Sherlock Communications

BACKGROUND

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

• Brand awareness in new markets
• Multi-lingual SEO and website support
• Digital marketing

SOLUTION

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an SEO Executive at a global online gambling company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sherlock Communications, and what were your goals?

We hired Sherlock to support us in our outreach and link building efforts in Colombia to increase our share of voice in the market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Our internal PR team recommended Sherlock Communications to us a local partner in Colombia. The internal recommendation and the initial offer made by Sherlock convinced us to start the collaboration.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

We work on multiple projects. For the outreach project, we submit deliverables every month based on our key targets. Sherlock proposes outreach opportunities to us and we review internally and Sherlock takes care of the outreach process. Another project we collaborate with Sherlock on is content production. Typically, we request each piece of content we require including details such as keywords and internal links but Sherlock have supported us with this on some occasions which has proven work well.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There were 2 team members working with us. Karen - SEO Team Lead - Our main point of contact for outreach and content Bianca - Head of Digital Marketing - Point of contact for any projects outside of outreach and content

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Since collaborating with Sherlock our rankings have steadily improved for highly competitive keywords. Sherlock has also supported us with gaining top rankings for predictions and informative searches with their high quality of content around key events such as the Champions League final and World Cup Qualifiers.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Karen is a great communicator and keeps us up to date on the progression of our projects regularly per email. This agency is putting the clients satisfaction first. We have had support when we required the compiling of additional data and keyword research and a great level of flexibility when we requested changes to working processes.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They're very client-oriented and forthcoming with supporting on all fronts.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I'd be happy to recommend this agency for any projects around link building, PR and SEO content production.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Digital PR Manager at an online language learning platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sherlock Communications, and what were your goals?

We hired Sherlock to help us grow the link profile for our PT market through public relations and manual link-building methods. The ultimate goal is for SEO purposes, to increase the growth and visibility for our PT domain.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Another colleague was managing Sherlock and passed this client to me. I'm unsure of her method for selecting the agency.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and campaigns.

Since starting with Sherlock, we have been very clear about our goals and what we want to achieve. I've worked with Sherlock to communicate a plan for each campaign and negotiate the best way forward for each one so that we get the best results.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I am working most closely with Luisa (digital PR) and Karen (account management).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We have seen some fantastic results, especially for the digital PR campaigns that Sherlock has supported us with. For example, in a recent campaign about the best foreign language films we have seen coverage in high-profile newspapers and magazines in Brazil. I'm really impressed by the caliber of coverage the team has secured.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We have regular bi-weekly catchups, there is regular reporting, and our primary method of communication is email.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I liked that the team was flexible and willing to take extra steps to create great campaigns and get results. They are open to ideas and feedback and also know what works well for the PT market.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I would suggest that the team considers using Slack as a communication channel. This would provide a much smoother and quicker way to communicate. I've suggested this in the past but the team is not open to this.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a PR manager at Getty Images, a visual content provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sherlock Communications?

About two and a half years ago, we expanded our PR efforts into Latin America. We were looking for help telling stories in that market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sherlock Communications develops and executes our PR strategy in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. Their team liaises with reports, writes byline articles from our spokespeople, and more. They help publicize the work done by our creative team.

What is the team composition?

I have two main points of contact at Sherlock Communications, a manager and an associate.

How did you come to work with Sherlock Communications?

After performing a Google search of Latin American PR Firms, we sent an RFP to three of them. Sherlock Communications stood out because of their Rolodex of reporters. Since we had never done this kind of work in the region, we needed someone with those connections. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invest about $8,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership with Sherlock Communications began in August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We’ve hit every benchmark we set out to achieve so far. Sherlock Communications has gone above and beyond what we expected to receive. We aim for 1,200 pieces of value coverage around the world per quarter, and not only does Sherlock Communications hit their portion of that mark, but they exceed it. They’ve done an amazing job.

How did Sherlock Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

Sherlock Communications provides reliable and honest feedback on how our strategy will play in the Latin American market. We trust them and their expertise on the matter. 

Their account management skills are incredible. Their reaction times are head and shoulders above other agencies. Our teams primarily communicate via Slack and email with weekly phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciate their old-school approach. They pick up the phone and establish relationships with journalists, which has been instrumental in their success. I can give them a story at 2 pm on a Tuesday afternoon and by Wednesday morning they have that story placed in a major news outlet. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could work on producing written strategy documents in English. They’re quite good at doing it in other languages. It’s not a glaring issue because we rarely need them to do that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re looking to tell stories in the Latin American market, Sherlock Communications is the agency to go to.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is a biotechnology company based in France, founded in 2013 and listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 2015. Our company's innovative technology platforms have the objective to modulate the body’s natural immune system machinery to treat patients with inflammatory diseases, viral infections and cancer.

As a clinical-stage company, our company leverages its immune enhancing and antiviral platforms to optimize and develop drug candidates to treat ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory diseases (ABX464), Covid-19 (ABX464) and liver cancer (ABX196).

Our company’s mission is to utilize its drug development platforms to bring innovative and effective solutions to patients in these therapeutic areas with significant unmet medical needs. I am the Director of Communications and responsible for all aspects related to communication, PR, media relations and social media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sherlock Communications?

Focus of the collaboration was a media and communications campaign around a clinical phase 2b/3 trial in Covid-19 that evaluates the effectiveness of our company’s lead drug-candidate (ABX464) for the prevention of severe disease in high-risk Covid-19 patients.

Our company is conducting this trial in Europe and Latin America. Brazil was the first Latin American country where the trial started and we had no experience with the Brazilian market, neither for clinical trials nor in terms of communiation.

What were your goals for this project?

The objective of the media and communications campaign was an increased visibility of the trial among the broad public as well as specialized healthcare staff.

Potentially eligible patients and healthcare professionals should be made aware of the ongoing clinical study, appropriate platforms had to be established to provide all necessary information about the inclusion criteria for eligible patients and access to the contact information of the participating trial site and the responsible investigators had to be insured.

SOLUTION

How did you select Sherlock Communications?

We were searching for different communication agencies in Latin America and Brazil on the internet and had a calls with several potential partners. We discussed with the Sherlock team over the phone and they convinced us with their understanding of our needs and their capabilities.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

• Guidance on different options and possibilities as well as on the functioning of the Brazilian media environment
• Drafting and publishing a press release about the clinical trial, including translation from English into Portuguese
• As not all trial centers were ready for recruitment at the same time, the release was issued in the respective regions where the site opened up, including the media follow-up with the local network
• A dedicated website, flyers and social media campaign was set up, submitted for approval to the Brazilian ethics committee and deployed
• Set-up of a hotline to inform potentially interested trial participants about the modalities
• Organization of a radio web with the local trial coordinator and radio advertisements on different radio channels

What was the team composition?

Two senior advisors were involved in setting up the entire strategy and were available whenever help was needed. My main contacts were three more junior, very capable and motivated Sherlock colleagues, for:

• the PR and media campaign
• social media and
• website and flyer design.

As far as I understood more team members were involved in the background and all were in close exchange with the senior advisors in the course of the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Approximately 200 articles (print and online) were issued in Brazil from July to December 2020 (campaign still ongoing in 2021), incl. very impactful top level journals as well as radio and TV interviews. Traffic from social media is driven towards the website. The traffic on the website is very good with app. 100 to 150 visitors per day.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Most communciation was done vie email and, more rarely, over the phone. The Sherlock team is extraordinarily reactive and responsive and communicates very well to make sure all information is shared timely.

All tasks were addressed within the timelines. Potential issues were identified by the Sherlock team, flagged to us and solutions were proposed. Whenever contact needed to be established with local people (e.g. responsible medical doctors on site to organize interviews) the team took over coordination and organization.

They have an excellent balance between working independently and coming back to the client if a decision needs to be taken. Despite the different time zones, the team was always available and responsive to short-term or urgent requests.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The Sherlock Communications team understands our requirements very well and is very proactive, comes up with own initiatives and new ideas how to improve the outcome. The team does not only execute on tasks that they are asked to fulfil, but does proactively go beyond the defined requests if they see the need to do so to solve an issue or to get better results.

They act in a very professional manner and no need to follow up or remind them of outstanding tasks. They have a great media and third party vendor network (e.g. to do radio advertisement) that was very precious for us in the course of the campaign. All team members are highly motivated and committed to the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I had an excellent experience and no suggestions for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Latin America Communications Manager for a UK-based organisation that develops and promotes the idea of a circular economy. We work with, and inspire, business, academia, policymakers, and institutions to mobilise systems solutions at scale, globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sherlock Communications?

We hired Sherlock Communications for continued PR support in a number of Latin American countries. We were expanding our regional focus in Latin America and needed an agency that could provide market expertise and on-the-ground support in different locations.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to expand the reach and uptake of the circular economy idea in Latin America, across sectors and countries.

In order to do that, we needed to mainstream the opportunities that a circular economy offers for better growth and its relevance in the solutions space for key challenges such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

And we needed to do it in a way that spoke to the different audiences in Latin America that have a role in the transition to a circular economy.

SOLUTION

How did you select Sherlock Communications?

I researched online for PR agencies that had offices in multiple key locations across Latin America. After an initial selection based on portfolio and values, I interviewed 4 shortlisted agencies including Sherlock Communications.

Sherlock was an obvious choice for a number of reasons including their professionalism, genuine interest in our work, and their unique integrated approach to regional communications.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

After an initial briefing meeting where we clarified our objectives, needs and core messaging, I worked with the account manager to set up the tools and processes that support our ongoing work.

The Sherlock team has since worked with us on several regional campaigns, helping localise messages, plan and execute press outreach, and track media coverage.

With their support, we have been able to reach key audiences in several countries with the idea of a circular economy and its benefits for the business, society and the environment.

What was the team composition?

The team is composed of a Latin America Account Manager, that is my main liaison, and an online team of consultant leads and PR executives in four countries.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have been able to increase the reach of our campaigns, geographically and numerically, as demonstrated by various metrics relevant to different campaigns.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I have regular fortnightly calls with the account manager, covering status updates and campaign briefings. I also communicate with the broader team on an ongoing basis via email, whatsapp and shared documents.

Overall, I have been very impressed with their responsiveness and the ease of coordination.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team is driven and has a great deal of market expertise. Sherlock also has a very unique approach to regional communications.

Their way of working with clients in multiple countries relies on careful coordination within the regional account teams that makes the relationship very manageable while also offering access to their local teams' market expertise and support.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I have identified.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a marketing manager at Airfox, a US-based startup that does business in Brazil.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sherlock Communications?

We were launching our product in the Brazilian market and needed help with PR and branding.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to build basic brand recognition and keep the PR under control.

SOLUTION

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Sherlock Communications handles our PR for the Brazilian market.

What was the team composition?

The four-person team includes one partner and three resources for branding, PR, and social media.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Monthly reports demonstrate growth in our brand awareness. The team is always eager to help and has executed tactics to maximize our PR. Their expert opinions and skill sets are invaluable to our success.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We communicate via weekly meetings, email, and WhatsApp. We move fast and would appreciate a more efficient way to share information, but the current arrangement works.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team goes out of their way to help us, even if the tasks are last-minute or exceed the scope. They know our customer base and do not shy away from critical feedback. Our company is better off today because of Sherlock Communications. They are an invaluable member of our team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not at the moment, but we would share any concerns directly with the team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Virufy is an international research organization that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose COVID-19 from cough patterns, rapidly and at no cost through the use of a smartphone. I am the founder & CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sherlock Communications?

I hired Sherlock Comms to build Virufy's brand in LATAM through marketing and PR.

What were your goals for this project?

To increase the number of visitors to our website and web app.

SOLUTION

How did you select Sherlock Communications?

Spoke with the CEO and was very impressed with the speed of action and professionalism.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

To build brand in 5 countries across LATAM. This involved lining up press releases, TV interviews, radio, newspaper, etc.

What was the team composition?

The CEO assigned a few digital marketing experts to work with my team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We now have millions of viewers of our product. We can STOP the spread of COVID-19 thanks to Sherlock's excellent work!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very efficient, we used email and WhatsApp, and Google Docs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their speed to action is outstanding.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Would be nice to use the Slack messaging app.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CFO of Edificios Inteligentes. We’re a technology company that provides consultancy, design, implementation, and support services for multi-national companies working on audio, video, security, and IT projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sherlock Communications?

We needed marketing services to complement the launch of a branch in a new city.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted our property to receive immediate visibility in our market sector.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We researched many companies in our region and narrowed the list to several serious options. Sherlock Communications’ pitch won us over immediately, and we knew we had to hire them.

Describe the project in detail.

We held a detailed briefing after we selected Sherlock Communications and formed a virtual team. Over the next three months, they developed exactly what we wanted.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, as well as with virtual team members such as journalists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We received interest within 2–3 months, some of which turned into opportunities and projects for us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We received timely, concise, informative updates regularly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were energetic and possessed extensive market knowledge. Additionally, we were pleased with their high level of professionalism.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not that I saw. We couldn’t have asked for better service or quality. We’ll be coming back to them for new projects.