Marcio Cavalieri, partner and co-CEO of RPMA, says that the agency’s focus is also on technology, reputation, crisis and influencer management
One of the main independent PR agencies in the Brazilian market, RPMA, led by partner and co-CEO Marcio Cavalieri, proposes diversification and looking to the future to maintain PRable’s proposal to connect people and brands. The business, although still with significant weight, no longer relies on press relations.
The focus is on technology, reputation, crisis and influencer management, branded content, relationships and the use of artificial intelligence. “A good advertising campaign cannot be sustained if there is no reputation. And reputation is built with PR, working on leadership thought leadership and bringing authority to the themes and subjects of the segment”, explains Cavalieri, who in his 27-year career has worked for more than 350 brands.
RPMA is 62% women, 27% LGBTQIAP+ and 20.5% black, brown and yellow.
What is the essence of RPMA after the merger carried out in 2019, just before the pandemic?
When we planned the process, we had in mind a company with a robust size, which offered a broader range of services and did not lose intimacy with customers. All this, with the agility and autonomy that an independent company has, in relation to agencies that are under large groups. Our value proposition, which is connecting people and brands, was very well received. We also noticed this opportunity because of a need that has been highlighted in the latest editions of PR Scope, where clients express the desire to have a partner that truly integrates communication, with quick solutions to solve communication problems in a world that is increasingly increasingly complex. Therefore, today we position ourselves as the RPMA Group, operating in PR, digital marketing and integrated communication, through three brands: RPMA, agia and Brainstory.
What were the demands during the pandemic?
During the pandemic, digital communication solutions were the way for many brands to communicate and relate to their audiences. I often say that Covid-19 was the driver for digital transformation in businesses and services that were not yet digitalized. For example, LinkedIn strategies for spokespeople were essential at a time when face-to-face relationship meetings were not taking place. In-person events became live events, and many transformations and adaptations took place in the agencies’ offerings. The need to communicate goes far beyond the platform, medium or technology available. Today, I realize that much of what was learned has been incorporated into the day-to-day activities of companies, improving a series of processes and breaking down a barrier of prejudice against hybrid work.
How did you adapt to working from home?
We have always had a very technological bias, pioneering the use of artificial intelligence, inbound marketing and even social media in the past, within the world of PR agencies. And our team is continually trained and encouraged to learn how to use technology and new languages in their daily lives. In this sense, remote work was already a reality (we had one day a week of home office). At the time of the general closure decreed by the government of São Paulo, RPMA already had all the infrastructure to operate remotely in the cloud, offering notebooks, corporate cell phones and a support program for employees to invest in their home office structure. Furthermore, we operate in a workflow structure with collaborative solutions that allow work to progress very well. Today, we operate in a hybrid model.
Were the expertise of the two agencies: RP1, more for retail, and RMA, technology, maintained?
Yes and they were expanded. For example, RMA was strong in the technology and Healthcare, B2B segments; and RP1 is very present in industry, retail, consumer and B2C. RPMA, in addition to maintaining this expertise, expanded its experience and clients to other markets, such as, for example, renewable energy.
What is the management like after the departure of your original partners and the arrival of Claudia Rondon?
We divide ourselves in a harmonious and synergistic way, where each person puts to work the best they can offer, both for the company and for our customers and employees. My focus is on customer relationships and new business. Claudia works in governance and back office.
What sets the agency apart?
Our work is guided by the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) methodology, which ensures that we are fully aligned with our clients’ business strategy.
In the past, PR companies had press relations work within their scope. How is it today?
We understand that brand reputation management must be carried out at all points of contact between a brand and its audiences. In this sense, everything is PR!
Read the full interview in the issue of propmark from November 11, 2024
