#WeKnowAfrica
”In February 2016, I began on a journey of building Sendr, South Africa’s first on demand consumer app for point-to-point parcel delivery. I turned to ACG for a public relations strategy. They transformed our communication strategy and positioned us as a first mover in the sector giving us comfortable positioning for
George SibotshiweFounder, Sendr
our Serie B investment level.
Reputation Management and Public Relations
We are not just a communications company. We see ourselves as business consultants to our clients, making sure our clients’ communications objectives are aligned to their business goals.
ACG understands that the effectiveness of our clients’ message and positioning in any market is highly dependent on how well they understand the nuances that make up the cultural, linguistic and behavioural patterns of that market. We understand Africa and Africans. But we also understand that both are complex and that in order for our clients to succeed in a competitive market place, we must act as their eyes and ears on the ground. Armed with the knowledge of our clients’ goals and objectives, and a deep desire and passion to meet them, we source our information from our network across the continent.
When required and depending on the complexity of the brief, our in-house research and insights expert goes in-country, to live in the environment and communities that our clients want and need to understand.
We ask the right questions, speak to the right people, and partner with our clients to ensure their business and communications decisions are authentic. With Africa dubbed the “next frontier”, we make sure our clients are not left behind.
Media Relations and Press Release Distribution
Our team has developed positive and sustainable relationships with various media across Africa. This helps us to effectively communicate your missions, stories and activities in a consistent and reliable manner.
Thought Leadership Positioning
A Thought Leader is a knowledgeable, trustworthy, go-to authority in an industry, who inspires and encourages implementation of innovation and offers intelligent, insightful and informed opinions. We position our clients as Thought Leaders by connecting them with mentors and influencers, finding speaking engagements and getting them published to establish them as industry leaders.
Crisis Management
We minimize the effect of negative publicity by building a framework for crisis management. Our team efforts reduce and manage potential damage to client’s brand and transform the crisis into an opportunity for positive brand messaging.
Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement
Stakeholders have an interest in the activities and business of an organisation. We help you monitor, prioritise, connect and engage with people of importance through various means such as discussions and speaking opportunities; thus, increasing the reach of key messages and the client’s credentials.
Strategy Development and Messaging
Through a key messaging exercise involving both client and our internal team, we develop a messaging strategy that speaks to your vision, mission and goals. As the first point of contact, messaging is key in driving the narrative of any work we do.
Research and Insights
We conduct research at various stages of the creation and implementation of a communication plan. Through perception audits, stakeholder mapping and taking a full interest in your objectives, we map out the best strategies for an effective communication campaign.
Strategic Events
We identify strategic events for you to attend that align with your business and PR objectives. These may include expo’s, trade events, conferences and talks.
Content Development
The press release may not be the most appropriate way for a client to tell their story in a specific market (due to, for instance, the modernisation of content, low literacy rates, the prevalence of other platforms of communication outside of print, such as radio or mobile phones).
ACG works with clients to ensure that their messaging is packaged and distributed in the most efficient way possible and on the most effective platform to meet their goals and objectives in-market. We have the capacity of producing video and audio content, photographs, and infographics, among other things, and ensure that clients’ messages capture the attention of the audience for which they were intended. Most importantly, we meet the client and their stakeholders where they are and speak to them in a language that they understand.
Video Production and Editing
Traditional press releases and pitching to journalists will always be important elements of a communications strategy. However, video content can dramatically change the way audiences perceive and speak about a brand. With your guidance as a client, we determine the purpose of any video content, develop the content and manage production and take care of distribution to the targeted audience.
Collateral Development
We are a hands-on team with content and collateral development. Collateral development includes press releases, brochures, social media content, editorials, media kits, thought leadership articles and more.
Crisis/issues Management Training
In the event of a crisis, our training will prepare your organisation with methods to determine risk, both internal and external, as well as formulate crisis management plans that relate to the overall brand. ACG training combines both individual and team training to establish a practical understanding of the elements of crisis management.
Media Training
ACG media training guides our clients through the dynamic media landscape and equips them with the skills to make a positive impact. Media training will teach you how to engage with the media, what to communicate and how to communicate it.
The Principles of Strategic Communications
We provide the basic elements and principles of communication to understand how to align behaviours and actions in your environment. These principles will equip participants to build a consistent, relevant and strong brand through messages communicated.
Storytelling to Incentivize Stakeholders to Action
Through storytelling, our well-versed team distributes key information about your business and its leadership. Sharing your story helps build affiliation and likeability. It improves branding, marketing, sales, and goes a long way in attracting key stakeholders.
Digital
ACG offers global clients the opportunity to speak to their African stakeholders online in a language they can understand. Based on research and insights, we build digital and social media platforms and engage in community management on behalf of our clients, to ensure their message is loud and clear, and that it lands with the desired effect with the audiences for which we tailor it.
We understand that the way you engage Nigerian audiences online to communicate about a certain product, is not the same way you would engage a Rwandan consumer. We do not use a blanket approach. In collaboration with our clients, ACG can also create toolkits based on the similarities of certain demographics of stakeholders, and roll them out from the hub in Johannesburg, in-country, always keeping in mind ever-evolving news agendas that may require a shift in messaging or implementation depending on the market.
Social Media and Online Community Management
Social media has a large impact on a company’s reputation and their bottom line. ACG social media management involves establishing accounts, maintaining the platforms, running campaigns and analytics. Our creativity shines through in the content we develop.
Website Development
We make use of websites to meet your communication requirements and tell your story in impactful ways. Our website development services include branding, design, development, copywriting, editing and proofreading.
Translation
Outside of the main pillars, ACG offers translation services for clients, based on our belief that communications needs to be tailored (it is up to the communicator to make him/herself understood). We work with highly qualified translators to ensure quality, and the effective expression of client key messages in…
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French
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English
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Portuguese
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Arabic
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Swahili
