WALTHAM, Mass., February 5, 2008 – Racepoint Group, a global public relations agency with special expertise in digital media relations, is launching World 2.0, a new practice that works with corporations, countries and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to establish on- and offline dialogues and communities to promote their agendas. World 2.0 helps clients communicate more effectively in the context of the defining issues of the 21st century such as poverty, education, health, economic development and the environment.

The rise of globalization and transformation of the media into a 24x7 social platform are driving a major shift in the way people think, act and associate with one another. Average citizens now have a voice in and are actively shaping how companies go to market and how countries develop and implement policies. In response, corporations are shifting from a product-centric mentality to one driven by corporate responsibility and are increasingly engaging with a diverse set of stakeholders – employees, communities, shareholders, customers and governments. These same forces are also driving governments to act more responsibly and responsively to their citizens and to the rest of the world. NGOs are capitalizing on this shift as well and utilizing new technologies to rapidly mobilize public support on their behalf.

World 2.0 Services
Racepoint’s World 2.0 practice offers corporate, country and NGO clients strategy, media and content services including positioning and messaging, thought leadership, issues and crisis management, and the full spectrum of media relations and writing services. What’s new about World 2.0 are the enabling tools and technologies that underpin the campaigns. Through its parent company, W2 Group, Racepoint is able to access and leverage platforms for grassroots campaigns, social networking and mobile communications, and blog tracking and monitoring tools.

To view World 2.0 case studies, go to: http://www.racepointgroup.com/clients/case.cfm.

Top-Level Strategists
World 2.0 clients will have access to a network of senior-level strategists including the following:

• Larry Weber, Chairman, Racepoint Group and W2 Group – Weber is one of the world’s best known communications strategists and a thought leader on marketing to the social web and leveraging technology in communications. He is the author of Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business, published by Wiley & Sons and now in its third printing and soon to be translated into Russian.

• Mark Fuller, Chairman, Monitor Group – Fuller participates in many of Monitor’s projects dealing with the enhancement of national or regional competitiveness and is the author of Japan’s Business Renaissance.

• Peter Prodromou, Executive Vice President, Racepoint Group – Prodromou has more than two decades of public relations, public affairs and financial communications consulting expertise with both corporate clients and with developing nations.

Prodromou will head up day-to-day operations of World 2.0 with other team members based in London and Washington DC.