It speaks volumes about the confidence a business has in its people when it takes a step forward in a moment everyone else is retreating. Or standing still.
Hold that thought.
I’m writing from Sao Paolo, where the country is mired in the worst political and economic crisis in several generations. At a time when Brazil should be giddy with excitement over the Summer Olympic Games, it is instead in a state of nervous turmoil. A corruption scandal involving the national oil company has ripped through virtually every level of government in Brazil leaving a sense of national bewilderment in its wake.
“In the midst of chaos,” goes the saying, “there is also opportunity” – and now thank you for holding the opening thought.
For Ketchum, “opportunity” is boldly rolling out this week in Brazil in the form of Little George, a new creative boutique agency born from an existing in-house shop within our powerhouse São Paulo office.
Gabriel Araujo, Executive Vice-President of Creative and Digital, likes to say Little George has 90-year-old DNA in its blood. A fresh perspective born from what George Ketchum began in 1923 when he launched Ketchum as a creative agency focused on advertising, and later specializing in public relations.
The distinguishing feature of Little George is the union of PR and creative/digital. The idea, Gabriel explains, is to join the expertise of PR – relationship building, engagement, work with opinion makers, brand reputation, and content production – with the strengths of creative and digital media. “In this way, we want Little George to be tapped and acknowledged as a creative multiplatform agency,” he said.
“In a year that is so tense and in the midst of so serious a crisis, Little George brings new breath, a new way for clients to help solve their business challenges in a creative environment that puts ideas first,” Gabriel said.
“With the launching of Little George, we are showing clients and the market that Ketchum is not standing still, waiting for the crisis to pass,” said Valéria Perito, CEO. “We are always thinking of new ideas to bring to our clients.”
