The Argentine economy is growing rapidly. Its GDP rose 9.3% in the third quarter of 2011, according to Bloomberg, and the country's PR industry is reaping the benefits of this overall growth. “The public relations industry in Argentina is growing and developing rapidly,” reports Raphael Salazar, marketing director at petfood company Royal Canin Argentina.
He adds: “To a large extent this is driven by the uptake of social media by people and marketing departments, but many corporates are also looking for PR professionals to help convey their messages of social responsibility and sustainability.”
Indeed, many industry insiders describe Buenos Aires as a regional hub for creative and digital industries and report that the country's PR industry is notable for its tech-savvy, creative approach.
There is much work for PR professionals to do in Argentina, and business is often beset by problems. For example Facundo Etchebehere, public affairs director at Danone Argentina says: “Our PR industry is developing dynamically, and in recent years many companies have started to develop PR departments, often as a way to creatively tackle government regulation of business.
”Much of the growth then has come through in-house roles. Gaspar Rodriguez, PR coordinator at LG, says: “Most large companies have now set up PR departments. This is a crucial step forward, as it means people are aware of the full range of PR activities, and no longer see it as just a spin-off from the marketing department.”
Others point out that most of the in-house jobs are at relatively junior levels within those corporates, and that few companies have PR representatives at the C-suite level. In the next five years, if the industry continues to grow as it has in the past five years, we can expect to see this change, and for Argentine businesses to make PR a strategic priority.