The Ship, an influence agency for digital democracy, will stir up the waters of Czech public relations and public affairs. The new project is a result of a cooperation between the leading Czech communications group Konektor Place and the experienced consultancy company CGL specializing in governmental and parliamentary lobbying. Daniel Klíma, CEO of CGL, and Petr Pařízek, director of the corporate communications team at PR.Konektor, will lead The Ship.
The Ship will synergistically combine communications with the public and cooperation with the political representation. The agency will use all current communications disciplines which serve well in the 21st century – from elements of classic PR via events and direct contact with target groups to the use of social media and influencers.
Partner for digital democracy
In recent years, both politics and media communications have been gradually shifting into the online environment. Elections are now won on social media and politicians and companies have to carefully curate their image. What one influencer says may shape the legislative as much as a demonstration or a news article – but the traditional media still retain their power as exemplified by TV debates of presidential candidates. This is the situation to which The Ship is reacting. By combining lobbying, PR, and digital communications, the agency can employ all channels of communications to increase its clients' influence and protect them from losing their momentum in the media and legislative environment.
"The lobbyists' task is to enforce their clients' interests and advise the decision-makers in politics on the right solutions which are in the public's interest. In their work, politicians have to consider what the media say as well as what echoes on social media", explains Daniel Klíma, founder and PA Strategist of The Ship, who has already cooperated with the Konektor Place Group on several projects. "A subject, which people debate on Facebook and which is mentioned in TV news, has to be taken seriously by the politicians. We make sure that this partnership works and that it goes into the right direction", Klíma says.
Daniel Klíma – Public Affairs Strategist
Daniel has tens of years of experience as a system consultant and change manager. He is investing in emerging companies and he leads the lobbying and consulting agency CGL (Czech Government Lobby) since 2013. Among CGL's clients are the most important Czech and international companies on the Czech market.
The Coronavirus crisis showcased how crucial communications with politicians and the public is for companies. Those who reacted fast and explained their situation publicly had a much higher chance of public support. Those who hesitated found themselves in unfavorable positions, often on the brink of bankruptcy. The pandemic is also an example of how much politicians depend on media and social networks. Those, who did not react to issues resonating on the internet and on TV, lost valuable political credit.
"Whether it will be a second wave or further loosening of restrictions, a good image will be a must-have for every politician. This presents an opportunity for companies to utilize the power of both traditional and social media to make themselves heard and to compel the politicians to consider their demands", adds Klíma.
A synergy of lobbying and media relations
The legislative and media environment is perpetually changing and that brings with itself new techniques in public relations and lobbying. "We live in a digital democracy. It is not enough to publish a press release or to organize a press event nowadays. Who wants to achieve something has to master all the modern communications channels", comments Petr Pařízek, founder and PR Strategist of The Ship.
Petr Pařízek – Director Corporate Communications at PR.Konektor
Petr has more than twelve years of experience in PR. Since 2016, he leads PR.Konektor's team of corporate communications with clients including Skanska, Hypoteční Banka, and Sazka, or formerly the Czech republic chamber of executory. He was part of Ogilvy PR for many years, working for AXA, GE Money, UPC, Velux, Unipetrol, Doosn Škoda Power, Czech Republic Spirit Producers and Importers Union and many others.
"At Konektor Place, we focus on connecting creativity and effectivity. The integration of communications and the synchronization of different communications layers into a single communications strategy is fundamental to our work. Adding public affairs to our portfolio is a logical step in the evolution of our Group – The Ship is a new level of the integration of our services", explains Rostislav Starý, who is the co-director and co-owner of Konektor Place along with Jaroslav Duroň.
Long-term cooperation and crisis communications
Thanks to the partnership with the other agencies of Konektor Place, The Ship may help companies in many areas and aspects. Apart from initial services as media and politics monitoring, it will offer social media management, which is the expertise of Konektor Social. With its help, The Ship also provides online and multimedia content creation, app development, or creative composition of direct mails and other forms of unmediated approach to stakeholders and decision-makers.
The Hive, another agency of Konektor Place, focuses on influencer marketing, utilizing detailed typology and archetypes of influential personas within the social media environment.This allows The Ship to target both the general public and carefully selected audiences. Pařízek and Klíma also have vast experiences with crisis communications and reputation management, enabling the agency to help companies sail through difficult times without losing their good name.
"At the beginning of a long-term conceptual cooperation we prepare an analysis of media and legislative risks and opportunities. Based on this research we prepare a strategy that will cover all the available resources and communications channels. We then follow the strategy while reporting clear and easily measurable results of our work to our clients", explains Pařízek who has more than twelve years of experience in PR and whose clients at PR.Konektor include Skanska, the mortgage bank Hypoteční banka or Sazka. Daniel Klíma and CGL mainly operate in construction law, energy regulation, telecommunications, banking, and the industry.
"The Ship will also offer immediate crisis communications and momentous solving of specific issues, as well as project-based cooperation. We are a team of experienced PR and PA specialists with perfect knowledge of our fields. We understand our clients and their needs – and we offer a comprehensive range of tools to achieve their goals," concludes Pařízek.
Pařízek will be a co-owner of The Ship along with CGL. Other co-owners will be the start-up accelerator First Partners and El Paso Investments, Konektor Place's innovations platform.
Want to learn more of The Ship and its services? Please get in touch with Petr Pařízek, founder and PR Strategist of The Ship.
