January saw the return of two public relations stalwarts. Edelman released its annual Trust Barometer highlighting how respondents are feeling about innovation, like AI. Burson has returned as a PR agency brand, with WPP merging Hill & Knowlton and BCW. Meanwhile, Mavrck rebranded and we have product innovation from Pulsar and MediaHQ.
Edelman Trust Barometer
Each year, Edelman releases its Trust Barometer. The reports tracks changes in attitudes from over 32,000 respondents in 28 countries. This year’s report focuses on innovation, and respondents give their verdict on AI, among other topics. The report continues the trend of a general reduction of trust in the media and government, and highlights the trust given to scientists and subject matter experts. It is always a fascinating read.
The return of Burson
WPP is to merge BCW and Hill & Knowlton into a single entity called Burson, a $USD 1 billion global agency. The news comes free on the back of a number of recent announcements at H&K. Just last October, we reported the launch of Hill & Knowlton’s new global intelligence division. In November, the agency announced a brand name refresh, bringing back the ampersand. But, the combined agency is chasing Edelman’s crown as the industry’s biggest player. It will be interesting to see how the two agencies merge their intelligence and insight offerings, including their in-house platforms, like Sonar and Decipher.
Mavrck Rebrands
Back in 2022, influencer platform provider Mavrck raised $USD 135 million and acquired Later. It’s taken almost two years, but the two companies are now combining under the name of Later. the rebadged company, has three offerings: Later Social: a social media scheduling and management tool for all major social platforms; Later Influence: an enterprise-level influencer marketing solution; and, Later Link in Bio: a link in bio tool for TikTok and Instagram.
Media Intelligence Product Updates
Last year, we looked at how generative AI was reshaping media intelligence products. This year, we’re exploring innovation more broadly across our space. Here are some of the product announcements that caught our attention this month:
Pulsar, the social listening and audience intelligence platform, has added news search to its platform. According to Pulsar, its new SEARCH tool “allows communications, PR and marketing professionals to find and discover news coverage about any topic, brand or initiative across all countries, languages, and media sources (Print, TV, Online News, Radio, and Podcasts)”. It seems that Pulsar is learning something from its media monitoring sister companies Vuelio and Isentia.
MediaHQ has launched MediaHQ Discover, a new browser extension. The tool allows MediaHQ users to discover new contacts, make connections and add journalists to pitch lists without needing to access the MediaHq platform.
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