IPO communications are becoming more complex as companies face a broader mix of institutional, retail, and international investors across increasingly fragmented media environments, according to a new report from NorthStar Insights. The report argues that while financial media, press releases, and investor roadshows remain important, companies also need to account for digital channels, different levels of financial knowledge, and market-specific expectations when preparing for a listing.Earning the Market’s Trust: How Communication Strategies Are Shaping Modern IPO Success examines IPO communications across North America, North Africa, East Asia, India, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).The September 2026 report draws on the firm's advisory work across five markets, including the GCC perspective authored by Arth Malani, with further perspectives from Senior Advisor Mark Jackson on Hong Kong, and Director Seth Gagahina on creative storytelling. Market contributions come from Pranav Kumar of Alkimyx Global, Richard Mahony of KRG Advisors, and Sara Gad of Moharram & Partners. The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) backs the research, with contributions from its President, Farzana Baduel. Its central finding is that there is no single communications model that works across every IPO market. Investor profiles, media environments, regulation, and cultural expectations all influence how a company needs to communicate before and during a listing.Retail participation is widening the IPO audienceThe report cites estimates that retail investors account for around 20 to 35 per cent of daily equity trading volume in the US, UK, and South Korea, rising to around 40 to 50 per cent in India and Mainland China.It also cites data showing that around 10 percentage points of US equity trading volume shifted from institutional to retail investors between 2010 and 2025.According to the report, this means companies increasingly need to communicate their business models, growth strategies, competitive strengths, and long-term vision to investors with different levels of financial knowledge and different information needs. Investor allocation structures can also differ significantly between markets. The report notes that retail investors typically receive around five to 10 per cent of IPO allocations in the US, while India's mainboard IPO framework requires a minimum 35 per cent reservation for retail individual investors in applicable offerings.NorthStar Insights says these differences affect both the information companies provide and the channels they use to reach investors.Digital channels are expanding alongside traditional financial communicationsThe report says financial media, analyst reports, press releases, and roadshows remain important, but now operate alongside social media, executive channels, podcasts, video, and other digital formats.It cites US investor research showing that 75 per cent of investors rely on brokerage or investment firms for information, while 29 per cent report relying on social media. YouTube is used by 30 per cent of investors overall, and 61 per cent of investors under 35.At the same time, only 40 per cent of investors surveyed said they were confident in their ability to assess the accuracy of financial information they encounter. NorthStar Insights says this makes clarity and accessibility increasingly important as IPO information reaches investors through a wider range of channels. The report also cites academic research linking greater media exposure and online investor attention with IPO outcomes.Companies receiving three or more pieces of media coverage in the month before their IPO had, on average, 206 per cent more analyst coverage and 127 per cent more institutional investors in their first year after listing than companies in the bottom third of media coverage. Separately, research cited in the report found that IPOs with high abnormal online search activity in the week before listing recorded average first-day returns of 17.64 per cent, compared with 11.73 per cent for IPOs with low search activity.The report presents these studies as evidence of the relationship between the information environment, investor attention, and IPO outcomes.(Source: telummedia)

Shree Cement Limited, one of India’s leading cement producers, has partnered with popkorn, the creative digital agency under V360 Group, to strengthen its brand storytelling and build a more distinctive presence across the digital ecosystem.With an overall installed cement capacity of 76.3 MTPA across India and the UAE, Shree Cement is among India’s top three cement producers and continues to expand its footprint and capabilities. The company’s growth trajectory, geographic expansion and increasing focus on premiumisation, sustainability, innovation and operational excellence present a significant opportunity to build a brand narrative that goes beyond the traditional codes of the cement category.This opportunity sits at the heart of the partnership with popkorn. Popkorn will work as Shree Cement’s creative partner, bringing together strategic thinking, creative storytelling, content and digital brand building to shape how the brand participates in contemporary conversations.The partnership will span creative strategy, communication territories, campaign ideation, content creation and platform-specific storytelling across social platforms, supported by quarterly communication roadmaps and always-on content planning.Bharati Dadbhawala, Head - Corporate Communications, Shree Cement Limited, said, “Shree Cement has grown from a single plant in Beawar to becoming one of India’s leading cement producers, and that journey has always been driven by a willingness to think differently and continuously raise the bar. As the business enters its next phase of growth, there is a tremendous opportunity to tell that story in modern and more meaningful ways. Our partnership with popkorn is about bringing a sharper creative lens to our communication and finding new ways to connect our business, our people and our larger role in India’s growth story with diverse audiences.”For popkorn, the opportunity is equally about the scale of the business and the creative headroom within the category.Vishal Mehra, Chief Executive Officer, popkorn, said, “When you look at a business of Shree Cement’s scale, the opportunity is much bigger than making better social content. You have decades of stories, thousands of people, massive manufacturing capabilities, engineering, innovation, sustainability and, most importantly, a business that is constantly evolving. The creative opportunity is to take all of that and build a brand world that people want to engage with.”The partnership reflects popkorn’s belief that the most interesting creative opportunities often sit inside the business itself. Rather than treating digital as a collection of platforms or content formats, the agency will work with Shree Cement to identify the stories, tensions, innovations and human truths within the business and turn them into distinctive brand communication.

Historical data breaches are resurfacing at the most critical moment in the customer journey, when AI tools are asked if a company can be trusted, with new research warning that what a company says and does after a breach is now shaping its reputation for years.A new report by Sefiani, part of Clarity Global, Cyber Breaches and Reputation Response in the AI Era, found that while consumers may not abandon a brand after a breach, AI-generated answers are increasingly dragging the incident back into purchase decisions long after it is resolved.The research combined a nationally representative YouGov survey of 1,019 Australian adults, conducted 19-24 August 2026, with testing of how AI search tools reference historical incidents. Using its Surfacd AI visibility tool, Sefiani analysed three organisations that had experienced significant breaches - a global law firm, a global logistics company and an Australian private health insurer - across 30 prompts per organisation in ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews.The study found breach history is largely invisible when consumers are just exploring a category, appearing in only 2.7% of AI responses at the discovery stage.That changes sharply as intent narrows. Mentions rose to 13.1% during brand validation and jumped to 42.2% at the decision stage, when users directly interrogate trustworthiness. For one organisation, breach history appeared in 59.1% of decision-stage responses.Crucially, AI did not frame breaches exclusively as a negative. Some responses referenced how organisations restored services, improved security or supported customers - underlining that the post-incident narrative matters as much as the incident itself."If you stop communicating once the crisis is over, you leave AI to build the story from old media coverage," said Sefiani Managing Partner Mandy Galmes. "Once the incident is resolved, organisations need to publish a clear, factual account of what happened, what they did and, importantly, what they have changed, on their own channels. This means AI has your own version of the incident. If this step is missed, AI will build the story and define your reputation for you, from whatever media coverage or third party commentary appeared."The consumer survey highlights why that ongoing narrative is critical. While 31% of Australians said they would stop using an organisation after a breach and 53% said they might, actual behaviour is more forgiving. Of the 57% who had been a customer of a breached organisation, only 13% left, while 24% considered leaving but stayed and 20% did not consider leaving at all.Measures taken to prevent another incident was ranked highest at 39%, followed by seriousness of the breach at 32%, type of information affected at 32%, transparent communications about what happened at 30%, and support offered at 29%.The impact of framing was tested directly. When an AI answer described an organisation as slow to notify customers and lacking transparency, only 28% said they would purchase from it. When the same scenario described prompt notification, clear explanations and practical support, purchase intent more than doubled to 57%. That compares to 67% for an organisation with generally good reviews and no breach mentioned.Sefiani also tracked what sources AI cites when discussing breach history. Corporate content including websites and owned reports appeared most frequently, in 88% of responses, followed by editorial media at 61%, government and regulatory sources at 55%, and user-generated content including social media at 36%. The mix varied by sector and query type.That dominance of owned and earned media reinforces the PR imperative: maintain an accessible, factual record of the incident and remediation on owned channels, and ensure credible editorial media has an independent account of response and lessons learned.Co-founder and CEO of NSB Cyber, Shane Bell, said communications failures now define a bad incident: "Good and bad cyber incidents used to come down purely to technical judgement. A bad incident is now more often than not one that was poorly communicated. Technology discussions tend to dominate the first 72 hours, when communications should be front and centre."The report argues traditional cyber crisis best practice - timely disclosure, factual updates, customer support - remains essential but must be extended for AI persistence.It sets out five additional considerations for communications teams: Publish a factual account of the incident and response on owned channels, outlining what happened, how customers were supported and what has changed. Engage with credible editorial media to create an independent record of remediation and lessons.Maintain customer support beyond the immediate incident, recognising that ongoing experiences feed reviews and social content used by AI.Share lessons with industry stakeholders and bodies to support broader cyber preparedness.Monitor AI-generated responses over time to assess which sources and narratives are being surfaced.For PR professionals, the takeaway is clear: post-crisis communications should no longer be judged only on the immediate news cycle. In an era where AI answers influence whether a customer trusts a brand enough to buy, the long tail of a breach is now written by what you leave online after the crisis ends.

International SOS has appointed Eastwest Public Relations to strengthen its strategic communications across Singapore and the wider Asia-Pacific region, expanding the organisation’s efforts to raise awareness of workplace health, security and resilience.The appointment followed a competitive pitch and took effect on 1 October 2026. Eastwest PR will work with the company’s regional and global communications teams, providing strategic counsel, media relations and press office support.The partnership comes as businesses across Asia-Pacific contend with increasing geopolitical uncertainty, health threats and climate-related disruptions that affect employee safety and organisational resilience. International SOS aims to use the engagement to strengthen discussions around employers’ duty of care and the measures needed to protect their workforces.Founded in Southeast Asia in 1985, International SOS provides health and security risk management services to organisations worldwide. The company is headquartered in London and Singapore, with Asia-Pacific remaining a key region for its operations.Raymond Lau, partner at Eastwest Public Relations, said organisations could no longer rely on traditional assumptions about business continuity amid geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty and more frequent disruptions.He noted that communication had become a strategic function, influencing how employees, clients and regulators assess an organisation’s preparedness during a crisis.Lau added that the agency would work to increase the visibility of International SOS’s expertise among regional journalists and decision-makers, ensuring its insights reach relevant audiences accurately and at the right time.Syazlina Haniff, head of marketing and communications, Singapore, at International SOS, said the Asia-Pacific region had remained central to the company’s work for more than four decades.As employers face increasingly complex challenges, including geopolitical instability, extreme weather and evolving health risks, clear and credible communication is essential to helping business leaders understand their duty of care responsibilities and access appropriate guidance, she said.The appointment adds Eastwest PR to International SOS’s broader communications network, with the agency expected to work alongside the global team to strengthen the company’s regional profile and communicate its expertise to key stakeholders.

Outlook PR, a strategic communications agency based in Delhi NCR, has renewed its PR and growth visibility mandate with the Child Heart Foundation (CHF). Under the renewed partnership, Outlook PR will continue to drive integrated communications, strategic storytelling, and thought leadership to amplify CHF’s mission of tackling paediatric and congenital heart disease across India.The renewed partnership builds on the communications momentum created over the past engagement, during which Outlook PR worked closely with Child Heart Foundation to amplify its mission, strengthen media visibility and position its leadership and medical expertise across relevant healthcare and business platforms.As part of the renewed mandate, Outlook PR will continue to drive a comprehensive communications programme encompassing media relations, thought leadership, expert commentary, authored content, interviews, profiling opportunities and awareness-led storytelling around critical issues related to children's heart health.Child Heart Foundation is working towards creating greater awareness and access around congenital heart disease, with a focus on supporting children and families who require timely diagnosis, treatment and care. Through its communications initiatives, the organisation aims to bring greater attention to the importance of early detection, medical intervention and access to specialised paediatric cardiac care.Sunita Harkar Shalla, CEO, Child Heart Foundation, said, “Our continued association with Outlook PR reflects the value of having a strategic communications partner who understands our mission and can translate complex healthcare conversations into meaningful public narratives. We look forward to building on the work done so far and taking our message to wider audiences, particularly around awareness, early diagnosis and access to care for children with heart conditions.”Pooja Mishra, (pictured), Founder & Director, Outlook PR, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Child Heart Foundation. The renewal is a reflection of the shared commitment and the strong communications foundation we have built together. Healthcare communication carries a responsibility beyond visibility—it is about taking credible information to the right audiences and creating conversations that can make a meaningful difference. We look forward to further strengthening CHF's voice, leadership and impact through strategic storytelling and sustained media engagement.”With the continuation of the partnership, Outlook PR aims to further build CHF's positioning as a credible voice in the paediatric healthcare ecosystem and support its broader mission through strategic, consistent and impact-led communications.

RSPL Group and One Source, the integrated marketing consultancy, have partnered to drive integrated marketing initiatives for RSPL Group’s flagship detergent brand, Ghadi Detergent. The collaboration aims to strengthen Ghadi Detergent’s digital presence through creative storytelling and integrated communication initiatives across digital platforms.With a strong legacy in the Indian detergent category, Ghadi Detergent has become one of the leading players,building a distinctive identity around delivering effective cleaning at an accessible price point. As consumer expectations and the way audiences discover, engage with and relate to brands continue to evolve, Ghadi is looking to take the next step in its communication journey, building on its established equity while creating stronger relevance in today’s digital environment.The partnership with One Source will support Ghadi in developing communication that reflects the changing needs and expectations of its audiences. The focus will be on translating the brand’s familiar character into contemporary, relatable and culturally relevant storytelling that can engage both its existing consumer base and newer audiences.Sandeep Rao, Managing Director, One Source, commented, “Ghadi is a brand with tremendous familiarity and equity, but what makes the opportunity particularly exciting is the scope to translate that legacy into a more contemporary digital language. Our focus will be to build communication that is rooted in the brand’s core, while being culturally relevant, distinctive and engaging for today’s consumer. We are delighted to partner with RSPL and look forward to creating work that makes Ghadi even more memorable in the digital space.”As part of the partnership, One Source will work with Ghadi Detergent, with the mandate spanning digital strategy, creative storytelling, social media, campaign ideation, content development and online brand building. The partnership will bring together Ghadi’s strong household equity and contemporary communication capabilities to create relevant and engaging conversations for today’s audiences.

Cog Culture, a brand strategy and integrated marketing agency, has partnered with PRP Group, an integrated communications group, to strengthen its public relations and media relations offering. The partnership extends Cog Culture’s existing expertise in brand strategy, creativity, technology and integrated marketing by bringing strategic communications, media engagement and reputation management into its broader brand-building approach.As brands navigate an increasingly interconnected media landscape, public relations play an important role in shaping how they are perceived, understood and trusted. Through this partnership, Cog Culture will complement its existing services with PRP Group’s expertise in media relations, corporate communications, leadership positioning and reputation management, enabling clients to connect their brand narratives with credible media visibility and stakeholder engagement.With a team of more than 200 professionals and a portfolio spanning brands such as Panasonic, DLF, Pepsi, BPL, Emaar, GMR, Cambridge International Education, Apollo and Cashfree, Cog Culture brings extensive experience in brand strategy, creativity, technology and integrated marketing. The agency has also been an early adopter of artificial intelligence in brand and marketing workflows, using technology to strengthen insights, accelerate execution and support strategic and creative thinking.Complementing Cog Culture’s integrated marketing expertise is PRP Group’s extensive experience in strategic communications and reputation building. A leading integrated communications group, PRP Group Pvt Limited has served more than 500 brands across India and international markets, with a footprint spanning 14 offices across India and six international offices. Its multidisciplinary offering encompasses public relations, corporate communications, media relations, digital and social media, leadership positioning, advocacy, reputation management and crisis communications. Combining strong media relationships with regional market intelligence and strategic storytelling, PRP Group delivers communication programmes aligned with business priorities."PR in the age of AI has taken on an entirely new dimension," said Anoop Dixit, CEO and Founding Partner, Cog Culture. "Traditional PR is changing shape. Audiences, and increasingly the AI platforms they turn to, now form opinions about brands from credible, authoritative narratives, not noise, and the new approach is built around exactly that. Having been at the forefront of AI adoption in the industry, we see our partnership with PRP Group as a natural next step. It brings editorial expertise and strategic communications closer to our brand strategy, creative and marketing work, helping clients build visibility, credibility and lasting brand value"“In an increasingly competitive and interconnected marketplace, public relations is central to shaping brand perception, building trust and strengthening reputation. The real value of communication lies in translating a brand’s vision and business priorities into credible narratives that resonate with the right audiences. Cog Culture has built a strong foundation in brand strategy and integrated marketing, and our partnership brings together complementary strengths to bridge the gap between brand building and public relations. By bringing PRP Group’s expertise in media relations, strategic communications and reputation management into Cog Culture’s integrated offering, we aim to help its clients build stronger public narratives, deepen stakeholder engagement and create lasting brand value,” said Dr. Sarvesh Tiwari, Founder, PRP Group.The partnership will support Cog Culture’s clients across key areas, including market entry and product launches, leadership and corporate positioning, editorial strategy, media engagement, and reputation and crisis preparedness. By integrating PR and media relations more closely into its existing brand-building approach, Cog Culture aims to help clients translate business priorities into compelling narratives that engage the media, stakeholders and wider audiences

Strategic communications agency Prose Integrated has been awarded the PR and communications mandate for online travel platform EaseMyTrip.Under the new partnership, Prose Integrated will drive EaseMyTrip’s end-to-end public relations strategy, covering corporate communications, media relations, leadership profiling, thought leadership, and reputation management. The agency will focus on crafting targeted narratives across business, consumer, travel, and technology media to highlight EaseMyTrip’s business growth, technological innovation, and expansion across travel categories and international markets.Shweta Srivastava, Account Director at Prose Integrated, said: “EaseMyTrip has built a strong position in India’s travel ecosystem, presenting a compelling opportunity to create differentiated conversations around its business evolution, technology, and expanding offerings. We are delighted to partner with EaseMyTrip and look forward to building credible, consistent, and impactful media narratives that strengthen the brand’s visibility and reputation during its next phase of growth.”EaseMyTrip spokesperson said: “As EaseMyTrip continues to evolve as a broader travel ecosystem, strategic communication plays a vital role in strengthening our brand narrative and stakeholder engagement. We are pleased to partner with Prose Integrated, whose deep understanding of the communications landscape and strategic approach will help us build meaningful conversations around our growth and innovation journey across key media platforms.”

Dubai-based independent communications agency Tales & Heads has been appointed as the PR and communications partner for MG Motor Middle East following a competitive pitch.Under the new mandate, Tales & Heads will lead an integrated communications programme across the GCC, Levant, and Morocco, focusing on elevated brand storytelling, media strategy, and leadership profiling. Moving beyond traditional automotive narrative, the agency will drive brand engagements across lifestyle, culture, and strategic partnerships, while showcasing MG’s investments in automotive technology, innovation, and future mobility.The appointment comes as MG Motor—backed by SAIC Motor's tech-driven innovation and a 100-year automotive heritage—accelerates its footprint and product portfolio across the region.Joanna Agnew, Managing Director of Tales & Heads, said: “MG has a remarkable story: more than a century of heritage combined with a rapidly evolving business. The opportunity here is to bring the full breadth of that story to life in fresh, meaningful ways across regional communities. It is precisely the kind of brief where communications play a genuine role in shaping how a brand is understood and experienced.”Khail Dagher, PR & Social Media Manager at MG Motor Middle East, said: “As MG enters an exciting period of growth across the Middle East, the way we tell our story must evolve alongside our expanding product and tech portfolio. In Tales & Heads, we’ve found a regional partner that deeply understands our vision and shares our ambition to bring MG’s next chapter to life in fresh, engaging ways.”

The inaugural wave of Edelman’s UAE and KSA Sentiment Trackers reveals overwhelmingly positive international sentiment toward both nations as destinations for business expansion, investment, and career relocation.The UAE secured an overall Sentiment Score of 84 out of 100, closely followed by Saudi Arabia (KSA) at 81. Across both countries, future confidence emerged as the highest-performing metric, while perceived stability registered as the lowest score.Conducted between May 29 and June 8, 2026, the research surveyed 1,200 respondents—including business leaders, investment decision-makers, and internationally mobile professionals—across the US, UK, France, India, and Mainland China.Core Sentiment Breakdown: Confidence LeadsEdelman measures sentiment across four core pillars: perception, momentum, confidence, and stability.• UAE (Overall Score: 84): Confidence led at 87%, followed by perception (86%), momentum (83%), and stability (81%). Geographically, the US recorded the highest sentiment toward the UAE (89), followed by the UK and India (83 each), France (80), and Mainland China (80).• KSA (Overall Score: 81): Confidence led at 83%, followed by perception (81%), momentum (81%), and stability (78%). The US also led sentiment toward KSA (85), followed by India (83), France (81), Mainland China (75), and the UK (75).While confidence remains exceptionally high in both markets, Edelman notes that comparatively lower stability scores serve as an ongoing watchpoint.Talent Sentiment: Safety and Relocation DriversGlobal talent views both nations favorably, with the UAE recording a Talent Sentiment Score of 88 and KSA registering 83. Notably, talent without any prior direct connection to either country exhibited even stronger sentiment (94 for the UAE and 87 for KSA), indicating that external reputation plays a powerful role in shaping pre-experience perceptions.• Top Relocation Drivers: A safe environment led decisions for both markets (37% for the UAE, 38% for KSA), followed closely by competitive compensation (34% in both). Career growth opportunities were cited by 34% for the UAE, while 33% looked to stability or career progression in KSA.• Barriers: Political and geopolitical instability topped the list of concerns for the UAE (41%), followed by security concerns (34%). For KSA, security concerns led at 39%, followed by geopolitical instability (37%).Investor Sentiment and Market ExposureInvestor sentiment stood at 82 for the UAE and 79 for KSA, driven heavily by robust confidence scores (86% and 80%, respectively).• Key Investment Drivers: Government support was cited as the primary catalyst by 32% of UAE investors and 33% of KSA investors, followed by attractive market opportunities and access to new regions.• Regional Variations: India recorded the highest investor sentiment toward both nations, scoring an impressive 92 for the UAE and 94 for KSA. Furthermore, investors with direct market exposure exhibited significantly higher sentiment (87 for the UAE and 94 for KSA) compared to those with only a broader Middle East investment mandate.

A new collaborative report from FleishmanHillard and Contagious, titled “The Chaos Advantage,” reveals that during periods of macro disruption, playing it safe carries a much heavier penalty than taking calculated risks.The study combines a survey of 1,000 senior marketing and communications leaders across North America, EMEA, and APAC with an analysis of recent Cannes Lions and Effie Award winners evaluated through WARC’s GEISTE framework (Government, Economy, Industry, Society, Technology, and Environment).Key Findings on the Cost of Caution• Opportunity Over Caution: 87% of leaders agree that uncertain environments create prime opportunities for bold work, with 58% noting that missing out through caution happens far more often than facing negative consequences from bold action.• The Backlash Myth (The "Ed Sheeran Effect"): Safe brands and bold brands face public backlash at nearly identical rates (20% vs. 21%), disproving the theory that playing it safe shields a brand from criticism.• The Price of Dull Content: Defaulting to uninspired creative comes with a steep financial toll. Dull content requires an estimated $189 billion in extra media spend globally to match effective creative, while brand conversion drops by 37% and long-term ROI falls by 14%.• Paralysis by Process: Two-thirds (66%) of respondents report that internal risk management processes block action rather than enable it, with campaign launches and creative approvals grinding to a halt during times of crisis.• Competitor Capitalization: 42% of surveyed leaders have watched competitors steal market share simply because their own organizations hesitated.“The data makes clear that uncertainty is now the operating condition, not a moment to wait out,” says Ellie Tuck, Chief Creative Officer, Americas at FleishmanHillard. “Organizations that treat caution as a risk management strategy are actually multiplying their risk.”Understanding the Chaos AdvantageAccording to the report, The Chaos Advantage occurs when a brand converts a live macro threat into business growth by confronting real-world issues with conviction to earn trust at scale.While 86% of professionals view the current landscape as increasingly unpredictable and 65.3% admit to feeling overwhelmed over the past year, high-performing brands differentiate themselves through three operational hallmarks:1. Articulating External Threats: Aligning campaign objectives with a macro-level shift defined by the GEISTE framework.2. Data-Informed Escalation: Using real-time data to validate the urgency of the issue and drive proactive strategy.3. Ambitious Success Metrics: Challenging category restraints and treating complexity as an opportunity to build brand relevance.The study notes that earned media channels—such as PR, social, owned media, events, and online video—serve as the primary vehicles for driving this advantage, focusing on interactive education rather than pure broadcasting reach.A Roadmap for Bolder StrategyThe report concludes with a strategic framework for communicators looking to break through internal paralysis:• Right to Participate: Ensuring the idea matches the brand’s existing equity and customer reputation.• Reason to Watch: Utilizing bold, thumb-stopping creativity to break through noisy conversations.• Ability to Execute: Streamlining internal barriers so organizations can move quickly, boldly, and safely.To explore these findings further, FleishmanHillard and Contagious will be hosting a series of events across the United States and United Kingdom highlighting modern communications solutions designed to drive business growth amidst market chaos.

A fresh study from Page—the 2026 Navigator Benchmark Trend Report—highlights a major evolution for Chief Communications Officers (CCOs), who are managing broader remits and redesigning their teams even as resource constraints persist.Expanding Roles Driven by Business TransformationThe scope of corporate communications is growing rapidly. Nearly two-thirds of CCOs (65.9%) report that their function's responsibilities have expanded over the past two years. To adapt, nearly 90% of communications leaders restructured their teams within the last year.This transformation is largely fueled by corporate evolution. Nearly 80% (79.9%) of respondents pointed to business model changes as a primary factor influencing how their communications departments are structured and funded—outpacing factors like geographic footprint or stakeholder complexity by more than two to one.The Resource Squeeze and the Myth of CEO AccessDespite growing expectations, nearly 45% (44.9%) of communications leaders state that their teams are under-resourced. Page notes that this perception of a resource deficit cuts evenly across organizations regardless of size, revenue, geography, ownership model, or reporting lines.The study also challenges the long-held industry belief that direct reporting to the CEO is the ultimate indicator of success. While a direct line to the chief executive strongly correlates with executive committee membership, it does not automatically boost a CCO's confidence in proving the business value of their work.“The data show that access alone is not enough,” explains Candace Steele Flippin, VP of thought leadership and professional development at Page. “A CCO can have access to the CEO and still face real constraints in demonstrating business value. That is why it is important to look at the function itself, including its structure, resources and capabilities..."Page CEO Rochelle Ford echoes this shift in perspective: “The conversation about whether communications has influence has moved on. The question now is whether the function is designed, resourced and measured to deliver what the business expects of it. That is not a question CCOs can answer alone.”What Drives Confidence and Accountability?Instead of CEO proximity, high confidence in demonstrating business value correlates directly with team size and resource adequacy:• Team Scale: 73.3% of leaders managing teams with over 50 full-time employees (FTEs) report high confidence in proving business value, compared to 52.4% of those leading smaller teams.• Resource Levels: 70.8% of leaders with adequate resources feel highly confident, versus just 53% among those who feel under-resourced or neutral.Measurement remains an ongoing hurdle for the profession. While roughly 40% of communications departments report at least one business outcome up to the board or CEO, only 25% formally track those business outcomes.

Independent, female-founded marketing communications agency SOCIETY is celebrating its tenth year in business with a major brand repositioning and a restructured service model designed to combat modern content saturation.Driven by the realization that AI-generated volume and fast-moving social platforms have led to an increase in communication but a decrease in brand retention, SOCIETY is pivoting to become the 'Lasting Impact Agency'.The new operational framework is anchored by three core pillars—remembered, valued, and proven—with a mission to deliver memorable marketing communications and impactful, verifiable results for brands.“There’s so much content now that people struggle to recall what they’ve seen, let alone who it belongs to,” explains Dena Vassallo, (pictured), CEO and Founder of SOCIETY. “Being everywhere isn’t the same as being remembered, and being noticed isn’t the same as creating value. And increasingly, communications leaders need to prove the difference their work actually made.”Five-Part Service EcosystemTo bring this vision to life, the agency has reorganized its offerings into five specialized areas:• Strategy: Establishing foundational brand, communication, reputation, and campaign strategies.• Story: Crafting memorable creative campaigns, thought leadership, earned authority, and brand narratives.• Studio: Producing visual assets, film, photography, design, and social/creator content.• Scale: Expanding reach via media relations, earned social media, creator partnerships, brand collaborations, and live activations.• Score: Tracking GEO/AI-search visibility and performance measurement through CREW.Powered by IntelligenceThe agency's emphasis on measurable outcomes is heavily backed by CREW, a communications intelligence firm launched by Vassallo. Operating independently, CREW provides clients with an integrated data layer covering media, audience engagement, corporate reputation, and LLM visibility to help leaders quantify their campaign impact.

The Public Relations and Communications Association Asia Pacific (PRCA APAC) has launched its Rising Professionals Network, bringing together emerging communications professionals from across the region to help shape conversations around the future of the industry.Chaired by Noemie Viterale, Manager at APAC Advisors, the Network brings together professionals from Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Japan, with a focus on ensuring the perspectives and priorities of the industry's next generation are represented within PRCA APAC and the wider profession.The Network will focus on issues shaping early and mid-career professionals, from artificial intelligence and changing career paths to commercial skills, public affairs, leadership and the evolving expectations of the communications profession.Plans include practical workshops, thought leadership, engagement with schools, polytechnics, colleges and universities, collaboration with industry leaders, and opportunities for rising professionals to have a greater voice at PRCA APAC events.The group has already launched its first initiative, Next Gen Wire, a new Substack platform giving rising professionals a space to share their perspectives on the issues affecting communications, PR and public affairs. Operating as a “rotating mic”, a different committee member will contribute each month, bringing fresh perspectives from across the region.Founding members of the PRCA APAC Rising Professionals Network are:• Noemie Viterale, Manager, APAC Advisors, Singapore – Chair• Kiana Carreon, Account Director, Bud, Philippines• Janice Loh Jia Zhen, Senior Account Manager, Bud, Malaysia• Queenie Resmundo, Associate Director, COMCO Southeast Asia, Philippines• Natalie Teo Li-Anne, Associate, Eastwest PR, Singapore• Theodore Woon, Director, Pinpoint PR, Singapore• Oto Nishizaki, Account Executive, Allison, Japan• Phylicia Kai, Account Executive, Fifty Acres, SingaporeCommenting on the launch, Noemie Viterale, Chair of the PRCA APAC Rising Professionals Network, said: “There’s so much changing in our industry, from AI and geopolitics to the way communications, public affairs and other disciplines are increasingly coming together. Rising professionals should be part of those conversations, not just listening in. The Network is about creating a space to share what we’re seeing and learning, learn from those with more experience, and bring our own perspectives to the conversation about where the profession is heading”Tara Munis, Head of PRCA Asia Pacific, added: “The future of our industry should not be shaped without the people who will be leading it next. We want the Rising Professionals Network to give emerging talent a genuine voice within PRCA APAC, while also giving them access to the experience, networks and practical skills that can help them progress.“This is also about bringing different generations of the industry together. Rising professionals have valuable perspectives on AI, changing audience behaviours and emerging platforms, while experienced leaders can share their knowledge around leadership, commercial skills and career development.”The Network will develop a programme of initiatives throughout 2026 and 2027 focused on practical skills, industry education and creating more opportunities for rising professionals to contribute to the future of communications across Asia Pacific.

Maars Communicates has retained the communications mandate for Animeta, the AI-powered creator technology company founded by Anish Mehta, former CEO of animation studio Cosmos-Maya.Maars Communicates has previously worked with Animeta on its communications mandate and will continue its association with the company as it expands its presence across the creator economy, technology, branded content and AI-led content solutions.Founded by Anish Mehta, Animeta was established to support creators through technology, data, content strategy, brand solutions and monetisation opportunities. The company operates at the intersection of creators, brands and technology, with its AI-powered platform focused on helping creators build communities and access commercial opportunities.Mehta has over two decades of experience in the media and entertainment ecosystem. During his tenure as CEO of Cosmos-Maya, he was associated with the development of original Indian animation IP and a digital content ecosystem. He later founded Animeta with a focus on the evolving creator economy.Commenting on the continued association, Anish Mehta, Founder, Animeta, said, “The creator economy is evolving rapidly, and the opportunity today goes beyond simply creating content. It is about building sustainable creator businesses, developing IP and creating meaningful connections between creators, audiences, technology and brands. Maars understands the nuances of the media and content ecosystem, and we look forward to continuing our association with the team as Animeta expands its vision.”Under the continued mandate, Maars Communicates will work on strengthening Animeta’s visibility across business, technology, media, advertising, creator economy and entertainment. The communications mandate will also focus on conversations around the changing economics of content creation and the role of technology in enabling creators.Mausam Shah, Founder & Director – PR, Maars Communicates, said, “Our association with Animeta has given us the opportunity to work closely around a space that is constantly evolving. The creator economy today is moving from being largely reach-driven to becoming a serious business ecosystem, and Animeta is working at the heart of that transition. We are excited to continue building this narrative and bring greater visibility to the conversations shaping creators, brands and technology.”Aayush Shah, Co-Founder & Director – Digital & Business Development, Maars Communicates, added, “Animeta brings together technology, content and creator communities, making it an extremely relevant space for brands and the larger digital ecosystem. Our focus will be on creating an integrated communications approach that connects its work with the larger conversations happening across digital, AI, creators and branded content.”Founded by siblings Mausam Shah and Aayush Shah, Maars Communicates is an integrated communications and digital marketing agency offering services across PR, strategic communications, social media and digital marketing. The agency works with over 50 brands across entertainment, technology, consumer brands, digital platforms and purpose-led initiatives.Its portfolio includes communications mandates for Rose Audio Visuals, IVM Podcasts, MX Player, EPIC Channel, R for Rabbit, BabyOrgano, Aditya Birla Group initiatives including Mpower and Ujaas, Project Naveli of Navya Naveli Nanda, and work involving filmmakers and entertainment personalities including Neeraj Pandey, Siddharth P Malhotra and Aditya Sarpotdar. The agency has also worked on the India launch of Billboard India and entertainment properties including the Lux Golden Rose Awards.The continued Animeta mandate adds to Maars Communicates’ work across AI, creator economy, technology and media and entertainment.

CommsCredible, a Gurgaon-based communications and PR tech firm founded by Aman Dhall, marks its sixth anniversary with a strategic rebrand, moving from its founding philosophy of #StoryMatters to a new positioning centred on Actual Intelligence.The shift reflects a changing communications landscape where the way brands are discovered, understood and evaluated is being reshaped by artificial intelligence, fragmented media consumption and increasingly complex stakeholder expectations.Over the last six years, CommsCredible has built its practice around the fundamental belief that stories matter. Its next chapter is about understanding what happens to those stories once they enter an increasingly AI-led, search-driven and multi-platform world.Announcing the evolution, Aman Dhall, Founder, CommsCredible, said, “Six years of #StoryMatters shaped who we are. But the world has changed. AI is changing how brands are discovered, understood and chosen. So, we’re evolving too. From #StoryMatters to Actual Intelligence.”The new positioning is anchored in ABCDE: AI Discovery, Brand Strategy, Content Marketing, Digital PR and Experiential Events, bringing together capabilities that increasingly influence how brands are discovered, understood and built today.The ABCDE modelAt the centre of the rebrand is CommsCredible’s new integrated ABCDE model, bringing together five capabilities that traditionally operated across separate communications and marketing functions.AI Discovery focuses on how brands and their information surface across AI-led discovery and answer engines.Brand Strategy defines the narrative, positioning and strategic territory a brand needs to own.Content Marketing turns that strategy into useful, distinctive and consistent content across relevant platforms.Digital PR builds authority and credibility across media, search and digital ecosystems.Experiential Events creates physical and participatory experiences that turn communication into engagement and conversation.Together, the five are designed to work as a connected system rather than as standalone services. The objective is to ensure that what a brand says, where it appears, how it is discovered and how people experience it reinforce the same narrative.When CommsCredible began in 2020, PR was largely about getting brands into conversations. Today, the challenge is broader. A company can be mentioned in the media, have a strong social media presence and still remain difficult to discover, understand or trust.At the same time, audiences increasingly encounter brands through search engines, AI platforms, social feeds, communities, events and conversations with people inside the organisation. This means communications can no longer operate as disconnected functions.AI is changing discoveryArtificial intelligence is emerging as a fundamental change in how information is found and interpreted. Now brands face an additional level of discovery as consumers, employees, investors and other stakeholders increasingly use AI-powered tools to research companies, products, leaders and categories.For CommsCredible, this does not mean replacing human intelligence with AI. It means understanding how AI systems discover, interpret and surface information, while ensuring that the underlying brand narrative is credible enough to stand up to scrutiny.AI Discovery is therefore a key part of the new ABCDE model. The company sees the opportunity at the intersection of technology and actual intelligence: using AI to improve how communications is researched, created and distributed, while retaining human judgement, context and storytelling at the centre.Six years of building, the next chapter of scalingThe rebrand builds on CommsCredible’s experience of working with more than 40 high-growth businesses across sectors including fintech, deep tech, sport tech, manufacturing and social impact, across India, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.The anniversary also comes at a significant moment in Dhall’s own professional journey. Earlier this year, he was named a national winner of the Study UK Alumni Awards in India in the Culture, Creativity & Sport category and subsequently selected as one of seven Global Finalists from more than 1,800 applications across 120+ countries. He has also recently begun the Oxford Emerging Leaders Programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.“Six years gives you enough distance to understand what has worked, what has changed and what needs to evolve. We are taking everything we have learnt about reputation, storytelling and relationships and building it for the next version of the communications industry,” said Dhall.The company will continue to work with founders, businesses and organisations looking to build long-term reputation, while expanding its capabilities across AI Discovery, strategy, content, digital PR and experiences.

A high volume of citations in artificial intelligence search engines does not guarantee a brand will win customer recommendations, according to a major study examining corporate visibility across generative AI platforms.Research published in Leoprd's Reputation to Revenue 2026 report reveals that brands chosen as primary recommendations by AI engines actually averaged fewer citations than their passed-over competitors—8.4 citations compared to 9.2, respectively.The Recommendation GapThe findings highlight a sharp divide between AI visibility and commercial impact. Across unbranded recommendation prompts, monitored brands were selected as an AI platform's first choice just 29% of the time. They were mentioned but passed over in 35% of instances, and omitted entirely in 36%.The study analyzed 31,200 AI answers from a broader dataset of 214,000 responses spanning 27 brands, seven categories, and eight AI platforms across Australia and Great Britain.The performance gap was particularly pronounced in specific sectors:• Travel & Transport: Brands appeared in 90% of relevant answers, but earned the top recommendation only 28.1% of the time.• Fintech: Brands achieved a 92.3% presence rate, but were selected as the primary choice in just 32.1% of queries.Quality of Data Trumps Citation VolumeWhile communications discussions around generative engine optimization (GEO) have heavily focused on making brands searchable and citable, the study indicates that citation source mixes—comprising commercial, editorial, and review outlets—were virtually identical for winning and losing brands.Instead, recommendation outcomes hinged on the specific messaging contained within those sources and whether the data gave the model a compelling rationale to prefer one company over another."If you think about traditional metrics, that's telling you how loud you are, whereas the new ones will tell you whether you're chosen or not," said Amber Morris, APAC Head of Communications at Pinterest, in the report. "They're going to tell you the relevance and impact of what you've done."AI's Role in Pre-Purchase DecisionsThe shift in how search algorithms evaluate brands comes as consumer reliance on AI for decision-making grows. In a separate analysis of more than 420,000 anonymized real-world prompts across the U.S., U.K., and Australia, Leoprd found that 44% of queries asked AI platforms for research or advice, while 23% directly requested comparative evaluation or product recommendations.Furthermore, consumers utilized AI tools approximately 20 times more frequently before making a purchase than after, with pre-purchase research representing 27% of all analyzed prompts compared to just 1.3% for post-purchase support.The data suggests that shaping how AI engines evaluate brand authority before a consumer visits a company website has become a critical reputational and commercial priority, superseding basic search engine visibility.(Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash)

Famous Studios is entering its next phase with a broader content play. Under the leadership of Anant Roongta, Managing Director, Famous Studios, the company is repositioning itself as an integrated creative and content business, bringing multiple stages of the content value chain under one umbrella.The idea is fairly simple: brands, filmmakers and creators can work with one partner across the journey, from developing an idea and producing it to VFX, post-production, IP creation and distribution.Founded in 1946, Famous Studios has spent eight decades growing alongside India's film, advertising and entertainment industries. The studio has been part of several milestones along the way, from becoming Asia's first air-conditioned studio and importing one of India's first film cameras to introducing new post-production technologies. Its musical legacy also includes Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle recording their first duet together at Famous Studio.Now, the company is bringing creative development, production, post-production, VFX, brand solutions, digital media, AI, IP creation and distribution together within a single business ecosystem. Alongside creating its own original IPs, Famous Studios plans to offer brands and content creators access to these capabilities through one connected partner.The larger focus, however, goes beyond creating content. Famous Studios is also looking to address what it sees as a gap in the current content landscape: ensuring that content reaches the right audience. The new model brings distribution and audience targeting into the mix, with the aim of connecting content with the right people, platforms and moments."The content industry is moving towards greater integration, speed and creative collaboration, and we believe 'Famous' has a role to play in shaping that shift. We have always been early to recognise where the industry is headed, and this is the next step in that evolution," says Anant Roongta, Managing Director, Famous Studios."By bringing production, VFX, post, technology, IP, Brand Solutions, Films, AI, Social Media and emerging formats together under one ecosystem, we are making it simpler for brands and creators to move from an idea to execution with one connected partner. For us, innovation has always been about staying ahead of the curve and continuously creating what the industry needs next," he adds.The business will operate across four key verticals: Post-Production & VFX, Brand Solutions, Films & Original Content, and Digital Media. Together, these cover creative development, production, VFX, CGI, editing, sound, colour, branded content, IP creation and digital-first content.The studio's recent work includes Animal, Kalki 2898 AD, IB 71 and Article 370. Its Films & Original Content and Digital Media businesses are also being expanded, with Ground Zero, its digital-first platform, moving into YouTube Shorts and other formats.AI is another key part of the new strategy. Famous Studios is exploring its use across concept development, visualisation, production, VFX and post-production. The company is also working on projects and collaborations combining AI, CGI and traditional production, while retaining control over creative quality, visual language and brand requirements.The repositioning also comes with a change in Famous Studios' physical footprint. Its iconic Mahalaxmi studio was once a familiar part of Mumbai's entertainment landscape, hosting generations of filmmakers, actors, artists, production houses and broadcast activity. It was also involved in major sporting and cultural moments, including FIFA Qatar broadcast activity and IPL broadcast operations during its Jio era.Today, Famous Studios' corporate office has moved to Santacruz, while its studios operate out of Andheri West.

Morris Communications has officially launched in Qatar, establishing a specialized PR agency dedicated exclusively to the food and beverage (F&B), retail, and hospitality sectors. Founded by industry veteran Rachel Morris, the firm offers a targeted suite of services including public relations, content creation, and media relations.Morris brings over thirty years of combined expertise in editorial and strategic communications to the new venture. Most recently, she served a 15-year tenure managing corporate communications at Qatar's Hamad Medical Corporation.Her extensive career background also features prominent roles with global agencies and media organizations, including Hill & Knowlton Qatar, Dar Al Sharq Integrated Media, Arab Media Group, and ACP Magazines. She initially launched her career as a reporter at The Daily Telegraph, spending more than 11 years with the publication.Alongside her corporate communications background, Morris has cultivated deep industry roots through her popular food blog, Life on the Wedge, which she has operated since 2013 to cover the regional and international restaurant, food, and beverage landscape.(Source: telummedia)

Lifestyle communications agency SBCo has been appointed by premier sauna and wellness enterprise SDS Australia to spearhead its comprehensive public relations, events, ambassador strategy, and brand storytelling initiatives.Under the partnership, SBCo will manage SDS Australia's media relations, corporate communications, and high-profile events. The agency's strategic approach will center on the dynamic intersection of health, physical recovery, human performance, property development, architecture, design, and luxury lifestyle sectors.Reflecting on the new account win, SBCo Founder and Director Sally Burleigh noted that the collaboration aligns seamlessly with the agency’s established expertise. Burleigh highlighted that the partnership represents a natural fit given SBCo's robust portfolio spanning luxury, architectural design, health, beauty, hospitality, and broader lifestyle domains.(Source: telummedia)

Glad U Came, the multi-award-winning PR and Influencer Marketing Agency, has entered into an Official PR Partnership with the World Luxury Chamber of Commerce (WLCC), strengthening its engagement with the global luxury business community and creating new opportunities for Indian luxury brands, founders and industry leaders to connect with the international luxury ecosystem.The partnership comes ahead of World Luxury Day, celebrated globally on 8 October, an initiative by the World Luxury Chamber of Commerce that celebrates the people, expertise, craftsmanship and stories behind the luxury industry.As an Official PR Partner, Glad U Came will support WLCC initiatives through its extensive Indian media network, communications expertise and luxury-industry relationships. The partnership will also create opportunities for greater visibility and engagement for luxury brands and businesses across India through WLCC’s global network.Under the partnership, Glad U Came will support the distribution of World Luxury Day communications across relevant Indian media, amplify the initiative through its social channels, and explore meaningful brand activations with luxury clients around the 8 October celebration.The collaboration will also open avenues for Indian brands and industry voices to engage with Luxury People Magazine, the official digital publication of the World Luxury Chamber of Commerce, as well as selected WLCC networking opportunities.Maddiee Amrutkar, Founder & CEO, Glad U Came, said:“We are delighted to partner with the World Luxury Chamber of Commerce at a time when the definition of luxury is evolving rapidly. For us, luxury is no longer only about products or price points; it is about craftsmanship, culture, innovation, experience and the people who create it. At Glad U Came, we have always believed in creating conversations that go beyond traditional PR, and this partnership gives us an exciting opportunity to connect India's luxury ecosystem with a wider global community. We look forward to bringing the World Luxury Day conversation to India while also creating meaningful opportunities for our luxury clients to participate in this global dialogue.”Alexander Chetchikov, President, World Luxury Chamber of Commerce said:“We welcome Glad U Came as one of the Official PR Partners supporting World Luxury Day in India. India is currently one of the most closely watched markets in the global luxury industry, and the agency brings valuable local expertise and strong media relationships. We look forward to working with the Glad U Came team to introduce World Luxury Day to a wider audience in India and encourage the country’s luxury community to take part in the celebration.”The partnership reflects the growing intersection between India's rapidly evolving luxury market and the wider global luxury ecosystem, with communications, storytelling, media and cultural relevance playing an increasingly important role in shaping how luxury brands engage with audiences.Through the partnership, Glad U Came and WLCC will look to create opportunities that bring together Indian and international luxury businesses, while amplifying the stories, people and craftsmanship that sit behind the luxury industry.

Groversons Paris Beauty, the flagship lifestyle brand of Groversons Group, has appointed Teammate PR as its public relations agency of record. The partnership marks another step in the brand’s ongoing evolution, with a focus on strengthening its media presence, sharpening its brand narrative and bringing its seven-decade legacy into conversations around the future of intimate and lifestyle apparel.Founded in 1953 by the late Mr. Chaman Lal Grover, Groversons Group has evolved from its beginnings in lingerie manufacturing into an established intimate apparel and lifestyle business. The Group’s portfolio includes brands such as Groversons Paris Beauty, Sunaina, Shalini, Winta and Miss-T, with a retail network of 25,000+ outlets across 2,500+ cities and towns in India and manufacturing capabilities of 2.5 million garments per month.Under the new mandate, Teammate PR will lead media relations, brand storytelling and thought-leadership initiatives for Groversons Paris Beauty. The communication strategy will seek to highlight the brand’s heritage while building greater relevance among contemporary consumers through stories around innovation, changing consumer behaviour, product evolution, retail expansion and the future of intimatewear.The partnership comes at a time when Groversons Paris Beauty is expanding its consumer touchpoints through an omnichannel retail ecosystem comprising exclusive brand outlets, shop-in-shop formats and e-commerce platforms, alongside its presence in international markets, including the Middle East and Gulf region.The brand’s portfolio spans lingerie, loungewear, activewear, nightwear, thermals and everyday lifestyle essentials, with a focus on combining contemporary design, comfort and functionality.“For over seven decades, Groversons Paris Beauty has been part of women’s everyday lives, evolving alongside them while staying true to our commitment to comfort, quality and confidence. As the Indian woman’s relationship with fashion, intimatewear and self-expression continues to evolve, we see an opportunity to take the brand into a new era—one that is more contemporary, inclusive and closely connected to the needs of today’s consumer. Our partnership with Teammate PR is an important step in that journey. Together, we aim to bring our legacy into the conversations shaping the future of intimatewear, while building a stronger and more distinctive brand story for audiences across India and beyond.”— Siddharth Grover, Director, Groversons GroupAs the business enters its third generation of leadership, Groversons Group is focusing on technology, digital engagement, product development and an expanding omnichannel presence while continuing to build on its manufacturing and retail capabilities.Commenting on the partnership, Nishant Bansal, Founder Director, Teammate PR, said:“Groversons Paris Beauty has built a distinctive legacy over the past seven decades, and we are pleased to partner with the brand as it enters its next phase of growth. Our focus will be on strengthening its media visibility and developing a contemporary brand narrative that connects its heritage with the changing expectations of today’s consumers. Through strategic communication, relevant storytelling and meaningful media engagement, we look forward to bringing the brand’s journey and leadership perspectives into wider industry conversations.”— Nishant Bansal, Founder Director, Teammate PR

Action Global Communications has formed a strategic partnership with Dawson Walker, the UK-based specialist employer brand consultancy, to expand its services to network clients across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).The partnership reflects the changing needs of businesses as they navigate transformation, talent pressures, changing employee expectations, and increasingly complex workplace cultures. It also marks a further step in Action’s continued evolution of its communications and consultancy services in response to evolving client needs.Employer brand has moved well beyond its traditional association with recruitment. Today, how an organisation is experienced by its people can directly influence its reputation, ability to manage change, retain talent, engage employees and ultimately deliver on its business strategy.Through the new partnership, Action and Dawson Walker will help organisations shape employee experiences that support reputation, engagement, and business performance, from defining an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and brand strategy to employee engagement, internal communications, and activation.The partnership brings Action Global Communications' 55 years of local intelligence, cultural understanding and expertise in delivering impactful communications together with Dawson Walker's 30 years of specialist experience in EVP development, employer branding and employee engagement.Grounded in a nuanced understanding of the cultural and market dynamics that shape employee expectations and influence perceptions of employers, the partnership enables organisations to develop employer brands that resonate with their people, strengthen reputation and support broader business objectives across diverse markets.Kathy Christodoulou, (pictured), director, Action Global Communications, said: “We're seeing a significant shift in how businesses think about employer brand. It's no longer viewed just as a recruitment activity. Increasingly, leaders recognise its role in shaping culture, supporting transformation, strengthening engagement and building trust.“The most successful employer brands are not only communicated, but also experienced. When people believe in a company's purpose and understand the role they play in its success, they become advocates for the company and invested in its future.“By partnering with Dawson Walker, we are strengthening the specialist employer brand expertise available to our clients while building on the deep local market knowledge, cultural understanding, and stakeholder insight Action is known for. Together, these complementary strengths enable us to create employer brands that truly resonate and deliver meaningful results.”Adam Winterton, client services director at Dawson Walker, said: “A strong employer brand is built on truth and trust. It's about helping employers clearly articulate what makes them distinctive and ensuring that the workplace experience aligns with the promises being made.“At its best, employer branding creates a shared sense of purpose. It helps people understand what their employer stands for, how they contribute to its success and why their work matters. When that happens, the impact can be felt throughout the business.“Strong employer brands create clarity, alignment and confidence. Those qualities help organisations navigate change, improve engagement, retain talent and build stronger workplace cultures capable of driving performance and growth.“What makes this partnership particularly exciting is the combination of complementary strengths. Action brings exceptional local communications expertise and deep market knowledge, while we bring specialist employer brand and EVP expertise. Together, we are able to offer clients a powerful blend of strategic insight, specialist expertise and market execution.”The partnership will support organisations across a wide range of sectors and markets, helping them strengthen employee engagement, define compelling employee value propositions, enhance employer reputation, and build employer brands that contribute to long-term business success. It reflects Action's commitment to continuously evolving its capabilities in line with client needs, combining deep understanding of their businesses and ambitions with services that deliver meaningful value.

A runway show is merely an exhibition; a meticulously engineered communication ecosystem makes it a commercial powerhouse. Reaffirming its dominance as a top fashion PR agency in the lifestyle and intellectual property (IP) space, Prius Brand & Business Partners (a unit of Prius Communications) returned for its seventh consecutive year to spearhead the fashion PR, digital PR, and strategic brand communication mandate for Delhi Times Fashion Week (DTFW) 2026. Held from September 18–20, the agency executed a high-octane mandate that firmly positioned DTFW 2026 not just as a fashion show, but as a premier fashion IP and the ultimate Delhi fashion capital—the undisputed epicenter of couture, commerce, and culture in North India.Breaking the traditional boundaries of a standard lifestyle PR agency, Prius Brand & Business Partners operated as the strategic backbone of the property. The agency completely transformed the event’s commercial viability by executing a multi-layered event PR and experiential marketing scope of work. Prius Brand & Business Partners successfully brokered high-value sponsorship integrations, curated an exclusive VVIP guest list, and secured the attendance of top-tier High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNIs) and corporate leaders, turning the front rows into premium networking and business hubs. To ensure the property dominated the digital landscape through targeted influencer marketing for fashion events, the luxury brand PR agency mobilized a curated army of over 100 elite lifestyle, fashion, and luxury creators on-ground, engineering a viral distribution matrix that captured every runway moment, backstage exclusive, and celebrity appearance.By seamlessly bridging elite offline networking with aggressive digital PR and online distribution, Prius Brand & Business Partners delivered unprecedented metrics for the 2026 edition in the fashion event management space. The agency's strategic deployment of the 100-creator network via advanced fashion influencer marketing generated over 30 million digital impressions and reached 13 million unique users across social platforms. On the traditional media front, aggressive syndication and media relations yielded more than 200 high-impact earned media outputs, surpassing 75 million cumulative PR impressions. Ultimately, this integrated approach delivered an estimated ?18.5 Crores in Earned Media Value (EMV), providing massive, quantifiable ROI for the event organizers and integrated sponsors.Speaking on the shifting dynamics of event architecture and the agency’s strategic vision, Baldev Raj, Founder & CEO of Prius Brand & Business Partners (A unit of Prius Communications) stated: “The era of standalone physical events is over. Today, a successful IP is a hybrid ecosystem where luxury, commerce, and digital velocity intersect. Our objective is never just to generate noise, but to architect a high-trust environment through strategic brand communication where brands can actively monetize their presence and fashion can dictate market trends.”Elaborating further on the agency’s trajectory in this space, Baldev Raj added: “Experiential marketing and fashion IP building represent the definitive next phase of brand communication. We have successfully conceptualized and executed large-scale government IPs in the past, and we bring that same level of rigorous, systemic architecture to the luxury and lifestyle sectors. When you control the narrative across both the VVIP boardroom and the consumer's digital feed, you don't just host a fashion week—you define the cultural and commercial pulse of the entire city.”The success of DTFW 2026 serves as a masterclass in fashion event management and modern event architecture. It establishes a clear market reality: while standard event PR agencies handle event-day press coverage, Prius Brand & Business Partners builds the network, secures the capital, and owns the digital conversation. Through its unparalleled ability to fuse dark-social storytelling, high-net-worth networking, and aggressive influencer marketing strategy, Prius Brand & Business Partners continues to be the undisputed growth and strategic brand communication partner for India’s most prestigious IPs.

Current Global MENAT has been appointed as the PR partner for Paws & Co., a new pet care, health and wellness business preparing to launch in the UAE. Paws & Co. aims to create a quality, consistent and elevated experience to pet healthcare in the UAE. With approximately 2 million pets in the country, Paws & Co. has been established in response to the evolving role of pets within UAE households, as animals increasingly become an integral part of family life. A recent survey commissioned by Paws & Co found that 80% of pet parents in the UAE refer to their pets ‘as like one of their children’. With this shift has come growing expectations for veterinary care that goes beyond clinical treatment, with pet parents seeking experiences that are more transparent, personalised, accessible and centred around the wellbeing of pets and the experience for pet parents and their families.Current Global will launch Paws & Co. bringing to life the business’s ambition to create a connected pet healthcare ecosystem where pets are loved like family, pet parents feel confident in the care they receive, and veterinary professionals are supported to do their best work. Peter Jacob, Managing Director, Current Global MENAT, said: “As a father of two dogs, I know first- hand that there isn’t a shortage of vets. With Paws & Co., this isn’t simply about another entrant into the market. Paws & Co. is founded on the idea of changing how people think about pet healthcare and building a brand and an experience designed around the needs of pets, pet parents and veterinary professionals.” Last year, the UAE pet care market was worth $285 million and is projected to reach over $390 million by 2031. This growth comes as the UAE continues to strengthen its focus on animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, with Dubai Municipality recently opening an integrated pet shelter and launching a digital adoption platform, alongside initiatives supporting animal health, welfare and the One Health approach. As the sector evolves, Paws & Co. is committed to supporting a more holistic approach to pet healthcare, promoting preventive care, responsible ownership and better health outcomes for pets and the families they are part of.Matt Butterworth, Co-Founder Paws & Co. said: “For many pets and pet parents, the current process is fragmented, reactive and clinical yet the way people see their pets has changed, and frankly the veterinary experience hasn’t evolved at the same pace. From the beginning, we wanted to rip up the institutionalised playbook and build a pet healthcare experience that feels different. Pets are family, and their care should be personal, consistent and reassuring. In Pete and the Current Global team we have a partner that gets us and understands our intention and wider growth ambitions.”

A compelling new study released by PRCA MENA has laid bare a profound mental health challenge gripping the public relations and communications sector across the Middle East and North Africa.Launched at the annual PRCA MENA Conference in Dubai, the MENA Mental Health Report reveals that 55% of industry professionals experience stress, anxiety, or feelings of being overwhelmed either often or all the time, while 41% frequently suffer from burnout.The Awareness-Support DisconnectWhile the industry has made notable strides in destigmatizing mental health discourse, practical workplace backing appears to be lagging. According to the research, 76% of respondents now consider themselves well-informed about mental health—up from 66% in 2024.However, over that same period, the proportion of professionals who feel moderately or completely supported by their organizations has experienced a sharp decline, dropping from 71% down to 58%.The relentless nature of modern communications is a primary driver of the strain. An overwhelming 93% of professionals admitted to finding it difficult to disconnect from news and current events due to their job requirements, with 63% pointing to recent global and regional developments as a catalyst for heightened industry stress.A Call for Structural TransformationConrad Egbert, Head of PRCA MENA, emphasized that the regional sector has moved past simple awareness deficits into an era demanding structural accountability."We’ve become much better at talking about mental health, but we haven’t been as good at changing the conditions affecting it. The industry doesn’t have an awareness problem anymore; it has an action problem," Egbert stated. "If people understand burnout but still feel unable to switch off, manage their workload or take time to recover, then another wellbeing campaign isn’t the answer. This now comes down to how we lead, how we manage people and, fundamentally, how we design work."In terms of actionable solutions, survey respondents voiced clear demands for institutional reform:• 46% prioritize improvements to the physical and psychological working environment.• 41% call for rigorous workload management to curb burnout.• 37% advocate for direct access to professional mental health resources.John Rynehart, Chair of the PRCA MENA Mental Health Committee and Managing Director for the Middle East at Kekst CNC, echoed these sentiments, stressing that leadership must prioritize systemic overhaul over coping mechanisms."We know what drives stress, burnout and poor wellbeing," Rynehart noted. "The challenge now is whether organisations are willing to make the changes required to address them. Our collective goal should not simply be to help people cope with unhealthy ways of working. It should be to create healthier ways of working in the first place."Highlights from the Dubai SummitThe report debuted during the PRCA MENA Conference + Next Gen Summit, which convened roughly 150 communications leaders, journalists, and rising practitioners under the guiding theme “Reset the Mindset.”Opening the conference, Taif Al Amiri—Director of the Government Communication Department at the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and a PRCA MENA advisory board member—argued that modern communications must evolve beyond traditional metric tracking like reach and volume."Rewriting the narrative must begin with understanding the audience," Al Amiri remarked. "A narrative does not change simply because we communicate more. It changes when we communicate differently, when we understand what people care about, what they do not yet understand, and what will make the story meaningful to them."Throughout the day-long event, panels tackled complex industry transformations, exploring shifting centers of influence, corporate reputation, agency profitability, creative risk, and the profound implications of artificial intelligence on trust and leadership.

Cityflo, India’s premium shared mobility platform, has appointed Concept Public Relations Ltd., one of India’s leading public relations consultancies, as its official PR and communications partner. As part of this strategic collaboration, Concept PR will drive Cityflo’s public relations strategy, focusing on strengthening corporate reputation, strategic media relations, thought leadership, executive profiling, and its brand proposition across key markets such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. Through this strategic engagement, Concept PR will work closely with Cityflo to amplify its growth story, build greater visibility for its leadership team, and strengthen the brand’s voice across business, mobility, technology, sustainability, and consumer conversations. The partnership comes as Cityflo continues to expand its presence across Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Kolkata, strengthening its position in India’s evolving shared mobility ecosystem and solutions.  Sankalp Kelshikar, CMO and Co-Founder, Cityflo, said, “Mobility is one of the defining challenges for India’s rapidly growing cities. Addressing it will require shared, organised mobility supported by better-connected networks and technology. That is the opportunity we are building towards at Cityflo. As we scale, Concept PR will help us take this conversation beyond our growth story and establish Cityflo’s perspective on how cities can move more efficiently, sustainably and at scale.” Suhas Tadas, Senior Vice President, Concept PR, added, “This mandate is a continuation of Concept PR’s multiple wins in the consumer sector. We look forward to bringing our expertise to the partnership and building a strong, distinctive narrative for Cityflo as the brand continues to scale.”  The mandate further strengthens Concept PR’s growing portfolio in the mobility and urban transportation space, reflecting the agency’s expertise in building strategic PR programmes for businesses operating at the intersection of technology, consumer behaviour and evolving urban infrastructure. 

The public relations landscape across New Zealand and Australia has experienced a significant shake-up with the official launch of Ground Control PR. The new agency is the result of a strategic merger between prominent New Zealand firms Common Ground and Dig.Operating seamlessly across the Tasman Sea, the newly formed consumer and technology PR specialist arrives on the scene with an already formidable roster of household-name clients. Among its foundational local partnerships are fitness giant Les Mills, iconic snack maker Griffin’s, and Star Group, the hospitality and restaurant division of DB Breweries. Furthermore, the agency has secured key Australian accounts, including educational platform 3P Learning, the Marine Stewardship Council, and promotional PR for Coca-Cola Oceania’s alcoholic ready-to-drink beverage portfolio.Behind the venture are co-founders Olivia Boswell and Leni Ma’ia’i, who have successfully consolidated their respective legacy client portfolios from Common Ground and Dig PR. This combined stable features a diverse mix of innovative brands, such as Boring Oat Milk, OPPO, Icehouse Ventures, Openstar, Outward Bound, Motion Sickness, and children's apparel brand Jamie Kay.According to Ma’ia’i, the agency's operational philosophy is anchored in the transformative power of compelling narrative, driven by the belief that an expertly told story has the capacity to reshape a commercial enterprise entirely."We possess an exceptional talent for building robust products and enterprises in this corner of the globe, yet we have historically been less adept at broadcasting those success stories," Ma’ia’i explained. "Our role is the most rewarding part of the equation: stepping in to illuminate the remarkable work already underway and amplifying its market impact."He further emphasized that the agency's core methodology draws heavily from journalistic principles, noting that both predecessor firms built their reputations on rigorous inquiry, a dedication to authenticity, and a sharp intuition for audience engagement. These journalistic hallmarks, he asserts, serve as a potent engine when applied within modern public relations strategies. ((Pictured L - R: Leni Ma’ia’i and Olivia Boswell)(Source: telummedia)

Groversons Paris Beauty, the flagship lifestyle brand of Groversons Group, has appointed Teammate PR as its public relations agency of record. The partnership marks another step in the brand’s ongoing evolution, with a focus on strengthening its media presence, sharpening its brand narrative and bringing its seven-decade legacy into conversations around the future of intimate and lifestyle apparel.Founded in 1953 by the late Mr. Chaman Lal Grover, Groversons Group has evolved from its beginnings in lingerie manufacturing into an established intimate apparel and lifestyle business. The Group’s portfolio includes brands such as Groversons Paris Beauty, Sunaina, Shalini, Winta and Miss-T, with a retail network of 25,000+ outlets across 2,500+ cities and towns in India and manufacturing capabilities of 2.5 million garments per month.Under the new mandate, Teammate PR will lead media relations, brand storytelling and thought-leadership initiatives for Groversons Paris Beauty. The communication strategy will seek to highlight the brand’s heritage while building greater relevance among contemporary consumers through stories around innovation, changing consumer behaviour, product evolution, retail expansion and the future of intimatewear.The partnership comes at a time when Groversons Paris Beauty is expanding its consumer touchpoints through an omnichannel retail ecosystem comprising exclusive brand outlets, shop-in-shop formats and e-commerce platforms, alongside its presence in international markets, including the Middle East and Gulf region.The brand’s portfolio spans lingerie, loungewear, activewear, nightwear, thermals and everyday lifestyle essentials, with a focus on combining contemporary design, comfort and functionality.Siddharth Grover, Director, Groversons Group, said: “For over seven decades, Groversons Paris Beauty has been part of women’s everyday lives, evolving alongside them while staying true to our commitment to comfort, quality and confidence. As the Indian woman’s relationship with fashion, intimatewear and self-expression continues to evolve, we see an opportunity to take the brand into a new era—one that is more contemporary, inclusive and closely connected to the needs of today’s consumer. Our partnership with Teammate PR is an important step in that journey. Together, we aim to bring our legacy into the conversations shaping the future of intimatewear, while building a stronger and more distinctive brand story for audiences across India and beyond.”As the business enters its third generation of leadership, Groversons Group is focusing on technology, digital engagement, product development and an expanding omnichannel presence while continuing to build on its manufacturing and retail capabilities.Commenting on the partnership, Nishant Bansal, Founder Director, Teammate PR, said: “Groversons Paris Beauty has built a distinctive legacy over the past seven decades, and we are pleased to partner with the brand as it enters its next phase of growth. Our focus will be on strengthening its media visibility and developing a contemporary brand narrative that connects its heritage with the changing expectations of today’s consumers. Through strategic communication, relevant storytelling and meaningful media engagement, we look forward to bringing the brand’s journey and leadership perspectives into wider industry conversations.”

Boomerang Collaborations, a leading media buying, PR and advertising agency, has been appointed as the Public Relations (PR) partner for VinFast India in collaboration with Velocity Fintrust.As part of the mandate, Boomerang Collaborations will spearhead VinFast India’s PR and media communications, with a focus on strengthening brand visibility, driving awareness and establishing a strong presence for the global EV brand in the Indian market.The mandate will encompass strategic media outreach, press relations, brand storytelling, product communication, thought leadership, influencer engagement and communication around VinFast’s key launches, initiatives and milestones in India. Through an integrated PR approach, Boomerang Collaborations aims to position VinFast as a progressive, technology-driven and globally experienced electric vehicle brand among Indian consumers and industry stakeholders.Shrey Goel, Director, Boomerang Collaborations said, “We are delighted to partner with VinFast at an exciting time as the brand strengthens its presence in the Indian market. VinFast brings global EV expertise, innovative technology and a fresh perspective to India’s rapidly evolving electric mobility landscape. Through this mandate, our aim is to build strong brand visibility, create meaningful conversations and establish VinFast as a credible and aspirational EV brand in India. We look forward to delivering impactful PR campaigns that connect the brand with consumers, media and the wider automotive ecosystem.”Vikas Bohra, Vice President (VP), Velocity Fintrust said, “We are delighted to partner with Boomerang Collaborations at an exciting time as the brand strengthens its presence in the Indian market. VinFast brings global EV expertise, innovative technology and a fresh perspective to India’s rapidly evolving electric mobility landscape. Through this mandate, our aim is to build strong brand visibility, create meaningful conversations and establish VinFast as a credible and aspirational EV brand in India. We look forward to delivering impactful PR campaigns that connect the brand with consumers, media and the wider automotive ecosystem.”The partnership will leverage Boomerang Collaborations’ expertise across PR, media relations, mainstream media advertising, digital communications, influencer marketing and event-led brand engagement to create a consistent and high-impact communication strategy for VinFast India.The association marks another significant addition to Boomerang Collaborations growing portfolio of automotive, corporate and industry-focused communication mandates.

The former PR & Marketing head at SVF Entertainment has embarked on an entrepreneurial journey with an integrated communications agency focused on entertainment, brands, talent and the evolving content ecosystem.After spending close to two decades building campaigns, shaping narratives and managing communications for some of the biggest projects in the Eastern entertainment industry, Ahana Kanjilal Dutta is stepping into a new chapter of her professional journey.The well-known PR and Marketing professional has launched The Buzz Bureau, an independent integrated communications and marketing agency that will cater to the end-to-end requirements of films, content projects, brands and talents.Ahana, who most recently headed PR & Marketing at SVF Entertainment, brings with her nearly 20 years of experience across Public Relations, Marketing, Brand Building, Image Management and Strategic Communications. Having worked on more than 180 films and projects through her career, she is regarded as one of the prominent communications professionals in the Bengali entertainment ecosystem.With The Buzz Bureau, the idea is to move beyond the conventional definition of PR.The agency will offer an integrated bouquet of services including Marketing Strategy, Public Relations, Media Communications, Social Media, Digital Strategy, Brand Building, Image Management, Content Marketing and Campaign Execution.Speaking about the new venture, Ahana Kanjilal Dutta said, “The industry has evolved significantly over the years. Today, simply creating visibility is not enough. Every film, brand, talent or content project needs a clear identity, the right positioning and a communication strategy that can cut through the clutter.”She added, “The Buzz Bureau has been created with the idea of bringing strategy, creativity and execution together. We want to work closely with every project and create campaigns that are relevant to the audience while also delivering tangible and meaningful impact.”Beyond EntertainmentWhile Bengali films and the entertainment industry remain one of the agency's strongest areas of expertise, The Buzz Bureau is also looking at opportunities beyond the content business.The agency is open to working with clients across Lifestyle, Fashion, F&B, Consumer Brands, Personal Branding and other emerging business sectors.Ahana's experience of working across different categories is expected to give the agency the flexibility to develop customised communication solutions depending on the needs of individual clients.The focus, she says, will remain on creating a strong understanding of the client's business and brand before building a communication roadmap.“Every sector has a different audience, different challenges and a different communication requirement. Our approach will never be one-size-fits-all. Whether it is a film, a brand, a restaurant, a fashion label or an individual, the starting point will always be understanding what makes that entity unique and how that story needs to be told,” she said.Building Brands Beyond BuzzAnother important vertical for The Buzz Bureau will be Brand and Image Management.The agency plans to work with talents and personalities looking to build and manage their professional and public image in an increasingly competitive and content-driven environment.From strategic positioning and media management to long-term image building and reputation management, the agency aims to offer a structured and personalised approach to talent representation.Talents coming on board will be supported by a dedicated team under Ahana's leadership, with the focus on creating a sustainable and relevant public identity rather than short-term visibility.“A talent today is also a brand. Building that brand requires consistency, strategy and a long-term vision. It is not just about being visible but about being visible for the right reasons and creating the right perception over time,” Ahana explained.A Hands-On ApproachOne of the key differentiators of The Buzz Bureau, according to Ahana, will be its hands-on working model.Despite leading a growing team and agency, Ahana intends to remain personally involved in the projects undertaken by the company.Known within the industry for her disciplined and detail-oriented approach, she believes that strategy and execution need to go hand-in-hand, particularly in an industry where timelines are demanding and communication moves at a rapid pace.“I have always believed in being closely involved with my work. Every project has its own challenges and possibilities, and I believe experience can make the biggest difference when it is combined with involvement and commitment. At The Buzz Bureau, I want to ensure that every client receives strategic attention and not just a standard service,” she said.Early Momentum for a New VentureThe growing volume of work across the Bengali entertainment and content ecosystem has also played a role in creating new opportunities for specialised communications agencies.With films, OTT content, regional productions, independent projects and brands increasingly competing for audience attention, the role of strategic marketing and communications has become more critical than ever.“There is a lot of interesting work happening in the industry right now, and that is a very positive sign. The volume of content is increasing, audiences are becoming more aware and the way projects are marketed is also changing. This creates a need for communication partners who understand both the creative and business side of the industry,” Ahana noted.The Vision AheadThe Buzz Bureau is being positioned as an agile, integrated and strategy-led communications partner for clients looking to build stronger connections with their audiences.The agency's approach will combine traditional PR and media relations with newer tools of communication, including social media strategy, digital storytelling, content-led campaigns, brand partnerships and reputation management.For Ahana, however, the larger ambition is to build an agency that can become a long-term strategic partner to its clients.“The vision is not to simply create buzz around a project and build interest. The idea is to build something more meaningful—whether that is a stronger brand identity, better audience connect, improved recall or long-term equity. We want to create communication that contributes to the larger journey of a brand or project,” she said.With two decades of experience, a deep understanding of the Eastern market and a significant body of work across entertainment and communications, Ahana Kanjilal Dutta's move into entrepreneurship comes at an interesting time for the industry.As the lines between entertainment, brands, digital content and personal branding continue to blur, agencies that can offer a combination of strategic thinking, industry relationships and execution capabilities are likely to find increasing relevance.And for The Buzz Bureau, the journey has already begun with a clear focus—to build the right narrative, create meaningful conversations and turn communication into measurable impact.Because in today's crowded marketplace, creating buzz may get attention—but building the right buzz is what creates lasting value.

Bold & Beyond, an integrated communications agency, has been appointed to lead the integrated communications and branding mandate for Manas Developers, one of Goa's leading premium real estate developers. As part of the mandate, Bold & Beyond will work across brand communications, public relations and social media for Manas Developers. The engagement will focus on bringing greater coherence to how the brand communicates its projects, philosophy and approach to development, while building on the experience and relationships it has established over the years. It will also support the company as it looks to build on its existing presence and take its next steps as a real estate business.Founded in 2000 by first-generation entrepreneur Tanmay Kholkar, Manas Developers has developed and delivered over 4 lakh sq. ft. across Goa, with a portfolio spanning premium residences, villas, plotted developments, commercial spaces and mixed-use projects. Its developments span locations including Miramar, Panaji, Moira, Salvador do Mundo and Bambolim, among others. Over three decades, the company has grown through a focus on project delivery, customer relationships and a close understanding of the Goa market. Speaking about the partnership, Sonalika Pawar, Founder and CEO, Bold & Beyond, said: “Manas Developers has built its reputation organically through the work it has delivered, the relationships it has nurtured and the trust it has earned in the market. As the business enters its next phase of growth, there is a clear opportunity to bring that experience and perspective into a sharper, more defined brand narrative, one that reflects not just what Manas has built, but where it sees the future of real estate in Goa heading.” She added, “Our focus will be on strengthening Manas’ presence and establishing the brand as a credible and influential voice in Goa’s evolving real estate landscape, while creating meaningful platforms for Tanmay to contribute to and shape the larger industry conversation nationally. We’re delighted to partner with the Manas Developers team at this important stage of their journey and look forward to building on the strong foundation they have created."Tanmay Kholkar, Founder, Manas Developers, added: "We have always believed that the best way to build a real estate business is to focus on the work and let the projects speak for themselves. Over the years, that approach has helped us build strong relationships with our customers and grow steadily in Goa. As we look ahead, we want Manas to reflect not just what we have built, but also what we stand for as a company and where we want to go next. This partnership with Bold & Beyond is an important step in bringing that vision together and building the next chapter for Manas."

Mastercard has selected WE Communications to manage its global corporate communications following a competitive six-month agency review, ending a multi-decade partnership with Omnicom-owned agency Ketchum.WE Communications will initially handle Mastercard's enterprise-level communications, focusing on storytelling and stakeholder engagement around the payment giant's ongoing expansions into artificial intelligence, data analytics, agentic commerce, and cybersecurity. Additional regional workstreams and specialized scopes are scheduled to roll out in phases across the agency’s global network.The account will be led by Lindsey Bastani, head of WE Communications' global technology practice."We have a talented communications team—people with strong instincts, deep knowledge of our business, and a real commitment to telling stories that matter," said Jen Erickson, executive vice president of communications at Mastercard. "With WE Communications, we’re writing the next chapter, bringing fresh thinking and energy to engage with the people and businesses that rely on Mastercard every day around the world."Bastani highlighted the account's technical focus, noting the agency will translate complex subjects—such as global transaction data, automated commerce, and digital security—into accessible narratives for audiences ranging from software developers to corporate executives.The account shift marks another significant client departure for Ketchum, which recently lost its North American communications account with fast-food giant Wendy's to Ruder Finn after another long-standing agency-client relationship ended.

Redhill Communications, a global communications agency, has been appointed as the strategic communications partner of Lightrock, a leading investment platform focused on backing purpose-driven businesses that deliver attractive financial returns and measurable social and environmental impact. Under the mandate, Redhill will work with Lightrock to strengthen its corporate narrative and reputation in India, deepen engagement with business and financial media, and build thought leadership around investment, innovation and the themes shaping India’s growth economy. The partnership will focus on creating greater visibility for Lightrock’s investment approach, its portfolio and the perspectives of its leadership, while strengthening engagement with key business, financial and sectoral stakeholders across India.Established as an independent global investment platform in 2021, Lightrock operates across private and public markets and invests across the themes of People, Planet and Productivity. The platform advises approximately $5.8 billion in assets and has backed 150 companies to date, supported by a global team of more than 130 professionals.Alasdair Lennon, Marketing & Communications Director, Lightrock, said: “India remains an important market for Lightrock, with strong entrepreneurial talent and significant opportunities to back businesses that can deliver both commercial value and positive impact. As we continue to deepen our presence and engagement in the market, communications will play an important role in articulating our investment approach, the businesses we partner with and the perspectives we bring to the ecosystem. We are pleased to partner with Redhill Communications and look forward to working with their team to further strengthen our voice and engagement in India.”Ankita Juneja, Country Head – India, Redhill Communications, said:“ Lightrock brings together a distinctive investment approach with a strong conviction that purpose and commercial performance can go hand in hand. Its investments across some of India’s most important growth sectors create a strong platform for meaningful conversations with business, financial and sectoral audiences. We are delighted to partner with Lightrock and look forward to building a communications programme that strengthens its corporate reputation, sharpens its thought leadership and brings greater visibility to the perspectives and expertise it brings to India’s investment ecosystem.”The mandate will see Redhill work closely with Lightrock’s India and global teams across corporate communications, media relations and thought leadership, with a focus on building sustained visibility for the platform and its investment thesis in India.

Social channels may dominate product discovery across Southeast Asia, but traditional word-of-mouth and third-party validation still dictate consumer trust, according to a joint study by PR agency Brazen APAC and media intelligence firm CARMA.The research reveals a sharp contrast in how audiences in Singapore and Malaysia encounter brands versus how they evaluate their credibility, highlighting a growing split between social media reach and purchasing confidence.The Trust Gap in Brand DiscoveryWhile 61% of survey participants cite social networks as their primary discovery tool—far outstripping personal experience (32%) and digital reviews (30%)—top-of-funnel visibility rarely translates into direct trust.• High-Credibility Formats: User-generated customer content proved most persuasive, with 35% of respondents rating it highest for credibility, followed by expert-led reviews at 30%.• Low-Credibility Formats: Content generated directly by brands or sponsored influencers trailed significantly, each securing just 12% of consumer trust.• Voice Preference: Everyday users emerged as the most reliable spokespeople for 61% of respondents, vastly outranking micro-influencers (17%) and high-profile celebrities (15%)."Influence has not faded; it has matured. Consumers still discover through the biggest channels, but they decide through the most credible ones," said Angeline Tan, General Manager of Brazen APAC. "The strongest strategies understand the role each voice plays, from creating initial interest to providing the proof that turns attention into action."Regional Divergence: Singapore vs. MalaysiaThe data exposes distinct behavioral differences between the two neighboring markets, challenging standard regional marketing templates.In Singapore, peer validation holds sway: 41% of consumers prioritize customer-generated content for proof, compared to only 20% who look to industry experts. Conversely, Malaysian consumers lean heavily on authority, with 41% prioritizing expert validation over customer reviews (28%)."Regional campaigns still treat Singapore and Malaysia as two versions of the same audience. The data says otherwise," Tan noted. "Consumers in both markets want authenticity, but Singapore looks to other customers for proof, while Malaysia places greater weight on expertise."Overall, 46% of respondents across both nations indicated they trust relatable, grounded brand identities over those emphasizing luxury or aspiration (14%).The Impact of Generative SearchThe findings coincide with a broader shift in digital discovery driven by artificial intelligence. Related research from CARMA indicates that 70% of consumers across G20 nations now utilize AI-powered tools to evaluate corporate offerings, shifting search behavior from keyword-based queries to conversational prompts.Because large language models rely overwhelmingly on earned media, editorial coverage, and authoritative review databases for over 80% of their citations, the report emphasizes that third-party credibility will prove critical for brand visibility in AI-driven search environments.(Image by Pixelkult from Pixabay)

Independent boutique hotel Supersenang has selected travel PR agency Out of Office Office (OOOO) to handle its global PR and influencer strategy across key markets in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.Under the new brief, OOOO will oversee earned media strategy and selective creator partnerships across eight target territories: Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The agency will target media outlets and content creators across the travel, design, and lifestyle sectors."It was important for us to work with people who really know Bali, but also understand how international media work," said Supersenang founder Barend Ballering. "That combination of genuine Bali knowledge and international experience simply felt like the right fit for us."Located in Balian on the west coast of Bali, Supersenang is an independent boutique property established by Dutch entrepreneurs. The hotel's interiors were designed by co-founder Chris Burghard.OOOO operates as a location-independent agency specializing in hotel, destination, and travel brand communications. The firm was founded by travel journalist Anne Steinbach and former advertising executive Clemens Sehi, who together bring over two decades of combined professional experience, including 15 years in travel publishing.

India’s public relations industry generated $340 million (INR 3,230 crore) in FY2026—a decade-long leap from $99.08 million in FY2015—but its real footprint reaches hundreds of billions further into the wider economy. According to a joint white paper by Ipsos and the Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI), P.R. now directly influences an estimated $545 billion in annual economic value, exposing a stark valuation gap between agency billings and the enterprise equity created or protected.The $545 Billion Impact Breakdown$265 Billion in Market Capitalisation: Ipsos estimates that investor decision-making hinges roughly 28% on corporate reputation, with P.R. driving nearly 20% of that reputation-building baseline.$220 Billion in Growth & Sustainability: P.R. accounts for approximately 20% of brand awareness across major sectors through journalism, trade coverage, and executive platforms.$60 Billion in Risk Mitigation: Active crisis management and threat response prevent catastrophic valuation drawdowns during enterprise disruptions.The domestic market expanded 11% this year, outpacing global P.R. growth rates (6%) to capture a 12.6% share of the $2.7 billion Asia-Pacific market. Projections set the Indian market at $368.9 million next fiscal year, on track for $474.3 million by FY2030.Nearly 96% of surveyed corporate communicators confirm P.R. builds crucial investor trust, while over half report securing redirected budget directly from legacy ad agencies and digital shops.The Generative A.I. ParadoxArtificial Intelligence is fundamentally altering brand discovery, triggering a shift toward Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). While 83% of practitioners argue that AI search engines make earned, high-authority media coverage more crucial than ever, traditional media relations as an agency revenue source is plummeting.As generative AI renders basic draft creation virtually free, agency valuations are pivoting away from content execution to high-level strategic counsel, public affairs (expected to grow to 41%), and specialized digital engagement.(Image by Barkha Mishra from Pixabay)

Panasonic Middle East and Africa is undergoing a reinvention of how it connects with consumers; moving from a brand historically defined by trust to one that is visibly, actively chosen and loved across generations.The shift began with a change inhouse, establishing a MarTech engine with stronger creative, digital and strategic capabilities, bringing in partners better equipped to translate decades of engineering heritage into a modern, culturally fluent brand voice. A new creative platform followed, built to flex consistently across markets while carrying a single recognizable identity, supported by a channel mix shift toward the platforms where the region's audiences; from digitally native younger consumers to established household decision-makers; spend their attention.For the first time, this was reinforced by a structured influencer collaboration strategy, bringing credible, culturally relevant voices into the brand narrative rather than relying on paid media alone, and by the establishment of digital commerce as a core consumer pathway; turning discovery and desire into a direct, immediate route to purchase.This strategy played out through three successive campaigns:“Panasonic. Capable Since Day One.” revived the trust, quality perception and emotional equity Panasonic Middle East and Africa has built over decades; reasserting credentials that needed to be actively reclaimed, not assumed.“Panasonic. My Choice” moved the brand forward, reintroducing it through the modern lens of a contemporary woman, mother and key opinion leader; repositioning the brand from trusted to actively chosen.“Panasonic. Loved by All Generations,” the most recent chapter, speaks to every persona in the market with products relevant to every life stage, blending modernity, aspiration and heritage around shared moments; a meal, a day, a life lived differently.“This wasn't about chasing a younger audience at the expense of the one that's trusted us for decades,” said Sara Chachi, Leading Brand, Communications and Customer Experience Division, Panasonic Middle East and Africa. “It was about building a brand that could hold both; heritage and relevance; in the same breath.”Since the transformation began, creative output has been elevated, social presence significantly amplified, and affinity with younger generations has grown; a critical signal for a brand with Panasonic Middle East and Africa's history and ambition in the region.

JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai has appointed Brazen MENA as its communications partner across the GCC region. The agency's wide-ranging remit covers the entire property, including its rooms and suites, culinary venues, bars and lounges, wellness facilities, meetings and events business, and upcoming cultural programming and brand partnerships. Brazen MENA will spearhead consumer and corporate communications across the region, encompassing media relations, social media, and brand collaborations.The partnership comes as the property embarks on a major multiphase enhancement program. The initiative features a complete redesign of all rooms and suites, the reimagining of two executive lounges, and a large-scale culinary transformation involving the renovation of legacy venues alongside the launch of new lifestyle experiences and homegrown food and beverage concepts. The hotel will stay fully operational throughout the transformation process, with additional enhancements to be unveiled over time.Karin Cohen, Multi-Property Director of Marketing for the hotel, highlighted the significance of the project. "This is an ambitious moment for the hotel," Cohen said. "Our owners are making a significant investment across rooms, dining and the wider guest experience, introducing new concepts that will change how people experience this address and how they use it. Brazen MENA understands luxury in this city and knows how to sustain a story across years of change."Louise Jacobson, Managing Partner at Brazen MENA, added: "JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai is far more than a hotel. It is one of Dubai’s defining addresses and one of the largest luxury hotels in the world, and it is about to be transformed. A transformation on this scale is rare, and rarer still in a hotel where there is always something new to experience. We are looking forward to bringing that ambition to a much wider audience."(Source: telummedia)

Mutant has been appointed as the public relations partner for Beyond the Label (BTL), a nationwide movement in Singapore focused on tackling mental health stigma and advocating for the social inclusion of individuals with mental health conditions.Under this appointment, Mutant will deliver strategic communications counsel and manage earned media relations for BTL across its various workgroups, which focus on carers, children and youth, seniors, and the workplace. Additionally, the agency will design PR strategies for public education campaigns, handle issues and crisis communications as necessary, and enhance the movement's reputation and visibility across Singapore.Andrea Chan, BTL Representative and Group Head of TOUCH Counselling & Psychological Services, noted that combating stigma extends beyond mere awareness. "Addressing mental health stigma requires more than raising awareness," Chan said. "It means helping people understand how stigma is experienced and giving them the confidence and practical knowledge to seek help or support those around them."Lina Marican, Regional Managing Director at Mutant, emphasized the agency's goal to make these discussions more relatable. "Our role is to translate a complex and deeply personal issue into stories that people can recognise themselves in, which can help shift both attitudes and behaviours," Marican stated.(Source: telummedia)

A new whitepaper from BBG Intelligence titled Not in my backyard reveals that data centre developments across the Asia-Pacific region are facing an escalating public trust challenge as the demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure accelerates. The report examines how these facilities have transitioned from low-profile industrial structures into flashpoints for public debate, becoming proxy issues for broader anxieties around artificial intelligence, energy security, water scarcity, foreign investment, and economic sovereignty.The paper notes that public understanding is severely lagging behind the rapid pace of development. Because data centres lack the everyday consumer visibility of banks or supermarkets, operators are struggling to build confidence while communities grapple with what these facilities are and why they are needed. This information vacuum often breeds skepticism and opposition, particularly when local communities bear tangible burdens—such as industrial noise, construction disruption, and resource strain—while national economic benefits feel abstract and distant.Regional examples underscore the widespread nature of the issue:• In Batam, Indonesia, proposed data centres face heavy scrutiny over water security, with projects projected to consume roughly 32 million litres daily—enough to meet the needs of 320,000 people.• In New Zealand, data centres have ignited political debates regarding electricity constraints, prompting calls from the Green Party to pause AI-focused developments until stronger regulatory frameworks are enacted.• In Malaysia, rapid expansion in Johor has sparked environmental and community concerns over local infrastructure and power networks.• In Australia, local backlash is severe; a proposed development in Lane Cove, Sydney, drew 374 resident objections against only nine supporting submissions. Furthermore, recent polling cited in the report shows that 83 per cent of Australians would not want to live near an AI data centre, and 52 per cent distrust major tech companies regarding transparency over water and power usage.BBG Intelligence warns that communications alone cannot compensate for flawed planning or poor project siting. Communities increasingly demand concrete evidence, visible local benefits, and genuine involvement rather than polished corporate messaging and delayed consultation. To rebuild social licence, the whitepaper outlines six core lessons for organizations:• Start engagement before public positions harden.• Explicitly explain the underlying "why" behind a project.• Make local community benefits clearly visible.• Treat transparency as a fundamental operating principle.• Design infrastructure with community acceptance in mind, not just regulatory approval.• Assume that intense public scrutiny is permanent.

Global creative communications agency PURPLE has expanded into the Middle East and North Africa with the launch of PURPLE MENA, headquartered in Dubai and led by Sonia Ben Maaouia and Emma Norström as Managing Directors.The new operation will offer strategic communications, brand positioning, media relations, talent partnerships, brand community building, social strategies, events and cultural programming across the MENA region.PURPLE MENA will work with the agency’s international network on regional and global campaigns for luxury, fashion, beauty, hospitality, lifestyle and cultural brands.“MENA is one of the world’s most influential global stages, where culture, creativity and ambition are redefining the future of luxury,” said Ben Maaouia and Norström.“Our ambition is to build the region’s leading luxury communications agency by combining international excellence with genuine regional insight,” they added.The launch also strengthens Together Group’s presence in MENA, complementing its regional headquarters in Riyadh and the group’s existing business, Noë & Associates Middle East, which focuses on brand consultancy for design and architecture.Fergus Lawlor, CEO and Co-Founder of PURPLE, said the Middle East and North Africa had become “one of the world’s most dynamic cultural and luxury markets”.“Launching PURPLE MENA is an important milestone for the agency, and I am incredibly proud to have Sonia and Emma leading our presence in the region,” Lawlor added.PURPLE has expanded beyond its origins as a luxury fashion and lifestyle communications agency into a creative communications consultancy spanning fashion, beauty, hospitality, travel, property, arts, culture, design and lifestyle. The agency currently operates across Europe, North America and Asia, with MENA now added to its international footprint.

As housing finance expands beyond metropolitan centres and technology transforms the way lenders originate and underwrite credit, the sixth editor of SGA PR’s The Pulse 2026 examines the forces reshaping India’s evolving housing finance landscape — from digital distribution and changing consumer behaviour to expanding credit access beyond traditional lending centres.Designed to bring together research, industry analysis and a communications lens, The Pulse goes beyond reporting what happened to examine the shifts that could shape what happens next — and what they mean for businesses, brands and consumers. Each edition turns that lens on a different sector.SGA PR’s latest report, “Housing Finance in India – The Silent Giant of Retail Credit,” is a secondary research report drawing on industry reports, market data, company disclosures and publicly available sources. It examines how digital discovery, technology-led distribution, changing consumer expectations and the rise of smaller cities are reshaping the home-loan journey.Data cited in the report indicates that 92% of housing-finance applications were processed digitally by 2024, compared with around 60% in 2020. Separately, 42% of housing finance firms report that a majority of borrower enquiries now originate digitally. Yet the journey remains only partially digitised, with physical verification, field support and human intervention continuing to play an important role.The shift is also geographical. Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities account for around 64% of home-loan volumes, with volumes growing 81% YoY in 2025, pointing to a changing geography of India’s housing consumer.Rahul Jain, CEO, SGA PR, said, “Most industry reports tell you what happened. We wanted The Pulse to ask what is changing underneath, and why it matters. As a communications firm, we see how industries evolve and how those shifts shape the conversations around them. The Pulse brings that lens into research, identifying the shifts worth paying attention to. Housing finance is our latest lens — a category where the market, the borrower and the way financial products are accessed are all changing.” The report also spotlights the emergence of technology-led distribution platforms, using Urban Money as a case study to examine how mortgage distribution is moving from fragmented, relationship-led sourcing towards technology-enabled origination infrastructure, combining digital discovery with assisted distribution and a broad lender network.Amit Prakash Singh, Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer, Urban Money, said, “Housing finance is going through a meaningful transition as technology changes how borrowers discover and access credit. But a home loan remains a high-involvement financial decision, particularly for first-time buyers and consumers outside the metros. The opportunity is therefore not simply to digitise the transaction, but to create a more transparent and guided experience that combines technology with the right human support.”For SGA PR, The Pulse 2026 reflects its focus on identifying structural shifts across business, financial services and consumer ecosystems and translating them into narratives relevant to industry, investors and the wider business community. 

WLDD, a new-age content distribution and creator-led marketing company founded in 2018, has announced that Adfactors PR, India’s largest public relations firm, and Vikas Khemani, Founder & CIO at Carnelian Asset Management & Advisors, have acquired a stake in the company.The investment will enable WLDD to scale its technology, creator ecosystem, content platforms and brand solutions as businesses increasingly compete for relevance, trust and recall in the attention economy. This investment follows WLDD’s previous funding round in 2023, which was led by Negen Capital.WLDD has maintained a strong growth trajectory, recording an impressive 55% CAGR over the last three years. Headquartered in Bengaluru, the company has grown to over 350 employees, with offices in Mumbai and Delhi. The firm works with leading brands such as Amazon, Coca-Cola, OpenAI, Spotify, Netflix, Tata Motors, Philips, Rapido, Tinder, Audible and more.Built at the intersection of communities, creators, content and distribution, WLDD helps brands earn and sustain attention across fast-moving digital culture. Its proprietary platform, Solo, connects brands with creators and enables campaign execution using AI, tech and human judgement. Meme’d helps transform brand content into highly shareable short-form formats, Crunchy Studios adds production capabilities across branded and digital-first content, while Imagined Studio functions as WLDD’s end-to-end product and brand design studio, focused on research-led brand building, positioning and digital experiences.WLDD has also expanded its media and content footprint through the acquisition of ScoopWhoop, the popular content and lifestyle platform. Together, these assets position the company as a full-stack attention infrastructure company for brands looking to engage consumers through creator networks, short-form storytelling, community-led distribution and owned media channels.For Adfactors PR, the investment marks a strategic expansion of its digital and creator-led offerings for its 700-plus retained clients. Nijay N. Nair, Chief Executive Officer of Adfactors PR, who also leads the firm’s M&A and global initiatives, will join WLDD’s board.Arihant Jain, Co-founder and CEO, WLDD, said, “When we started WLDD, we saw that memes, creators and internet communities were not just entertainment; they were becoming the new language of attention. Today, brands need more than campaigns – they need cultural understanding, speed, distribution and credibility. With the support of Adfactors PR and Vikas Khemani, we are building WLDD as the partner of choice for brands that want to create lasting currency in the attention economy.”Madan Bahal, Co-founder and Managing Director, Adfactors PR, said, “Reputation and influence are being reshaped by digital culture, creator communities and the speed at which narratives now travel. For communications consultancies, staying relevant requires investing in new capabilities at the intersection of media, markets, technology and earned influence. WLDD has built a distinctive and entrepreneurial platform for this new world, and we are excited to explore the synergies from this partnership.”Vikas Khemani, Founder & CIO, Carnelian Asset Management & Advisors, said, “In three decades of investing, I have learnt that great businesses are ultimately a bet on great founders. Arihant and the WLDD team have that rare combination of energy, hunger to build and obsessive client-centricity. India’s attention economy is at an inflection point, with spends shifting from traditional media to creator-led distribution, and WLDD is well positioned at the centre of that shift. I am delighted to invest in WLDD in my personal capacity.”The investment comes at a time when Indian brands are rethinking how they build influence across fragmented digital platforms. As audiences increasingly consume content through creators, communities and short-form formats, WLDD intends to use the capital to deepen its creator marketplace, strengthen technology-enabled campaign execution, scale its media properties and expand its design and brand-building capabilities.

PR Professionals (PRP), an integrated communications firm and the flagship company of PRP Group, has been awarded the public relations mandate for Spark Minda Group, an automotive integrated systems and solutions provider and a partner to global automotive OEMs.With over six decades of legacy, Spark Minda is a technology-focused mobility solutions provider, offering a diverse range of products across the automobile sector and components for leading passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle, two-wheeler, and off-road vehicles, which are manufacturers in India and international markets. Under this mandate, PRP will manage Spark Minda’s comprehensive PR strategy, including media relations, leadership profiling, thought leadership initiatives, corporate communications, and strategic stakeholder engagement. The focus will be on strengthening visibility, amplifying the brand’s leadership in the automotive and mobility sector, and highlighting its differentiated offerings as a trusted partner for premium services, convenience, and flexible mobility solutions.Nidhi Khanna, Head - Group Communication & Branding, Spark Minda Group, said: "Laser focus on innovation, technology, and customer experience remain at the core of everything we do at Spark Minda. As the automotive industry experiences a rapid transformation caused by electric vehicles, connected mobility, and advanced technologies, effective communication becomes increasingly important, we are delighted to partner with PRP Group and look forward to strengthening our engagement with stakeholders while sharing our growth journey and vision for the future."Dr Sarvesh Kumar Tiwari, Founder and Managing Director of PRP Group, said: "Spark Minda Group is amongst India's most valued automotive integrated system solutions provider with a strong foundation in innovation, manufacturing quality, and customer trust. The company has played a major role in supporting the growth of the automotive sector with its advanced technology solutions and strong commitment to quality, and we are honoured to be a part of the vision and the journey."As the automotive sector continues to evolve through electric vehicles, latest technologies, and smart mobility solutions, Spark Minda remains focused on developing future-ready products and solutions that address the changing needs of customers and the industry. This cooperation further strengthens the PR Professionals' growing portfolio in the automotive, manufacturing and technology sectors, where strategic communications play an important role in building credibility, strengthening stakeholder engagement, and encouraging business growth.

Queen's University Belfast, one of the United Kingdom's leading research-intensive universities and the first Russell Group university to establish a campus in India, has appointed Redhill India as its strategic communications partner to strengthen its presence and stakeholder engagement across the country. Under the mandate, Redhill India will lead integrated strategic communications for Queen's University Belfast in India, including corporate communications, media relations, executive profiling, thought leadership, stakeholder engagement and reputation building. The agency will work closely with the University to amplify its academic achievements, research impact, industry collaborations and student success stories while supporting its broader growth ambitions in the Indian market.The appointment marks the next chapter in Queen's University's India journey as it expands its engagement with students, academia, industry and policymakers following the launch of its campus in GIFT City, Gujarat. The communications mandate will support the University's vision of building greater awareness around its academic excellence, research leadership, innovation ecosystem and long-term commitment to India's higher education landscape.As international collaboration in higher education continues to gain momentum under India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Queen's University Belfast is strengthening its role as a partner in developing globally relevant talent, advancing research collaborations and creating opportunities for academic and industry engagement between India and the United Kingdom.Located in GIFT City, India's emerging international education and financial hub, the University's campus offers postgraduate programmes in future-focused disciplines including Artificial Intelligence, FinTech, Cybersecurity and Business Analytics, enabling students to access a globally recognised Queen's education within India.Prof. M. Satish Kumar, Dean of Queen’s University Belfast – GIFT City Campus, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, said: "India is a strategically important market for Queen's University Belfast and central to our long-term international vision. Our presence in GIFT City reflects our commitment to creating meaningful academic partnerships, nurturing future talent and contributing to innovation and economic growth. As we continue to strengthen our engagement across India, it is important that we build lasting connections with students, educators, industry and government. We are pleased to partner with Redhill India to help tell this important story."Ankita Juneja, Country Head – India, Redhill, said: "India is witnessing a transformation in higher education, with increasing demand for globally recognised learning experiences and stronger international collaboration. Queen's University Belfast brings together academic excellence, pioneering research and a clear commitment to India's growth story. We are delighted to partner with the University and look forward to shaping meaningful conversations that enhance its visibility and strengthen engagement with students, academia, industry and policymakers across the country."The partnership underscores the growing importance of strategic communications as leading global universities establish a stronger presence in India and seek to engage meaningfully with an increasingly discerning student community and a rapidly evolving higher education ecosystem.

EMOMEE, the fast-growing children’s entertainment brand helping young audiences build essential life skills through its beloved characters E, Mo & Mee, has appointed Maars Communicates, a leading integrated communications and digital marketing agency, as its strategic communications partner in India.The mandate comes at an important phase in EMOMEE’s growth journey, following the brand’s debut on Netflix with EMOMEE: Big Skills for Little Ones, Minis. The first Netflix series features 20 curated 11-minute episodes centred around life skills including confidence, kindness, curiosity, emotional intelligence, resilience and problem-solving.The appointment will see Maars Communicates lead EMOMEE’s communications and PR strategy, while also leveraging its expertise in social media and digital marketing to strengthen the brand’s visibility across business, entertainment, lifestyle, parenting, education and digital media.Through the mandate, Maars Communicates, co-founded by sibling duo Mausam Shah and Aayush Shah, will work closely with the EMOMEE team to build the brand’s narrative as it expands beyond content into streaming, consumer products, licensing, live experiences and international markets. The communications strategy will also spotlight the entrepreneurial journey of founders Pooja Jauhari and Varun Duggirala, while highlighting EMOMEE’s larger vision of building an Indian-origin children’s IP with global relevance.Speaking about the mandate, Mausam Shah, Founder & Director- PR, Maars Communicates, said, “EMOMEE is an exciting example of how an Indian-origin IP can think globally from day one. We’re delighted to partner with the team to build a strong and differentiated narrative around its growth and global ambitions.”Aayush Shah, Co-Founder & Director- Digital & Business Development, Maars Communicates, added, “EMOMEE’s unique blend of entertainment, life-skill learning and global ambition makes it a compelling homegrown IP with tremendous potential. We’re excited to bring its story to wider audiences and support its growth across markets and formats.”Pooja Jauhari, Founder & CEO, EMOMEE, said, “As EMOMEE enters its next phase of growth, communications will play an important role in helping us articulate our vision of building a global children's franchise from India. Maars Communicates brings strong experience across entertainment, consumer and kids’ brands, and we look forward to working together to tell the EMOMEE story to audiences, partners and the larger ecosystem.”For Maars Communicates, the mandate further strengthens its growing portfolio across entertainment, children’s brands, consumer businesses and social-impact-led organisations. With over a decade of experience, the agency has spearheaded communications for leading brands and platforms including MX Player, EPIC Channel and IVM Podcasts, India’s podcasting pioneer, and has also handled the PR mandate for the launch of Billboard India. Its portfolio further includes marquee IPs such as the Lux Golden Rose Awards and Event Capital’s properties including WindMill Festival and PetFed.Alongside its PR and strategic communications expertise, the agency has a strong focus on social media and digital marketing, developing digital-first narratives, content strategies and audience engagement campaigns for brands across categories.Its consumer and social-impact experience includes communications for leading kids and parenting brands such as R for Rabbit and BabyOrgano, as well as social-impact initiatives of the Aditya Birla Group, including Mpower, Ujaas by Neerja Birla and Aditya Birla Education Trust. The agency has also worked on Project Naveli by Navya Naveli Nanda, which focuses on promoting gender equality and empowering women across India.The EMOMEE mandate adds another high-growth children’s entertainment brand to Maars Communicates’ portfolio and reinforces the agency’s focus on building integrated communications and digital strategies for brands at significant stages of growth, expansion and transformation.

Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI) brings its third edition of PRana 2026: India Inside, a brand-India reputation summit and story convention that gathers the country’s bold thinkers, builders, and storytellers for conversations on how India’s reputation is shaped from within.As the world watches India march towards Viksit Bharat, PRana 2026 brings together the voices shaping the country’s reputation under the theme India Inside: Shaping Reputation From Within. At its heart is a simple conviction - India’s next global story will not be shaped by narrative alone, but by what India does, what its people believe, how institutions are built and which voices the world chooses to trust. Through this lens, PRana 2026 asks a defining question: What is shaping India’s reputation story?“PRana 2026 turns the lens inward this year to understand the many forces shaping India’s reputation today. From the institutions we build and the businesses we create to our culture, technology, talent and the voices that command trust, India’s reputation is being shaped in many places at once. PRana brings these perspectives together to explore what they reveal about India that the world will come to know next,” said Kunal Kishore, President, PRCAI.PRana 2026 will feature more than fifteen eminent voices across diverse spheres of influence. The prominent speaker line-up includes Manu Joseph, Columnist, Novelist and Screenwriter; Shri Abhinav Kumar, DG Intelligence & Security and DG Prisons, Uttarakhand; Lt. Gen. Ajai Kumar Singh (Retd.), Former Army Commander, Southern Command; Present Member, NSAB; Advaita Kala, Author, Columnist, Screenwriter and Founder, InkSight Advisory; Bhaskar Bhat, Former Managing Director, Titan Company; Vinay Kamath, Author of TITAN and Former Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Business Line; Vibha Paul Rishi, Independent Director, ICICI Bank; Harish Bhat, Former Brand Custodian, Tata Sons and Bestselling Author; Harish Bijoor, Brand & Business Strategy Expert and Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.; Sahiba Bali, Actor, Marketeer and Sports Broadcaster; Vineet Nayar, Founder, Sampark Foundation and Former CEO, HCL Technologies; Aman Gupta, Co-founder, boAt and Founder, OFF/BEAT; Padma Bhushan Pullela Gopichand, Chief National Badminton Coach; Sharda Ugra, Veteran Sports Journalist; and Anjali Bansal, Partner, Avaana Capital.The story convention will feature four curated conversation tracks, namely ‘What India Says. What India Does’; ‘Trust Is Not a Campaign’; ‘The Future That Cannot Be Imported’; and ‘The People the World Already Believes In’, brought to life through fireside dialogues, in-conversation panels, and PRana’s signature 300Wise speech format, led by India’s Catalysts, Pragmatists and Pathfinders.These conversations convene reputation architects, institution-builders and cultural voices alike, from leaders asking what makes a company worth believing in, to pioneers reframing the soft power India keeps on the bench, founders decoding what young Indian brands know that incumbents miss, and voices confronting the choices India must make about AI. Together, they turn one question over from every angle - what shapes India’s reputation, and how is it built from within.PRana 2026 continues to build defining moments for the industry, bringing business leaders and communicators together to address the role reputation management will play in business growth and authentic narratives. PRCAI SPRINT 2026, the Public Relations industry’s flagship study conducted with IPSOS, finds that reputation now drives measurable business outcomes. 96% of respondents credit Public Relations with building investor confidence, an equal 96% with strengthening customer loyalty, and 83% with crisis resilience. Nearly half say Public Relations now plays a direct role in driving business results, and more than 40% report that CEOs are actively seeking strategic counsel from their communications advisors. The Indian Public Relations industry grew 11% in FY26 to ?3,230 crore and is projected to reach ?4,500 crore by 2030. “India has never had more visibility, influence or ambition. But visibility is not reputation, and ambition is not trust. Reputation Capital is built when what we promise matches what we do. PRana 2026: India Inside brings this conversation to the heart of leadership, asking whether the India we project to the world is truly reflected in the India we build at home. In an AI-transformed world, reputation is built every day and tested every hour. This is no longer the job of communicators alone; it is the defining leadership challenge of our time,” said Deeptie Sethi, CEO, PRCAI.A meticulously curated, by-invitation-only gathering of communication industry leaders, C-Suite, cultural and social architects, PRana 2026 will be held on Wednesday, 2 September 2026 at The Leela, Gurugram.

Aussie brand experience agency Darkhorse has secured the account for Veuve Clicquot’s upcoming brand activation in Australia following a competitive pitch, alongside the appointment of three senior leaders across its Asia-Pacific offices.The luxury champagne brand joins a client roster that includes Jaguar Land Rover and Sephora.To support its expansion, Darkhorse added two new experiential directors to its ANZ operations. Maxine Reed joins the Sydney office after four years leading the brand experience team at Havas Red across accounts including Lexus, Toyota, and Netflix. In Auckland, Olivia Muir joins from Mango Communications (now FleishmanHillard), bringing prior experience from McDonald’s, New Balance, and telecom provider Spark.Additionally, Elizabeth O’Leary has been named creative director in Singapore, joining from Avantgarde MENA to strengthen the agency's multidisciplinary storytelling capabilities."Darkhorse has become the brand experience agency iconic brands continue to choose across APAC," said Darkhorse founder and CEO Mike Hewitt. "Our new partnership with Veuve Clicquot, and the appointments of Maxine, Olivia and Elizabeth are all moments to celebrate."Darkhorse operates across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, delivering brand experiences, PR, influencer marketing, and social media services. The agency is part of Project, a global network of 13 independent agencies.

Rheaa Jumaani and Mehek Singghi have launched Echo Collective, a new-age communications company bringing PR, social, digital, creators and partnerships together under one integrated strategy.  Built on a decade-long friendship and a shared vision, Echo Collective comes from the belief that need one clear story, not multiple disconnected versions of it. What started as two friends working in the same industry has evolved into a shared ambition to build a company where strategy and execution work together, relationships matter as much as results, and good stories are built to travel. The company is led by two founders with complementary experience across entertainment, lifestyle, fashion, hospitality, sports and digital platforms. Commenting on the launch, Rheaa Jumaani and Mehek Singghi, Co-Founders, Echo Collective, said, “We’ve both spent years on different sides of the same industry, building stories, launching brands and figuring out what makes people actually care. Echo Collective comes from wanting to do that work differently, with more ownership, more collaboration and fewer silos. After a decade of friendship, it felt like the right time to turn a shared vision into something of our own. We want to build a company that feels like a true partner to the people we work with, where a good idea doesn’t stop at PR or social, but finds its way into culture. At the end of the day, we want to create work that people remember, talk about and pass on.” Echo Collective currently works across PR, social and digital, with its broader model bringing together creators, partnerships and culture-led storytelling under a single strategic approach. The company is currently working with clients across entertainment, talent and emerging businesses, including Equinox Virtual, Z Studios, Manifest Films, GSEAMS Productions and artist Rani KoHEnur, among others. The company’s larger ambition is to help brands move beyond being part of the conversation to becoming part of culture, building visibility across traditional media, artificial intelligence, communities, creators and emerging platforms. 

Brand experience and communications agency DARKHORSE has strengthened its presence across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore with three senior appointments, while adding Veuve Clicquot to its client portfolio.In Sydney, Maxine Reed has joined as Experiential Director. She moves from Havas Red, where she spent four years leading the Brand Experience team and worked with brands including Lexus, Toyota, L’Oréal, Netflix, Tourism Tasmania and Apple TV+. Earlier, Reed spent five years in events and marketing roles at Amazon.Olivia Muir has joined DARKHORSE in Auckland as Experiential Director after three years at Mango Communications, now part of FleishmanHillard. Her previous client work included McDonald’s and New Balance. She also brings experience in sponsorship and brand experience from her time at Spark.In Singapore, Elizabeth O’Leary has been appointed Creative Director, completing the agency’s latest round of senior hires across the region.DARKHORSE has also won the account to lead Veuve Clicquot’s Clicquot Sun Lodge following a competitive pitch.Founder and CEO Mike Hewitt said the appointments and new partnership reflected the agency’s growth across the APAC region, adding that DARKHORSE had continued to attract global brands seeking brand experience expertise.(Source: telummedia)