Proa Comunicación has conducted a market study on the communication habits of Private Equity in Spain. To do so, it has analysed the practices of the main GPs, LPs and advisors in the Spanish private equity industry. Despite the fact that communication in the sector has evolved a lot in recent years, it is still possible to imagine and implement several points for improvement.
Just as Spanish SMEs have to internationalise to create value, so too must the communication of the GPs that invest in them. The Spanish GPs that score worst in this respect are those in the lower and mid-market.
Most GPs and media agencies assume that small ticket transactions are of no interest outside Spain. The truth is that there is a large number of specialised media outlets that report on this type of transaction. deals on a daily basis, both at European and global level. Examples include Real Deals, Unquote, The Drawdown, Private Equity International, Private Equity News, Alt Assets, PE Hub, Private Equity Wire o PitchBook Newsamong others.
Each of these media has its specialisation within specialisation. For example, while the core of the reading public of Real Deals y Unquote are the mid-market GPs and their advisors, the focus of Private Equity International y Alt Assets are the LPs, while The Drawdown concentrates on the Chief Operating Officers. Other media such as Dow Jones o Bloomberg reserve their time and space for large-scale operations of buyout while pursuing exclusives.
It can also be said that the bad habit of sending press releases first to the national media in Spanish and a few days later to the international media in English is quite widespread in Spain. This practice reduces the impact of press releases in the international media because the incentive for an editor to publish information that other media published days before is less, especially if his Anglo-Saxon competitor picked up the information in Spanish and translated it into English before him.
Therefore, in an ideal world, Spanish private equity players should post their press releases in both Spanish and English on the news section of their website. As far as possible, these releases should include an image related to the investee or the team in question so that the media can illustrate their articles. They should also specify whether a spokesperson is available to clarify or elaborate on the information as this maximises the chances of getting more and better quality space in the publication.
Imperfect information
Many GPs think that once they make their statement public on the web, the whole community will pick up their news instantly. This would be true if the market functioned in practice as perfect information economic models do in theory, but the reality is that messages have to be distributed through several channels to reach their destination effectively. This dissemination effort becomes even more important in a world increasingly saturated with information where it is not only necessary to send a message but also to highlight it with content that generates interest.
When a media outlet publishes a story online, its competitors tend to publish the same story on the same day. For this reason, when a private equity firm posts a press release on its website, it should distribute it instantly to both national and international media specialised in the sector. Likewise, the stakeholders interested in the GP's activities should have the option of subscribing to an newsletter with alerts about the company's latest news after filling in a form.
Reaching foreign media is of great value to domestic GPs considering that the bulk of Spanish LPs do not invest in Spain and most international LPs do not have a mandate to invest in the country. So it is difficult for them to hear from you if your company communicates little outside Spain. On the other hand, there are several cases of GPs who received calls from international LPs to invest in their fund after some news appeared in the specialised media that convinced the LP of the viability of their project, thus saving thousands of euros in investment fees. placement agents.
A different problem is that of the offices of large international funds operating in Spain, which tend to be very cautious when communicating in order to avoid contradictions or conflicts with their headquarters. The most appropriate thing for the Spanish offices of these international funds is to carefully coordinate their message with the head offices, without stepping on egos and balancing the timing. However, there are occasions when the interests of the head office and the subsidiary differ. In these cases, the subsidiary can filter messages using the off-the-record so that it sends its message to the market without appearing to have done so.
Similarly, it is important for advisors to obtain approval from their clients to communicate the processes in which they have been involved. In this way, they are able to build their brand and position themselves as experts to potential clients in particular sectors or types of transactions without incurring advertising costs. Sector reports and guest commentaries on current affairs are another way of achieving the same objective.
Beyond the media
In addition to the specialised media, it is also essential to maintain fluid communication with alternative asset data providers such as Preqin, Pitchbook, Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, Dow Jones o S&P Global Market Intelligence. A number of LPs, GPs and advisors use these tools to find opportunities, so it is important that the information contained therein is up to date and correct.
Participation in certain events such as SuperReturn o la Private Equity Iberian Conference is also a communication channel to generate business and networking. To maximise your chances of success, the ideal thing to do on these occasions is to know in advance who will be attending the event so that you can arrange meetings in advance with the people and companies you want to do business with.
In addition to communicating outwards, GPs should also communicate inwards. Good internal communication practices include bringing together the different companies in your portfolio to build team feeling and generate synergies. Inviting LPs to the offices to meet in person all members of the investment team and hear first-hand from the management of investee companies is another interesting option.
In an increasingly competitive market with a record number of active firms, it is vital to understand exactly who you are and what makes you different from the rest. That's why conducting regular surveys among the stakeholders to know the industry's perception of your company is always a step in the right direction.
If you would like to receive more information on how your company could create value through communication send us an e-mail to info@proacomunicacion.es or call us on (+34) 910882334.