Portugal is one of the biggest producers in the world. It just needs to show it.

Have you ever asked a Portuguese on what they are good and recognized worldwide? It’s very likely they will “we are the best shoe producers, the biggest cork exporters and we have the best football player in the world”.

But there is more: Portugal has the biggest bike production line in Europe; we are, for the third time, the best European tourist destination; Portugal was considered the third most peaceful country in the world and, in 2016, we were in the news all over the world because, for 4 days in a row, we used only renewable energy.

We are, in fact, at the forefront, competing with the industry heavyweights. And we know it well.

We fight daily to make the “Made in Portugal” label a prestigious reality around the world because we also realized that this means quality. But there is indeed something we are not doing.

In 2013, António Mota (Mota Engil) was asked what would be the problem – only one – that he would solve in the Portuguese industry [and economy] – if it had this capacity?

“Lack of confidence.”, he answered.

We could not agree more. There is, in fact, a problem of trust that goes across the entire country. We know – and we showed it already – that we can be at the same level as the best in the world, whether it’s in industry, tourism, football, etc. But we act as if we were not.

Dear Portuguese industry, we need to talk.

There is a problem with the Portuguese industry: it has the best raw materials, manpower, know-how and yet the world knows little about what is being done here. We are good producers, but we are not the best promoters.

It is intrinsic to us – and goes beyond the industry sector – in this thing of being Portuguese. We do not exuberantly expose ourselves, we have difficulty displaying our qualities and there is something that prevents us from sharing our achievements with the world.

But what is, in fact, the problem?

We [at 67 Creative Agency] are not psychologists. Nor do we want to be, but we are aware of the difficulties of communication and self-promotion that characterizes the Portuguese industry, especially in the international market.

It is common for us to find companies with more than 30 years of experience, with higher quality, but from whom the city next door, or even our neighbors in Spain, never heard about.

We often find very strong leaders with collaborators of a very high level of excellence, but without any international communication strategy for their products.

But how is that possible? That’s what we ask ourselves too.

We realize that the Portuguese are great at producing, finding new solutions, having ideas, creating, serving the customer in the best way. But what about communicating that? Not really. It’s common to think “let’s leave that for later”.

The problem lies there.

It’s useless to be the best if no one knows it. It is urgent to empower companies to communicate to the international market, to value their work and to be recognized.

Why should Portuguese companies communicate to the world what they do?

We already witnessed, during the economic crisis – is it safe to say we’re out? – to the phenomenon of internationalization of a large part of the Portuguese industrial sector. We saw Portuguese companies – who had a good portfolio of customers at a national level – start paying more attention to the existing potential outside our country.

With the crisis (and in its follow-up), the Portuguese CEOs realized that the government stopped investing or reduced the investment in the private sector. This generated a more proactive attitude by some Portuguese companies, who saw the potential of international markets.

They realized they were able to achieve a higher level of profit with an international client who, otherwise, in Portugal would never succeed. It gave them the possibility to charge higher prices and consequently evolve in terms of business and contribute more to the country (for GDP and employment).

But in order to achieve this it was necessary a growth strategy that went through a process of internationalization and a communication plan aiming for the international markets.

These measurements brought, in the long term, many advantages:

• Production increase, and consequently bigger sales;
• More jobs were created;
• Salaries increased;
• A Portuguese positive trade balance.

How can the Portuguese companies showcase what they do best?

You can understand how your business can thrive internationally, taking into account the actions that can be taken:

• Business plan with priority to internationalization;
• Internal restructuring – with goals & mindset for international markets;
• Target company communication abroad. 

And this is where we step in: to help you communicate what you have best to the world. We want to be part of your change and we are ready to meet new challenges with you and start promoting you across borders. Whether you’re a Portuguese company or an international brand.

If you would like to chat and exchange ideas call us at +351 223 170 101 or write us an email to info@67.pt. Find out what we can do for your business.