Flow Communications

Public relations

Flow’s passionate and dedicated public relations (PR) team offers effective and relevant ideas on building brands, developing and protecting corporate reputations, establishing long-term relationships with stakeholders, contributing towards the profitability of a business, and minimising the impact of reputation-damaging incidents.

We achieve this by using creative ideas based on a holistic strategy. We recognise the role of traditional media and new media as efficient channels to take a message or position to market, and create strategies that make the most effective use of innovative technologies that are changing the face of communications.

As a business, we look at the challenge before recommending a solution. We develop systems, procedures and tactics for our clients to allow them to simplify and effectively manage complex processes when dealing with a diverse stakeholder base with varied needs.

We have a diverse range of clients, from global brands to smaller, sometimes rather quirky clients.

Malala Yousafzai and the Flow Communications team at the 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture 2023
Malala Yousafzai and the Flow Communications team at the 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in 2023.

Services

Flow’s public relations (PR) team at a year-end event.
Flow’s public relations (PR) team at a year-end event.

Media relations

  • Media plans/strategies
  • Media lists
  • Media lobbying for coverage
  • Media relationship-building
  • Media training
  • Briefing material for clients prior to all interactions with media
  • Producing and placing opinion pieces
  • Evaluating media trends and providing feedback to clients
  • Development of press material – press statements, background information, bite books (standard responses and key messages), holding statements, Q&As, etc.
  • Media monitoring
  • Media coverage reports
  • Media analysis

    Communications strategy development (holistic)

    • Internal
    • External

    Communications plans

    We develop detailed implementation tactics that clearly specify what we are going to do, when, how and to what end.

    Reputation management

    • Leveraging all communications tools to create, enhance and defend the reputation of a business
    • Specialist skills in the relatively new area of online reputation management

      Crisis management

      • Developing early-warning systems
      • Prioritising issues
      • Identifying and training crisis teams
      • Developing holding statements
      • Developing Q&As
      • Developing and continually evaluating crisis management systems
      • Conducting systems-readiness tests
      • Specialist crisis media training

      In 2017, Flow won a gold Loerie in the Public Relations category for the Nando’s Reconciliation Table campaign. We also won gold at the 2017 New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards in the Online PR category, for Filmfinity’s (previously Ster-Kinekor Entertainment) Ghostbusters promotional campaign.

      At the 2018 PRISM Awards, Flow won gold in the Healthcare category for its SANBS Hyperimmune Campaign, and in the 2018 New Generation Awards, Flow won a silver for Best Online PR Campaign for the 16th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, presented by Barack Obama.

      Twenty twenty-two was a big year for the team, as we walked away with 21 trophies at the PRISM Awards, including Best Large Public Relations Consultancy of the Year.

      In 2023, we won 14 awards at the PRISMs, including gold for our work on the launch of the Johannesburg-Abidjan Air Côte d’Ivoire route and silver in the Best Large Public Relations Consultancy category.

      And in 2024, we earned 18 accolades at the PRISMs, including Best Large Public Relations Consultancy of the Year for the second time in three years, and gold in the Recognition in PR Leadership category for our head of PR, Caroline Smith.

      Caroline Smith and Saajidah Suliman of Flow Communications. Caroline (left) won a gold PRISM award in the Recognition in PR Leadership category 2024.
      Caroline Smith and Saajidah Suliman of Flow Communications. Caroline (left) won a gold PRISM Award in the Recognition in PR Leadership category, for 2024.

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