Brazil PR Consultancies of the Year 2024

2024 Brazil PR Consultancies of the Year

The 2024 LatAm PR Consultancies of the Year are the result of an exhaustive research process involving numerous submissions and meetings with the best PR firms across the region.

The Consultancy of the Year winners are honoured at our annual Latin American SABRE Awards event, which will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the Tivoli Mofarrej São Paulo Hotel on September 24, in partnership with Brazilian trade association ABRACOM. Event and registration information can be found on the dedicated event site.

Finalists

Approach Comunicação (Independent)

Backstory

Last year’s Brazilian Consultancy of the Year Approach has grown into one of Brazil’s leading corporate communications and CSR agencies since Elizabeth Garcia launched the firm in 1996. Garcia’s multifaceted ability to leverage new opportunities that emerge regardless of circumstances has propelled Approach’s stature as one of Brazil’s top 10 agencies for more than a decade, during which the firm has grown its ESG offering into a full-blown consultancy.

Locations

Approach has more than 200 people across operations in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Parana, Rio Grande do Sul and Bahia and serves clients located as far adield Lisbon, Italy, Germany and China.

Performance

After another years of healthy growth—fee income was up by 14% to a little over $10 million, Approach ranks in the top 200 globally according to our annual league table. New business came from Harley-Davidson, Catherine Hill, Kiko Milano, Mirabaud, Total Energies, Rio Energy, AEGEA, Lollapalooza, and Oceânica, joining a client roster that includes names like BIC, Rock in Rio, NIVEA, Ambev, Vale, White Martins, AliExpress, Roche Brasil, TOTVS, and Marfrig.

People & Culture

Approach prides itself on a culture that attracts and retains top talent thanks to the solid relationships that kept the agency active and growing during challenges — from Covid to the sometimes volatile Brazilian economy — over the last few years. In addition to founder Elizabeth Garcia, leadership includes managing partners Tatiana Coura, who has been with Approach for more than 20 years and managing partners Germana Costa, who handles corporate comms, and Fabiana Guimarães, press director. Women make up 70% of Approach’s team.

Thought Leadership & Work

Approach Comunicação has been investing in a number of key areas, from high-quality content production--including content series on connected leadership, ESG, “Pinkwashing,” AI, and more; social media engagement; and a PR educatin initiative in partnership with trade association Abracom and PUC. The client work, meanwhile, included The Town, a music festival three years in the planning for which Approach handled strategy and planning; the dedevelopment of a 360-degree communication strategy for BIC, integrating campaigns for both external and internal audiencesl; and Nivea’s launch ofthe “Radiant Beauty” line, designed specifically for the beauty of black skin and working with Black influencers.

— Paul Holmes

Grupo FSB (Independent)

Backstory

Since its founding in 1980 by entrepreneur Francisco Soares Brandão, FSB Comunicações (our 2022 Brazilian Consultancy of the Year) has made it a point of pride that the firm takes on the toughest, most high-profile assignments in the Brazilian market, such as the Platinum Award-winning work at our first ever Latin American SABRE awards for its work on behalf of the Brazilian Ministry of Sports and the 2014 World Cup as well as a host of public affairs and government-sponsored campaigns through the years. In addition to flagship agency FSB Comunicação, the group included two additional PR firms—Loures Consultoria and Giusti Comunicação—digital consultancy F5 Business Growth; research institute Instituto FSB Pesquisa; and digital news portal Bússola.

Locations

FSB employs around 1,600 professionals across three Brazilian offices in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasília.

Performance

Economic and political tumult have been in the news in recent years, but FSB—with its strengths in corporate and public affairs—often thrives in challenging times, and last year saw the firm grow by better than 40%, ending the year with fee income of more than $110 million, making it the largest Latin America-based agency on our Global 250 list, coming in just outside the top 30. Clients include Mondelez, Carrefour, BTG Pactual, Stone, Metlife, JBS, Alelo, Iguatemi, Ambev, Comgas, Cosan, Novonor, Tim, and Betano.

People & Culture

Under the leadership of CEO Marcus Trindade, FSB has perhaps the deepest bench of corporate and public affairs advisors in the Latin American region. In 2023, the team was strengthened with the appointment of Luiz Carlos de Lima to the role of managing partner of people, management and governance and former journalist Neivia Justa as lead of the new communications and marketing practice. The firm’s Ação Diversidade initiative has been a success, playing a fundamental role in fostering an inclusive culture and a truly diverse environment. The firm has four affinity groups: Raízes (race), Multiplus (gender), Aliados (women), and Acesso (people with disabilities).

Thought Leadership & Work

Befitting its position as a leader in public affairs, the firm publishes The Legislative Monitor, which specializes in identifying and prioritizing propositions, conducts monitoring of topics of interest in states and municipalities. Its activities encompass the 26 state legislative assemblies, the legislative chamber of the federal district, and over 400 municipal chambers. The firm’s expanding digital capabilities have also earned it recognition in local awards: its work for Duolingo on TikTok has been well-received, while a campaign for Gerdau, "The Gerdau Recyclable Steel that Shaped Rock in Rio" showcases the firm’s reputation building capabilities.

— Paul Holmes

RPMA Comunicação (Independent)

Backstory

RPMA was born of the 2019 merger of two longtime firms, RP1 and RMA, whose owners, Claudia Rondon and Marcio Cavalieri, were keen on creating an independent Brazilian firm equipped to compete against global agencies. In the five years since, RPMA has grown into a robust operation with significant visibility in the market, as well as a history of client wins and industry recognition for its workplace culture and the caliber of its output.

Locations

RPMA operates exclusively in Brazil.

Performance

In 2023, RPMA capped 2023 with fee income of R$32.5 million (roughly US$5.8 million) and 143 person staff. New business came from Cogna Educação, Neogrid, Atlas Renewable Energy, EstrelaBet, Grupo Mateus,
Hidrovias do Brasil, RNI, WebAutomação and Philips Walita. Key existingclients include Motorola, Femsa, Kwai, Arteris, Edenred, BAIN, Toyota, ISA CTEEP, Schneider Electric and Machado Meyer.

People & Culture

RPMA puts a premium on fostering a culture of diversity & inclusion and has instituted initiatives to further that goal. The agency’s "I Am Diversity" program promotes awareness and internal campaigns to combat discrimination and harassment, as well as provide reporting channels. The intranet facilitates access to informative materials. RPMA is also committed to sustainability and has adopted measures to reduce its environmental impact, such as quarterly assessment of practices to improve, energy efficiency, waste management, and sustainable transportation. Preference for sustainable suppliers is encouraged, and partnerships with NGOs demonstrate social responsibility. The "I Am Sustainability" program promotes awareness and best practices. Additionally, internal committees focus on social actions, health, and well-being, promoting campaigns and support for related institutions and initiatives. Co-founder Claudia Rondon is involved with a variety of industry organizations while co-founder Marcio Cavalieri focuses on new business development and client relations.

Thought Leadership & Work

In April 2023, RPMA launched a new brand, The Agency, which offers marketing and digital communication services powered by generative AI. Created to explore the potential of generative artificial intelligence, the brand serves clients in both B2B and B2C segments and has a squad that operates agilely to implement digital marketing solutions using AI platforms. The year’s best work included RPMA’s award-winning campaign for the platform Squid.

— Diana Marszalek

Sherlock Communications (Independent)

Backstory

Our 2022 Regional Agency of the Year, Sherlock Communications has grown since its 2015 launch from a Brazil-based agency with three full-time employees and a small office in São Paulo into one of the most decorated PR firms in Latin America with more than 150 consultants and a physical presence in 15 countries. Sherlock Communications, led by co-founders Alasdair Townsend and Patrick O'Neill, is now recognized as one of the leading specialists in helping international organizations operate multi-market campaigns across LatAm.

Locations

Headquartered in São Paulo, Sherlock is active in countries across Latin America including Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and throughout Central America and the Caribbean.

Performance

Founded in 2015, Sherlock Communications has grown from a Brazil-based agency with three full-time employees and a small office in São Paulo into one of the most decorated PR firms in Latin America with more than 150 consultants and coverage throughout Latin America. 2023 was a banner yearfor the firm, which capped the fiscal year up 50% over 2022. In the past 12 months, Sherlock opened new offices in Rio de Janeiro, Santiago and Lima and recorded a 45% increase in staff — from 105 to 152 — including new senior hires in Chile and Mexico. The agency also won business from roughly 60 new clients including European Union, AXA Investment Managers, Business Finland, Hyatt, Project Management Institute, Socios.com, OKX, Acronis, US Green Building Council and Bitso, which joined existing clients Akamai, Bumble, Crypto.com, Ellen Macarthur Foundation, Getty Images, Github, Indeed.com, Maersk, Qatar Airways and Snapchat.

People & Culture

Sherlock supports a wide array of communities, providing pro bono PR services or cash donations to groups focused on women’s health, education, rights for indigenous communities and sustainability initiatives among others. Sherlock has built a culture that promotes and rewards innovation while valuing flexibility and lifelong learning. It provides staff unrestricted leave, opportunities to work from home, and a monthly, agency-wide, wellbeing payment that the team can spend on a physical or mental health service of their choice. In 2023, all team members were given an additional five PTOs. In the last year, specialists from leading global agencies have provided training on everything from creativity, strategy, assertiveness and exceptional client service. Sherlock purposefully looks beyond traditional PR backgrounds in its hiring practices. The firm’s internal diversity and inclusion committee organizes regular collaborations with people from traditionally
excluded communities to increase awareness and inclusivity in the agency’swork and client campaigns. 70% of Sherlock Communications leadership team are women. Some 80% of Sherlock’s 152 staff participate in its free foreign-language program, run as part of a pro-bono partnership with NGO, Abraço Cultural. Similarly, Sherlock continues to support the further education of employees by collaborating with study abroad programs, while bringing its multi-country team together annually for a week of training and workshops. In 2023, Sherlock successfully renewed its certification with Iniciativa Verde as the first and, to its knowledge, only carbon negative agency in Latin America.

Thought Leadership & Work

Sherlock maintains a robust thought leadership program which, in 2023, included publishing eBooks on future-focused sectors like green finance and ethical gaming. Sherlock hit a milestone, with 10,000 downloads of its
thought-leadership ebooks, The agency’s blockchain ebook generated 500 pieces of coverage alone and has been downloaded by some of the world’s leading financial services brands, leading to new clients such as OKX and Ripple. The agency invested $75,000 to develop a media enquiry platform that allows Sherlock to maintain, manage, and analyze media and influencer relationships across all teams and launched Unlock Latam, a specialist B2B outbound prospecting division. Sherlock’s 13 SABRE-shortlisted works include “From Tradition to Innovation, Doha as a Destination” for Qatar Airways; “Celebrating the Developer Community in Latin America” for Github; and “Tradición Con Corazón” for the Norwegian Seafood Council.

— Diana Marszalek

Vianews (Independent)

Backstory

Pedro Cadina launched Vianews in 1985, creating a firm now active across Latin America. In 2016, Vianews became Hotwire’s official LatAm partner, facilitating the tech agency’s work throughout the region. The firm specializes in serving the technology, financial and telecom sectors with offerings in public relations, content marketing and digital marketing.

Locations

Vianews is based in São Paulo and is also active in Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile.

Performance

Now in its 39th year, Vianews continues its upward trajectory, seeing an average of 30% year-over-year growth for the last four years. Over the same period of time, staff has grown from 12 people to 50 people today working in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, Pernambuco, Mexico City, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, La Paz, and Bogotá working with new clients Objective, Dow Chemical Brasil, InterSystems and Sensedia as well as existing partners OpenText, Softtek, Autopass, Stibo System, TelComp, Banco ABC Brasil, Kyndryl, Nextracker, Automation Anywhere and Trellix.

People & Culture

With Vianews growing the way it is, the agency has created an HR department, with four people working on essentials like boosting diversity and heeding employees calls for everything from flexible working, work-life balance and health insurance. In 2022, Vianews started a leadership training program and created a three-year growth plan that includes the participationof all employees — selecting which sectors and services they want to grow and setting financial targets. Vianews formalized its process for promoting DEI in 2020 with the creation of a committee that has monthly meetings, produces newsletters, hosts online events featuring speakers addressing issues like LGBTQ and racial equality, women’s empowerment and more. The firm simultaneously is developing policies designed to solidify it as a safe andinclusive workplace. Founder and CEO Pedro Cadina is still running the agency he launched in 39 years ago with support from COO & strategist Estela Bernardes, digital marketing coordinator, Gabriela Saraiva and business development manager Gabriel Perri.

Thought Leadership & Work

Vianews is a regional leader in technology, financial and telecom sectors, and rather than spread itself unsustainably thin, the agency focusses its offerings around three primary services: PR, content marketing and digital marketing. Vianews’ best 2023 output includes its campaign for supporting Dow’s fuel marking tools that help minimize losses from faud, smuggling andfuel laundering and driving awareness in Brazil of Nextracker as a leader in energy tech.

— Diana Marszalek

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