Every month Tribe Global will focus on a Member agency or business Partner to interview. This month we caught up with Vânia Gracio, CEO of boutique PR agency Sing Comunicação in São Paulo, Brazil.

Hello Vânia, tell me a little bit about Sing, how do you describe your agency to clients and potential clients?

Sing was created 16 years ago because we believe in the power of corporate communications to build brand reputation, to generate engagement. As a boutique PR agency in Brazil, we can offer in- depth industry/market knowledge and creativity to create customised PR strategies for each brands needs.

Whether it’s launching a new concept in the marketplace, products, services, building brand reputation, or even changing perceptions and behaviors, count on Sing’s team to set the right strategy for each goal.

During this challenging time, the Sing team is also ready to define the best tone of communication with different publications, in addition to supporting brands on crisis prevention and management.

How long has Sing been in business?

Sing was founded in 2004 and we are proud to still work for one of our first clients: Tata Consultancy Services, since 2005.

You are based in São Paulo – tell me a bit about your city.

São Paulo is like New York, a city that never sleeps. The right place for everyone looking for success, Brazil’s business hub, the city of almost all big tech headquarters, home of the most delicious restaurants, where everything happens from art exhibitions and fashion week to international movie and music festivals… São Paulo is all-in-one; multicultural, busy, crazy, chilly, rainy, sweet and sour with its 12,1 million inhabitants, and we love it!

Going back to business, who are your key clients?

Besides TCS (our oldest client) we also work for other international brands: Acer, NVIDIA, LogMeIn and NimoTV.

The local brands we work for are Auti Books (audiobook store), ABREE (Brazilian Electronic and Appliance Recycling Association), Marcelo Tostes Advogados (Law firm), TransformaçãoDigital.com (ecosystem for digital transformation) and Zoom and Buscapé (retail tech group).

What is it that clients like about Sing? What do you do that is special?

We are a PR boutique with a personal approach, so we create strong bonds with our clients.

We are here to help, no matter if they need a 5-year strategic PR plan ready in one day or an encouraging word during a crisis.

Our partnerships with our clients are so close that most of them become our friends.

We are in the middle of the Corona Virus pandemic, what is the latest news from Brazil?

We were lucky to be one of the last countries to be hit by the pandemic. So, we could learn from others and prepare our companies to work from home. But São Paulo is the Covid-19 epicenter and the worst phase of the pandemic is expected for the beginning of May.

We know we will have to face sad news ahead, but we remain positive, follow all guidelines from healthcare authorities and help others as much as we can. This too shall pass.

Are you doing anything new or different to support your clients through the Corona Virus crisis?

Yes, some services are new, others are customized versions for the current situation. Here are some examples:

  • Covid-19 Daily News Summary: a selection of the main news published in Brazil that may impact business, life and society. It’s organized by sections: local market, government announcements, global scene and brand initiatives to support the community. It is sent to selected clients via email in Portuguese and in English for some international customers, as it helps their crisis management teams.
  • Management of communication with employees and influencers.
  • Creating initiatives for brands interested in helping and making a social impact

In addition to these services, we are putting in place new initiatives to keep our team well and safe. As everyone has been working remotely since March 16th, we are having weekly video calls to replace our happy hours, Netflix Parties to watch movies online together, and other things. We worked remotely before the pandemic, but now, the challenge is to stay at home all the time and it is important to talk about what the team is feeling. So we also organised a virtual group session with a therapist, who provided advice on how to deal with anxiety, fear and stay positive.

What can you offer other Tribe Members and Partners?

Tribe Members and Partners can count on Sing as their local specialist. The Sing team will offer not only in-depth market and regional knowledge, but also the local flavor every global campaign needs to be successful and drive ROI.

What have you done recently that you are most proud of?

Now, more than never, PR is used to help brands engage with different publications during the pandemic. It’s like all brands now have a purpose: some are offering free audiobooks, others are promoting campaigns to collect basic food baskets, others offer their tools for free to enable remote working or their AI platform to help scientists find a cure for Covid-19.

So, every time we see earned media about one of these initiatives, or we confirm a client as a speaker in an online event to talk about how his company is supporting the community, we feel very proud for helping to spread all these positive messages. And, earlier this year, Sing was certified by Great Place to Work, so we couldn’t be any prouder.

Who is your favourite football team?

The one and only: CORINTHIANS!!!

Recent recognition we are proud of: Great Place to Work