Executive Interview
Executive Interviews
An Interview with
Lars Voedisch
PRecious Communications
Founder and Managing Director
PRecious Communications is an independent regional agency made up of 50+ highly adaptive, responsive, and self-empowered people across key Asian markets, including Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia. Together with our global partners, we have a global presence with coverage in markets such as India, Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, USA, Canada and Latin America.
Publish Date:
11 September 2020
Singapore
Location:
Tell us about your background, and how you came to found your company?
Before starting PRecious Communications, I worked with companies including Hill+Knowlton Strategies as Executive Director, Managing Consultant at Dow Jones, Account Director with Fleishman, Corporate Communications Manager at DHL and President of AIESEC in Germany after having worked mas a journalist across print and broadcast.
I started PRecious Communications in 2012, wanting to challenge the existing setup of global network agencies and the somewhat artificial divide of public relations, marketing and digital disciplines. PRecious launched at precisely the right time as more and more brands realised then and still do that they probably get better value when working with an independent consultancy which combines senior expertise and quality with direct strategic counsel and the creativity and passion of a startup.
What is most important to you and your organization – mission, vision, or core values? Why?
We believe in pushing individuals and organisations to reach their full potential and to maximise their value.
Our Mission: It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be. We believe our team is not defined by what we can or cannot do, but by what we are willing to dedicate ourselves to achieving.
Our Vision: We aim for a culture that creates a safe environment for our staff, where we are not afraid to make mistakes, and thus can learn more quickly and acquire flexibility and critical thinking to overcome any challenges. Externally, we provide our clients with a tailored and integrated communications service that supports them in achieving their business objectives.
Can you explain briefly how your service(s)/product(s) works?
We help global category leaders, challenger brands and startups to connect with their key audiences through the power of communications.
Our services include corporate and marketing communications, media relations, issues management and crisis preparedness, messaging and media skills training and workshops and social media management.
We are focused on the Greater Southeast Asia are with our direct operations in Singapore (HQ), Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia. Beyond our own offices, we frequently drive campaigns into Hong Kong, India, China, Japan and other global markets through our stein network of close partners.
Our four practices; Edge (Technology), Inc (B2B), Life (B2C) and Sparks (Startup) combine a business-oriented approach with a focus on outcomes that tie directly into our clients’ communications objectives.
How has the industry been changing in recent years?
For as long as I have been in Public Relations, the industry has been declared outdated and obsolete. The number and types of channels to interact with your target audience is constantly evolving, and so are the messaging tones and formats. Technology is helping with analysis, research, discovery, and measurement. But while it can aid, technology is not able to replace finding the right combination of creative angle, strategic focus, and tactical execution nuances that did. It will continue to make all the difference.
The essential part of PR is about nurturing and enriching relationships through the power of storytelling, the most human part of connecting with others. One of the biggest challenges of the PR industry is centred around its very core, creating and nurturing mostly intangible assets of trust, likability and desirability. The technical execution growingly becomes an optimisation problem as part of the broader marketing mix, which can more easily be automated. It is the level of reputation management and strategic business support that is becoming ever more crucial to a brand’s positioning and ultimately, survival.
What makes you different from what’s currently available in the market?
PRecious is more than just a communications consultancy. We’re partners to our clients, working in tandem with them to enhance their reputations while helping them meet their business objectives. It is exciting to see that our clients want to grow their exposure in the region with us. As we look forward to another four – or forty – years, we’ll honour that trust and remain focused on delivering results that matter in this ever-changing environment.
Our clients' business success is our overall objective. As brand consultants with a network of experts, we offer holistic communication services across traditional and digital channels to build, protect and defend reputation. Headquartered in Singapore, we deliver impactful communications for clients across the Asia Pacific and beyond for brands reaching from Bundesliga to Intel Security, Porsche or United Nations.
Besides experience with global B2B and B2C firms, we are one of the leading startup PR firms, with our team having worked with over 300 startups, including 15 unicorns, 3 Eduardo Saverin funded firms and funding rounds over $500m.
What does the future hold for your company?
PRecious is poised for further growth in sync with our clients’ ambitions. To meet these demands and to help our clients achieve their business objectives, we keep investing in our people, providing a suite of digital offerings from lead generation to content marketing, on top of our award-winning work using PR and social media marketing.