Sorcha Hellyer & Gabriele Villa

Putting Our Expertise at Your Service

Now working as a husband and wife team, we have a combined experience on the field of more than 15 years in the research and preparation of special country reports and features. In the past we have been privileged to produce reports for publication in many of the world's most important and influential international media including Fortune, New York Times, USA Today, Time Magazine, US News and World Report, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, The Independent, The Observer, Handelsblatt, Paris Match, Le Monde, Capital and more recently Foreign Affairs, Corriere della Sera Magazine, American Way, Robb Report Russia & Newsweek. 

We make a dynamic cosmopolitan team. Gabriele is Italian with an education in Political Science and a background in tourism and media work. Sorcha is British with a degree in Drama & French and work experience as diverse as PR consulting with specialism in the tourism and travel sector, recruitment & sales consulting and communications.  Both of us speak English and Italian fluently, French proficiently and possess a very basic knowledge of several other languages that we have learned on our travels around the world. You could say that communicating is our passion! 

Are You Getting Your Message Out There....?

Global media often feels out of reach to many businesses around the world. Many leaders feel that they only get editorial coverage when the news about their company or country is bad! And the unfortunate thing is that bad press is what most people recall in particular when it comes to travel and tourism choices or investment decisions. 

Special country reports, promotional features and sectorials all serve a key purpose; to offer a platform - an opportunity to portray a different image. They therefore fill the gap left so wide open by conventional means. They offer companies, countries and sectors the opportunity to clearly and fairly represent themselves while providing the readership with information that is not readily available to them.  While many highly successful companies may be well-known in their own milieu they do not have the chance to put themselves in front of international audiences.

So while the saying "for most folks, no news is good news; for the press, good news is not news"1 may be true for mainstream report, it is not the case for agencies that specialise in country reports, special features and sections. And that's good news for you! 

Time to Make the News?

We have understood that people are starved of hearing about success stories, collaborations and bi-lateral ties that result in good work and relations. In collaboration with the top business leaders as an experienced team we bring our readers the highest quality reports in terms of content, editorial, design and layout. 

We create balanced, credible coverage and bring the reader in contact with the rest of the world as the world's business leaders see it.  Our articles contain quotes from these leaders to emphasize the varying points of view at the source of our work. For while "the skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think"1 - utilising the authorised opinions of decision-makers doing business in the countries in which we work provides future visitors and investors ample food for thought!  

Finding Media Solutions to Unlock the Potential of Your Image

In collaboration and partnership with governments and companies worldwide we gather material on the economic landscape in each country covering varied topics from government reforms, FDI and investment opportunities, macro-economics, and success stories. The time spent conducting interviews results in an in-depth analysis of each country.  Of course in the process of conducting live interviews, we have had the pleasure of meeting some of the most important and influential political and business leaders around the world. Sharing in their thoughts and opinions has been an honour and imparting our own has often resulted in an interesting exchange and sometimes in lifelong friendship. 

Creating a feature requires a great deal of patience and dedication. Much as we love Italy and the UK we do not remain in our countries of birth, but instead travel to and work in the country on which we are to publish a report. By researching the editorial from a base in the country in question we are able to meet with the government ministers, official institutions and leading businessmen in order to best represent and present their points of view to our readers.  We aim to portray the strongest sectors in each country, skilfully bringing together sectors as diverse as banking & finance, energy, IT & telecommunications and tourism for example with the hard work of experienced writers with whom we collaborate closely.

A World of Unlimited Possibilities

Wherever You Are...Wherever You Are Going...and……

Wherever You Want to Be...

We believe that in order to best represent your country we must come to you! With the incredible (perhaps almost unfathomable) amount of and proliferation of information that is available nowadays it would be easy to stay in a head office and just do research. However, visiting your country to meet the decision makers and personalities who shape the economic landscape, as well as experiencing your nation's offerings, gives us an incomparable understanding of your needs and how to project your image to the rest of the world...or the chosen target media.

This year we have been working on special features for publication in various different media in diverse languages. These include Corriere della Sera Magazine (special feature on Slovenia in Italian), Robb Report Russia (special feature on Turks & Caicos in Russian), American Way (special feature on Turks & Caicos in English) and Nexos (special feature on Turks & Caicos in Spanish).

In December 2008 a special feature on Malta comes out in the Special Stand-Alone Davos Edition of Newsweek - this will be in newsstands from December 2008 to February2009. Currently we are in the Caribbean researching and preparing for another feature which will be published next year.

Since 1999 we have conducted our work and elaborated reports on 4 continents in a total of 23 different countries. Together we have extensive knowledge of markets as diverse as Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Bosnia, Croatia, Romania, Morocco, Egypt, Mauritania, Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, Bermuda, Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Canada, Newfoundland, India, and the Maldives. Some of these countries have been so pleased with the work we did that we have been returned to do follow-up features in either the same media or an alternative media, according to their requirements.

Timely Features to Raise Awareness of Your Success

We are all part of a process and there is no denying that nowadays ALL countries are looking at how they can brand their nation and present a positive, strong, united and memorable image. Undoubtedly there is a tendency for public-private participation on projects in order to maximize their success. Many leaders see a change in government or a reaffirmation of a government as a great moment to either redefine the challenges and opportunities that exist in the country or to remind the rest of the world of the past success in order to promise more of the same in the future.  

Our aim is to find the perfect timing - whether that is a recent election, an exceptional pace of development or economic growth, the creation of a new trade initiative or the foundation of an institution which aims to promote relations between you (the host country) and the destination country (target audience of the country where we will publish our reports).

If you think NOW is the right time to raise awareness of your success, whether as an individual entity or a collective effort then please get in touch with us to discuss how to best plan your marketing and media strategy. We will be happy to assist you ourselves or we will consult with other agencies & media to try to find the perfect solution for you.

Vital Collaboration - A Matter of Trust

The very definition of Nexus is a means of connection, tie or link. It also signifies a connected series or group AND the core or centre. We chose this name for our initiative because these values are the foundation of our relationship with you.  

We aim to connect you with the world, to be the vital link between you and your audience. We do not believe that we can do this alone - by working closely with you and other partners we can achieve great things. However you are the pivot around which the campaigns and features we prepare evolve - it is YOU, the client that is at the heart of all we do!

We believe that what sets us apart is the way in which we conduct our networking, relations, on-field projects, production and post-production phases. We take a much more consultative approach to what we do which makes the client feel valued and involved in the whole process. We feel that this is the only way we can do business because we are in the business of making our clients'  voices heard (not our own) and we aim to provide our clients with a platform or a springboard into markets.

A great example of this approach is the report published in CdS Magazine on Egypt. During our stay in Cairo we appreciated the full support of the top business leaders and the Italian Embassy in Cairo, who guided and actively assisted us in our work. Ambassador Badini and his invaluable staff understood the importance of promoting bi-lateral relations between Italy and Egypt.  We are always keen to hear feedback from our partners and clients. We have received commendations for our work from government officials and clients alike. Acknowledgement of our special feature as a useful marketing tool in promoting the country and an effective platform to voice the current economic and political climate is evident from the letters of recommendation we have received.  The same has been true of our work in Slovenia - where our professionalism was highly appreciated as were the concrete results of physical enquiries to the Milan-based Slovenian Tourist Board.

By working in unison with global communications departments our reports directly complement the marketing and communications strategy of our client.  Yet the context of our special reports means that their role in the economic landscape is highlighted not only through positive reporting on their contribution to the success of the country's economy but also through highly effective advertising that is not "run of print" (ROP). 

According to a survey by MediaPlus Research Ltd 2003 which is even quoted on the Economist website "advertisements (placed) in editorial special report sections are more likely to be seen and read".  Indeed the context of a special report (non-ROP) offers "advertisers the opportunity to maximise impact with a long-lasting advertisement in a medium which is kept for reference".   

A Valuable and Valued Tool - Energy Becomes Synergy

We find it enormously rewarding to work with different cultures looking to increase awareness and highlight the successful aspects of their nation, sector and/or company. We may have worked on the field for a long time but we never tire of our winning collaborations with clients and are happy to have a growing number of "satisfied customers". There is always something new to learn in this job and there is always room for improvement so we strive to reach new heights with every project we do.  

While we are aware that Special Advertising Sections, Special Reports and Special Promotional Features have historically prompted some criticism for being too commercial, we aim to produce balanced editorial that reflects the situation in a positive manner aimed at informing the reader without being subjective.  We are confident of the impact that our reports can have on raising awareness of countries, leading or successful companies and on altering people's perceptions. Advertising in a special report or section not only increases the attention readers pay to advertisements but raises the profile of country in which the institution operates or is based. 

In lots of countries, particularly emerging markets, the development of many sectors relies on foreign capital and many countries remain starved of FDI due to a lack of awareness of opportunities or due to a lack of investor confidence. When was the last time you picked up a newspaper or turned on the TV to see some "good news" about an African country or growing Asian company? Our reports go some way towards counter-balancing the way in which the world sees such countries. By opening the window on the vision of opportunities we hope to encourage a different point of view, interest and to a certain extent reverse these tendencies to report only negative stories.

Despite the diffusion of various alternative medium (in particular television and internet) print media remains an extremely powerful medium. Far from suffering its forewarned demise the success of international media, both magazines and newspapers are enjoying the same, if not increased, levels of readership and effectiveness.

Striving To Build Relationships That Last

Input That Improves Output

As a professional team we invest ourselves wholeheartedly in our projects and in finding solutions that satisfy all parties. Indeed we aim to build long-term relationships with all our clients with an aim to fulfilling or advising clients as to how to plan their marketing strategy in the years to come.

We welcome the future cooperation of entities, be they from the public or private sector, in order to elaborate these special features. Partners in our previous projects can testify to the depth of our research and understanding in both cultural and business terms. 

We will happily provide copies of our previous work we have undertaken, references and copies of letters of recommendation to any potential clients upon request.  Please kindly email us outlining your interest and we will be in touch shortly!

Wise Moves or Winking in the Dark?

We Add Value to Your Ad Campaign

Our reports have the power to change people's perceptions, challenge pre-conceived ideas and arouse interest. At the same time they offer our clients the opportunity to promote their position in the economic landscape of the country, raise brand awareness in the target market and often demonstrate their willingness to branch out or find joint venture partners.

Why just run an ad campaign when you can actually have added value by having accompanying editorial which places you in the economic landscape? Publicity within a special promotional feature places the advertisement in a rich context and means that its impact is maximised. Advertising is everywhere in our world from bill boards to TV commercials but how often does it directly relate to the subject matter? In our case - every time.  And for those who think they don’t need to advertise, we have one humorous opinion for you…As Stuart Henderson puts it "doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does".  

So let us help the world know what you are doing and how well you are doing it. Don't hope that someone will 'Google' you or discover you by chance. While the worldwide web has put information at our fingertips, let us not forget that "true interactivity is not about clicking icons or downloading files, it's about encouraging communication"². For "communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing"³ 

Have Your Say! We Welcome Your Participation

Do you have a success story to tell the rest of the world? Are you a nation or company looking to raise awareness in a particular country, market or segment but struggling to find the right solution?

If this is you or you are just interested in our current activities or would like to collaborate with us in the future please contact us by email at email@sorchahellyer.com or info@nexuscom.info

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

 1 - Quote by Edwin Schlossberg / 2 - Quote by Gloria Borger / 3 - Quote by Rollo May