Jayne Hancock Group (JHG) and Townsend Inc. Join Forces to Create JHG-Townsend, a New Model of Marketing and Public Relations Group.(Company overview)

Jackie Townsend to Stay with Newly Merged Company as Executive Vice President

SAN DIEGO -- Jayne Hancock Group today announced the acquisition of partner agency Townsend Inc. and the formation of a merged entity, JHG-Townsend([TM]), which represents a new model of marketing and public relations group created to serve business clients in a changing media and technology landscape. With firm grounding in traditional marketing, Jayne Hancock Group has been an industry leader in harnessing new media -- Web-based applications, social networking, mobile technologies and interactive media -- to develop innovative marketing strategies for their business clients. Similarly, having developed a strong list of clients from the life sciences and technology sectors, Townsend Inc. has combined traditional marketing and public relations strategies with newer digital public relations practices. The merged company now offers a comprehensive set of marketing and brand communications services to clients across a broad spectrum of businesses -- media and entertainment, technology, health and life sciences, sports, consumer goods, government and education.

Since founding Townsend Inc. 14 years ago, Jackie Townsend Konstanturos and her team have promised and delivered "breakthrough marketing that works" for a veritable "Who's Who" of regional organizations -- QUALCOMM, National University, Toshiba, ARM, Continuous Computing, Sequoia Communications, The Rady School, Vidacare and more. Townsend Konstanturos, who takes on the title of executive vice president of JHG-Townsend, said, "We've taken a lot of companies through the rigors of an IPO, through their growing pains, and even through re-branding a few years later. With the digital revolution, there has been a seismic shift in the way business gets done. Companies, including our own, must evolve and adapt, and, more importantly, anticipate the technology and societal changes yet to come. As JHG-Townsend, we now have the combined resources and the expanded skill set to be a better partner to our business clients than ever before. We know this business and we know this market. As part of our new merged company, I can honestly say, I've never been more excited about the future."

With an equally illustrious career focused primarily from the business side, Jayne Hancock joined a little-known start-up, DIRECTV, in 1995, where as vice president of consumer marketing she was responsible for the company's consumer marketing initiatives and helped to launch a variety of services, including DIRECTV Para Todes, the DIRECTV publishing unit and also oversaw all sponsorship activities. While at DIRECTV, Hancock was instrumental in the development of numerous service packages, most notably NFL Sunday Ticket -- considered by many to be the most successful sports broadcast package in history. During Hancock's tenure, DIRECTV was the fastest growing electronic consumer product of its time. Hancock founded Jayne Hancock Group in 2005, and with her solid multi-channel experience and business savvy, attracted an impressive list of clients, including Comcast, Rogers Communications, Cox Communications, MediaFLO USA and MediaFLO Technologies, Muttropolis, CFL Toronto Argonauts and SponsorHouse.com.

"With the explosion of digital marketing and technology, this merger couldn't have come at a better time," said Hancock, chief executive officer of JHG-Townsend. "I've always had the utmost respect for Jackie Townsend and what she has accomplished during the past 14 years. Jackie and I both agree that our two companies together create a distinct synergy from our combined passion and our relentless commitment to our clients' success. Going forward, our new company, with an impressive team of talented professionals and wealth of business experience, will empower our clients to not only be heard but to succeed in an increasingly noisy and digital marketplace."

Business clients welcome the formation of the new company and echo the value of marketing services made more relevant in a digital world. "I've worked with a lot of marketing groups but never have I seen such an impressive combination of talent, creativity and experience as I've seen at JHG," said Adrian Montgomery, director of strategic alliances at Rogers Communications. "Their knowledge of media -- old and new -- Web-based applications, sports marketing, consumer marketing and more, has been a perfect fit for the help we've needed. We are excited to continue this partnership with the merged company, JHG-Townsend."

Rounding out the executive team at JHG-Townsend is Executive Vice President Elizabeth Estes-Cooper. An 18-year media veteran, Estes-Cooper spent four years as director of news/talk programming for Clear Channel Colorado where, among other things, she managed the network radio programming for NFL and MLB teams. Estes-Cooper's talent for content creation, development and production will help JHG-Townsend deliver powerful ideas and ...