Prova has only been a member of GlobalCom since June, but has already grasped the opportunities the network offers with both hands. Account director Zoe travelled to the annual conference in Istanbul, our MD Richard has had numerous meetings with PR agencies in countries from France to China, and I’ve been lucky enough to travel to São Paulo for a week-long placement at Fundamento.
Ever since I found out about our membership, I was keen to get involved, so I requested to spend a week in Brazil after a holiday in neighbouring Peru. I didn’t get my hopes up initially, there was a huge amount to organise in a short space of time and I don’t speak Portuguese. However, to my surprise head of PR at Fundamento, Camila Curado was quick to say yes to our suggested secondment. My main objectives were to learn more about the PR and communications industry in Brazil and to build a closer relationship with our partner agency. But, with just one week in the office there was a huge amount to cram in!
The public relations landscape in Brazil and South America is unsurprisingly, very different to the UK. PRs face a number of barriers including the Spanish/Portuguese language divide within the continent, a diminished press and lack of government intervention. Camila explained how the political history of Brazil has shaped communications. For example, Brazil was under the power of a dictatorship until as recently as 1985. The press has only really been free for around ten years and the country still faces issues of corruption.
Fundamento is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month and was the first true integrated agency in the country, with many other agencies solely focusing on press relations. Because of its history, the company is able to call upon long established relationships with journalists and is well placed to offer a wide variety of services to a diverse portfolio.
It’s impossible to get much more than a basic understanding of any business in such a short timeframe, yet alone one of Brazil’s largest agencies. However I was able to pick up some hints and tips and some serious inspiration, including new ways to package up products to appeal to bloggers and a more thorough method of reporting media coverage results. Additionally I found out about a problem solving PR campaign idea which had yielded some fantastic results. The campaign appeals to businesses, consumers and the media in equal measures and it’s one Prova can definitely take advantage of – so big thanks to the produções team!
Despite the different challenges we face, some things stay the same. I presented a recent pitch for a client in the automotive sector to the Fundamento team which had some surprising similarities. The layout of the presentation, structure of the campaign and proposed calendar plans were closely echoed by a pitch Camila had created for a telecoms provider.
It’s been just a few short weeks since I waved goodbye to the Fundamento team but we’re keeping in touch. It was a fantastic experience, I was very lucky to complete the programme at such a prestigious agency with such a lovely team who made me feel really welcomed. We’re hoping to continue working together more closely and it seems the experience has inspired some other Prova and Fundamento employees to look into the GlobalCom exchange programme too.
For more information please contact Zoe Birch or Charlotte Webster at Prova PR. Email charlottew@provapr.co.uk or phone 01926 776900.