Agencies

George Shelton has been named SVP at Hill + Knowlton Strategies, leading the reputation management and corporate practice starting February 15. Shelton was previously senior director for insights, advocacy, and outreach for Walmart, a role focused on the company’s commercial goals and public policy programs. In this new role, he’ll be based in Austin and focused on CSR, messaging, reputation management, and media outreach.

Brad Williams, previously the global comms VP for Groupon, has joined Weber Shandwick as head of the North American technology practice. He’ll be based in Sunnyvale, CA and report to Heidi Sinclair, president of the global tech group. Williams also has experience working with eBay, Yahoo!, and VeriSign. He stepped down from his post at Groupon in August 2011.

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Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.

Kraft Foods is seeking a firm as it prepares to spin off its snacks business, which is worth $31 billion. Brands include Oreo and Cadbury. The Holmes Report says five agencies are being considered; they will be making presentations to Kraft in London on Monday focused on product launches and snacking behavior. The decision will be made within two months.

Calysto Communications has been hired to provide global PR, social media, and media relations services to network performance management company SevOne. The firm will target Southeast Asia and Australia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and South Africa with its efforts. [via]

Nutrisystem has chosen Impression PR Partners as its AOR after a review. Impression Partners is a relatively new firm. [via PRWeek] *

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Gym class, salon blow outs, “Skittles-sized diamonds,” coffee (no Red Bull). These are just some of the things involved in a day at BrandLink DC.

A couple of weeks ago, BrandLink’s Jayne Sandman and Barbara Martin made an appearance on GQ’s list of powerful people in the nation’s capital. TBD gives us a sneak peek into the lives of the powerful duo and it’s… umm.. interesting.

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BabyBjörn, the Swedish baby products company, has hired Coyne PR for U.S. outreach. Awareness efforts and messaging with target moms through traditional and social media and via the medical community. [via Holmes Report]

LeVar Burton’s RRKidz has chosen Child’s Play Communications to relaunch the Reading Rainbow brand, promote the DVD and streaming options, and launch a variety of products and services including the Rainbow Kidz App.

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An anonymous tipster sent us an internal memo today written by DKC PR president Sean Cassidy for his staffers. In it, he takes issue with the types of media hits the firm is generating for its clients, scolds the staff for not taking advantage of office hours with firm execs, and warns that he will take drastic action if folks don’t shape up.

“Remember, I see what everyone produces.  So…. if performance in these areas does not improve, I will make specific recommendations to the management team regarding changes to the staff,” the memo reads. (We have it in full after the jump.)

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Cassidy ends the memo on a high note.

“Have a nice weekend.”

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DKC Public Relations has added three new offices in Washington D.C., Chicago, and Los Angeles. While the firm has yet to appoint an office leader in Chicago, it has hired two heads for the other locations.

Brittany Hershkowitz will be leading the new Beverly Hills office. Hershkowitz joins from Hype Creative Agency where she was director of PR. The office will bring the firm closer to entertainment clients, corporate clients including Delta Air Lines, Moet & Chandon, and Showtime, and clients in the sports, media, travel, and luxury areas.

Megan Pollock, previously the director of the division and policy communications group at the Consumer Electronics Association, will lead the firm’s Washington D.C. office. That office will pay special attention to media relations campaigns surrounding legislative issues.

Lithium Technologies has chosen Bite Communications as its AOR focused on the U.S. and Europe. The firm was selected after a competitive pitch. Work will raise awareness of the company and the value of social customer service software. Work will be lead by Bill Danon in San Francisco and Sophie Brown in London.

Arik Air, the large West African airline, has chosen C. Moore Media International Public Relations (CMM) as its AOR. CMM was founded by former Hill + Knowlton Strategies exec Claudine Moore (when it was Hill & Knowlton). For Arik Air, the firm will focus on traditional and digital outreach with a special focus on U.S. businesses. Arik Air offers the only nonstop flight between New York and Lagos, Nigeria and provides a gateway to other African cities. The firm has previously worked with Arik Air.

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The Financial Times is reporting that the Lord Bell and the Piers Pottinger are looking into the buyout possibilities for their firm, the Bell Pottinger, which they founded in the 1980s.

Bell Pottinger is big time in the U.K. though it recently made major headlines for footage of agency execs making unethical offerings to journalists posing as potential clients.

The FT says PR is a large but slow-growing business for Chime Communications, Bell Pottinger’s parent company. The Holmes Report says fee income for the Bell Pottinger Group (which operates as Chime’s PR division) were £68 million in 2010. Talks are in the early stages.

Atkins Nutritionals, the company behind all  things related to the low-carb Atkins diet, has chosen MWW Group as its AOR.

The healthy lifestyles practice will lead the account, which will focus on social media, traditional outreach, and marketing. Atkins recently launched a new book, The New Atkins for a New You Cookbook: 200 Simple and Delicious Low-Carb Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less, with help from restauranteur, television personality, and new mom Donatella Arpaia at an event in New York.

General Motors has chosen The Vox Collective as its 2012 U.S. Hispanic agency after a competitive search. The firm will focus on the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac brands. [via]

Caribou Coffee has chosen Ruder Finn as its AOR after a competitive search that included Padilla Speer Beardsley and Ogilvy. The coffee company’s previous AOR, Exponent PR, didn’t participate in the search. [via PRWeek]

The first Harlem Arts Festival has chosen House of Success for media and influencer outreach, and partnership development with the Harlem business community. According to a statement from House of Success founder Sakita Holley, the festival will “shift the spotlight” back to Harlem from Brooklyn, which has gotten a lot of arts attention in recent years. [via]

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