THE ROUTE FOR A GREEN AND YELLOW JOURNEY
This article could not have come on a more special date just as I am completing seven years since my arrival in Brazil. When I arrived, I faced the major challenge of building a strong communication and public relations brand. One of the major steps on this path occurred four years ago when we were selected to promote Brazil as a tourist destination in seven European countries. Nowadays, I still have this honour of promoting Brazil while also working on promoting Portugal to the Brazilian market. We are also equally proud to work with seven of the major global brands/companies across different sectors of the economy, such as tourism, safety, defence, sports, law, education, mass consumption and real estate, among others. Over these years, we advanced down this path thanks not only to all the brands and entities that trusted us but also particularly due to the support from the different professionals who have joined us in this creative process. Seven is a lucky number and especially resonates with me as my date of birth. Seven also symbolises cyclical achievements and renewal. The year of 2017 is undoubtedly proving a period of simultaneous consolidation and growth as well as launching new partnerships.
Seven years after my arrival in Brazil, there is now a new Portugal to be discovered, this time by Brazilians. A contemporary and innovative Portugal that understands both where it comes from and where it is heading. Portugal is definitely on the Brazilian radar. We are now experiencing a unique moment of cultural, artistic and business interchange and have never before mutually shared so much. The number of Brazilians in Portugal has reached historical record numbers. Indexes such as the number of visa requests and home buying by Brazilians have been on the rise and reflect this scenario. In short, Brazilians have fallen in love with Portugal.
The interests of the different Brazilian media in Portugal show no signs of ceasing with a constant stream of requests. The theme of “Portugal” is on the agenda of television channels, newspapers and magazines with much praise abounding in every item of news. Brazilian tourist visits to Portugal soared by an annual 60% in the first quarter of 2017 and has now become the fifth most sought after destination by Brazilians. We deserve congratulations for that.
And I have never so often heard the sentence, “Portugal, your country is so beautiful, what are you doing here?” And I always reply: “Because your country is also beautiful and your people are incredible. Even when going through difficult moments, they never lose hope or optimism, still believing that they can overcome all the obstacles they face daily”. This has been a seven year journey of patience, humility and where I learned a lot from clients, partners and colleagues. They have been years with the will to conquer and do more for those who believed our project. Nowadays, Cunha Vaz Brasil – Public Relations is more mature, stronger and has reinforced its structure with Brazilian professionals, developed new services, skills while also building up trust through the winning of new projects. The journey is long and slow but with Brazilian optimism we will keep going forwards.
Ever since I set foot in this metropolis that is São Paulo in 2010, I have seen this country rise and fall. I witnessed historical moments that have yet to end. The country unfortunately faces a new period of instability. I see Brazilians in the streets protesting along with major operations to fight corruption. They have shown the world how to organize major events such as the FIFA 2014 World Cup and the Rio 2016Olympic and Paralympic Games. They know how to get things done and to host the world; that is in their blood. In 2012, when the country was on the rise, in an opinion article I described this land with the sentence “Brazil is the land of the Future”, in the words of Renato Russo, the charismatic leader of the band Legião Urbana. Even with all the changes and disappointments that the country has experienced in only the seven years since I wrote that article, I still believe in the green and yellow power and future.
For me, Brazil is and always will be the land of the future. In tropical tones, I hope the next seven years brings every success for Cunha Vaz Brasil and for all of our clients and partners. For Brazilians who do not lose their daily hope in a better country. I hope these events may help turn it into an ever more powerful and stronger world power. Then again, green is the colour of hope.
And again playing with numbers, I shall now set out seven relevant factors for our country and for our company. “The future in seven”.
It has been clear that 2017 Is returning a performance better than that of 2016 but I believe that the recovery will only deepen in 2018. Economic reforms are essential for the future stability of the country. Another important aspect is privatisation. Privatisation processes are able to ensure stability and healthy good returns for investors. At the level of service quality, following privatisations, all Brazilians will be on the winning side.
I do not wish to go in deep but I cannot fail to reference the influence of the political scenario on economic recovery and therefore to the performance of our company and our clients. In this particular moment, I hope every party, which are not that many in number, will work together towards achieving stability as only this can attract national and international investment.
People are the main asset of our company. We work and engage in internal adaptations so that there is always a committed and creative team. As I have said before, seven represents a cycle of achievement and renewal. Changes are always positive and in 2017 our team has gone through a number of them. The start of 2017 was marked by the arrival of a new board member who took on the role of chairman in Brazil, we hired a new coordinator and also strengthened our press relations and administration teams.
We are here for them and because of them. This has been another year of new conquests, consolidating our client portfolio and reinforcing our team with the entrance of new members. All the executed projects and campaigns have enabled us to gain ever more expertise and reputation and, therefore, getting the company acknowledged in the market.
Where our human talents share ideas and create strategies. Through our offices in São Paulo and Brasília, Cunha Vaz Brasil – Public Relations, manages offices in Europe, with the mission of promoting Brazil internationally. In September 2017, our company was responsible for the opening of another office, this time in Russia, a relevant market and hosting the 2018 World Cup.
Cunha Vaz Brasil – Public Relations follows market trends both at the national and the international levels. Our objective is to offer an integrated communication solution, responding to the specific needs of each client. We combine traditional communication tools with more innovative means so as to best reach our target audiences, always within the framework of a well-designed and results focused strategy.
The new social media players phenomenon also attributes a renewed importance to blogs and other influencers. There are also a number of journalists who have evolved into the category of opinion makers. They are now part of the responses to the huge new mass of readers. I believe their numbers are greater here in Brazil and far more than in Portugal. Working digital communications and relations with these new niches is essential irrespective of the respective communications strategy.
