Australian public relations and communications firm, 8th Avenue Communications, has launched itself as the country’s first specialist in South America. The firm has reacted to the growing number of Australian businesses operating in Latin America by offering them stakeholder management for both domestic and overseas markets in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French languages.
“Australian companies that work in the Americas don’t build solid relationships with their overseas stakeholders. Government officials, journalists, employees, environmentalists, and the communities over there don’t speak much English: and Australians continue to produce websites, marketing and PR materials only in English and only for the domestic market,” said 8th Avenue’s director, Andrew Mendelawitz.
Though multicultural agencies are not new to Australia, advances in technology enable the firm to form real relationships with overseas stakeholders. The Perth-based agency monitors and liaises with both the domestic and foreign press from its Australian offices and uses a team of in-country facilitators across seven Central and South American countries for on-the-ground activities.
“All companies should monitor the overseas media and liaise with them to know what’s really happening. So far in 2010, mining companies in South America have been affected by earthquakes in Chile, numerous strikes, at least two robberies, protests, community and indigenous opposition, and changes to taxes and mining laws,” Mr Mendelawitz said.
“Early detection of issues reduces risks on two fronts: firstly, management can make better decisions – as they say, forewarned is forearmed; and secondly, you can manage the media in Australia and abroad at the same time.”
The agency will also serve its clients in the local market, where South America is often regarded as a high-risk region. Unlike North America, where investors have a long record of backing South America-based projects, Australian investors still tend to be cautious.
“Australians don’t know that the risk/reward relationship in South America is often better than in Australia itself due to lower operating costs – not to mention ‘mining super-profits taxes’. South America can be an amazing place to work but it has a PR problem.”
The economic and social progress in South and Central America remains unknown to most of Australians. This may change when BRICS country Brazil draws a global audience as it hosts the Football World Cup in 2014 and the summer Olympics in 2016.
“South and Central America have a population of around half a billion people. Brazil alone has the 10th largest GDP in the world. Australian’s cannot ignore its potential for much longer.”
