PR agency Kate & Co has secured representation for Coles Supermarkets and the Australian Turf Club (ATC), as reported on Mumbrella.

Under the Coles account, Kate & Co will run local and community PR work and organise the openings of the retailer’s new branches in Victoria, NSW, Tasmania, and the ACT.

For the ATC, the agency will handle the club’s local and international guests, especially brand ambassadors, and manage influencer content and media partnerships. One assignment, in particular, covers building up media relations for the ATC as spring racing season looms later this year.

“These new partnerships – with ATC and Coles Supermarkets – are a true reflection of our talented team and the passion that we have within the agency. Winning these accounts is a testament to our hard work and a reflection on our ever-growing client portfolio, particularly in Sydney,” said Kate & Co managing director Kate Keane.

The PR Team has won the account for the Solomon Islands’ flag carrier, Solomon Airlines.

The new deal will see The PR Team run commercial publicity for the airline and build up its media relations. The account win came just as Solomon Airlines activated a new flight from Brisbane to Munda Airport, located in the Western Province island of New Georgia.

“A collective vision and a great deal of hard work has already occurred by the stakeholders in Solomon Islands future economic and tourism development,” said The PR Team founder Heather Jeffery.

“We were delighted to help the team launch the first international flight to Munda and look forward to supporting the airline and its partners as they move towards greater, sustainable tourism development.”

Polkadot Communications has landed three new clients for its lifestyle practice.

The agency revealed that its partnerships with P. Volve, Fry’s Family, and Swirlit will cover a mix of event and influencer management, content creation, and PR duties.

P.Volve is a New York City-based provider of online fitness training programs and equipment, already famous as the go-to physical fitness resource of Victoria’s Secret models.

Fry’s Family is a popular manufacturer of vegan food products operating in Australia and South Africa.

Operating out of North Sydney, Swirlit offers sugarfree and non-acidic health drinks.

“We’re always looking to work with clients who can differentiate themselves from their competitors in their industry, and those that have something to say. We’re thrilled to partner with these leading brands known on both a local and global scale,” said Polkadot owner Dionne Taylor.

In related news, Polkadot announced the entry of PR a

Helen Graney (pictured) has been appointed group managing director of both communications firm Weber Shandwick and brand-experience agency Jack Morton.

Graney has been with Jack Morton for the past 20 years, working her way from account director to client services director and MD for Australia. She was chosen to captain both companies as part of an initiative to increase client collaborations and access to services. The promotion was also structured due to both Weber Shandwick and Jack Morton’s close proximity and with reference to the Interpublic Group’s “Open Architecture” initiative.

Ian Rumsby, Weber Shandwick’s chairman for Australia operations and the APAC strategy chief, will work alongside Graney. Rumsby is also the regional lead for United Minds, Weber Shandwick’s global management consultancy specialising in transformation. Weber Shandwick APAC CEO Baxter Jolly and Jack Morton vice-chairman/President International Julian Pullan will be he

C7EVEN Communications has scored the account for Regional Arts NSW.

The new deal calls for C7EVEN to run the state art and cultural development body’s strategic communications and Artstate portfolios, which includes its online channels.

“We are thrilled to have C7EVEN on-board. The team has an intrinsic understanding of our target audience in regional NSW and we look forward to working together to highlight the opportunities and excellence in arts practice in regional NSW,” said Regional Arts NSW CEO Elizabeth Rogers

In addition, C7EVEN also scored the opportunity to work with organisers of the Tamworth Music Festival for the fifth-straight year. The assignment will involve C7EVEN with creating the PR master plan to build up awareness for the Festival‘s 50th anniversary in 2022.

“We are delighted to welcome both Tamworth Country Music Festival and Regional Arts NSW to the C7EVEN stable. The Tamworth Country Music Festival is such an iconic event and on

Digital agency AFFINITY has won a new $5m service contract with home appliances manufacturer Fisher & Paykel.

The new deal will have AFFINITY handle media and brand development solutions for F&P’s entire product line. AFFINITY previously handled an assignment for Fisher & Paykel’s In-Home Service Division, the success of which helped the manufacturer save up to 600 per cent above projections.

“From the get-go, we knew we were like-minded thinkers wanting to use the power of media intelligence to grow brand reputation whilst ensuring we improve the bottom line,” said AFFINITY CEO Luke Brown.

“It’s an absolute privilege to be able to help strengthen such an iconic brand in a demanding market place. We love the challenge and are thrilled to have already added significant measurable value to the business with our first few initiatives.”

Sydney digital marketing and media consultancy Switched On are coming together with a fellow WPP AUNZ member-agency,  the global innovation and experience design outfit AKQA, under one umbrella.

The new partnership calls for the Switched On team to be part of AKQA’s Australian division. Chris Hitchcock stays as Switched On’s managing director and will be part of the AKQA leadership circle with APAC managing partner Brian Vella as immediate superior.  

The development came about from strong client needs for comprehensive digital marketing solutions to attract and keep customers to a brand, plus a vibrant working relationship existing over the years.

“As the worlds of marketing, technology, and customer experience converge, it’s clear a strategic reprioritisation of brand building is essential. We feel what’s needed is a unified proposition that straddles the need to balance this long-term vision with the reality of short-term performance i