SEATTLE — REI, the outdoor retailer that swept awards shows with its iconic OptOutside campaign, has put its lucrative US PR business up for review, PRovoke Media has learned. The company launched a sweeping review — with more than a dozen agencies participating in the first round — early this year and plans to appoint an agency by mid-2024, sources said. Individuals familiar with the pitch said REI is looking for an agency to handle US national brand awareness and earned media work. The multi-year contract is estimated to be worth between $10 million and $14 million. REI has worked with Ed ..read more

All of the photos from the 2024 PRovoke North America Summit, which took place in New York on 1 May, and included the IN2 SABRE Awards ..read more

All of the photos from the 2024 SABRE Awards North America, which took place in New York on 1 May ..read more

NEW YORK — Public health advocate Dr. Richard Levin has joined Finn Partners as chief health affairs counselor. Levin, who is a cardiologist, brings decades of experience in medicine, advocacy and academia to the newly created advisory role. For the last 11 years, Levin has served as president and CEO of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, which champions humanism as well as science in healthcare. “Dr. Richard Levin, who humbly prefers Rich when introduced, is among the nation’s top voices for humanism in patient care — the synergistic mixture of scientific excellence, compassion, and collaborati ..read more

LONDON — Global technology specialist The Hoffman Agency has shaken up its senior leadership team in Europe, appointing former Red Consultancy leader Jenny Fieldgate as European managing director, as incumbent Mark Pinsent steps into a new role. Fieldgate (pictured, right) joins Hoffman after more than 13 years at Red, latterly as managing director of the agency’s corporate and technology practices. She previously spent nearly five years at B2B technology specialist Whiteoaks. Pinsent, who has been Hoffman’s Europe MD for the past seven years, has decided to move into a senior consultancy ro ..read more

NEW YORK — Burson has named Chad Latz, Grant Toups and Chris Kief the firm’s global chief innovation, digital and intelligence, and technology officers respectively. Latz (pictured) will retain the global chief innovation officer role he currently has with BCW when the agency merges with Hill & Knowlton on July 1, creating a single entity called Burson. He will be responsible for leading Burson’s innovation efforts and development of products, including AI-first solutions. Latz is also responsible for continuing to build and manage a team of AI-focused practitioners and partners across da ..read more

CHICAGO — With AI shaking up the PR industry — and causing major angst in the process — communicators should take a cautious approach to adopting the technology to harness the innovation while safeguarding employees from the likes of job losses, deep fakes and plagiarism. “We are not doomed immediately,” said Bully Pulpit International partner Bradley Akubuiro. Akubuiro’s comments were part of an April deep dive in Chicago looking at the impact and implications of AI in the marketing, communications and creative industries. The three-part conversation, hosted by Spool with PRovoke Media, fea ..read more

The 2024 Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards are now open for entries, via the dedicated entry platform. The 14th edition of the Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards recognizes the best in public relations programming from across the Asia-Pacific region and is open to campaigns developed by agencies, corporations, not-for-profit organizations, government agencies and more. The SABRE Awards competition recognizes Superior Achievement in Branding, Reputation and Engagement and has a 30-year heritage, with competitions in North America, EMEA, Latin America and Africa as well as the Asia-Pacific competition.  ..read more

It has been three years since Chris Foster ended Omnicom's lengthy search for a CEO to oversee its public relations group (OPRG), comprising 20-odd agencies and around $1.6bn in total revenue. Under Foster's leadership, OPRG has returned to growth, although recent returns — in line with much of the industry — are less stellar. There has also been considerable reorganization of the group's PR firms into three "micro-network" groupings — full-service, public affairs and consulting — alongside a stronger central team and a specific focus on integration and partnership among agency brands. To ta ..read more

WASHINGTON — Liz Wolgemuth has joined Story Partners as a VP. Wolgemuth comes to Story Partners having spent over a decade on Capitol Hill, including as senior communications director for Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. She led communications strategy for these key senate committees and served as the senator’s speechwriter. WASHINGTON — Seven Letter has hired Casey Hernandez as a partner. With two decades of corporate and political communications ..read more