has been promoted to be the general manager of the New York office. Shannon Murphy is another senior vice president joining the ranks; she will be heading up the new Boston office for Highwire. Finally, Saige Smith and Holly Langbein have been added as account directors.
Red Banyan Debuts Freshly Redesigned Website
Media relations and crisis management firm Red Banyan has debuted a newly redesigned website this week. The redesign updated the website for Red Banyan, a rapidly growing firm, and added a more robust mobile compatibility as well as a space for thought leadership on the new Red Banyan blog.
Also included on the new Red Banyan website are case studies from previous client work serving to highlight the firm’s skill set in working with highly sensitive, mission-critical challenges for clients ranging from corporations to law firms, even including individuals.