Midas PR

Sometimes opposites attract, and if lucky they click and work success is difficult to avoid. Midas PR, formed in 2007, is a young business that believes it has the right ingredients. Director talked to owners Karin Lohitnavy-Frick, Master Connector, and Carlos Ballesteros, Master Mind, to find out more.

Karin Lohitnavy-Frick

We met at a party and Carlos played the chivalrous gentleman saving me from a situation. Then we had lots of conversations and noticed our many complementary qualities. I’m creative and an ideas person, whereas he is more reflective and into organizing. I’m the talker and he’s the walker.

I’ve always been a business owner and I came to Thailand because I needed a change of life, to rediscover myself. I felt I’d reached a point in my ‘previous’ life where I was turning around in circles. Coming to Thailand was like a rebirth.

Midas PR is different from other agencies as we believe in having many different kinds of clients. We have an art gallery, catering company, hotels, IT, security, finance - you name it, we have it. We like diversity in order to offer a unique service. If you have 10 automobile industry clients, it’s very difficult to give 100% to each of them. If you have one client per industry, you can pour all your talents into one. The connection of these clients together usually gives a wonderful cocktail.

Carlos and I are not typical Europeans as both of us have a very strong Asian spirit. Our ideas and experience with our Thai team gives us a 360 degree approach to things. We are a savvy mix of east and west and we can help our clients by merging the best of both worlds.

Carlos and I are a great team. He’s very methodical, very conscientious. He likes to be organised; he likes to know everything absolutely in advance because he doesn’t like to be surprised. I like things to happen: I believe in constructive chaos. I’m the sprinter and he’s the marathon runner.

I’m a multi-tasker, undertaking so many different activities and I need to be doing all these things to offer the company and the clients everything that they deserve. I’m always trying to perfect my time management skills, with the emphasis on improving the art of delegation.

To be able to work effectively with a client, there has to be mutual selection. How can you move together positively if you’re not partners?

Western companies are into bottom-lines. Thai companies have a strong giving back to society mentality. We manage the two expectations and can also help slowly convince the western companies to understand Asian culture.

We are doing PR on a pro bono basis for three charities. We advised one of our clients, a hotel, on carbon neutrality. They translated the amount of energy they’re using into the number of trees they plant here in Thailand. Another client, an art gallery, is affiliated with ‘Buy 1 Get 1’, a charity that we support. Every time a client buys a painting from them, someone in the region gets food, books, etc. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

We are connectors. We connect people with NGOs, organisations, clients with clients; we make opportunities for mutual growth. Some of our clients benefit from taking part in CSR projects as it raises awareness and gives back to society making you achieve much more in positive ways. PR is all about generating opportunities, organising events, producing synergies and opening doors bringing people and ideas together.

Before advertising was big, today PR is taking a big step forward because we’re now in a society where people don’t believe in advertising like they used to. We’ve become such a global society; facebook, my space, skype, google, wikipedia. Nowadays, we believe in the value of our peers. PR is the answer to people who want to grow awareness and make their products stand out. Using the same initial investment you get so much more value out of PR because third party endorsement rings a bell of truth - the future of business communication is indisputably PR!

Carlos Ballesteros

I used to work with Karin’s brother but funnily, that’s not how we were introduced. We met each other by coincidence in Bangkok. We then developed a friendship over 4 years before starting our business together.

I worked with Nestlé for 13 years and worked in Vietnam before I came to Thailand. That was three years ago. For me, starting up my own business was a very big decision as I had a good career and good prospects. I came here at a point in my life where I needed something new. It was the right moment, the right time and the right place. In Karin I found the missing link: somebody who can be my partner and who is reliable. She’s also very talented and convinced me to join forces.

We are unique in the sense of how we are composed. Karin comes from PR and advertising. I have a strong background in marketing. The third member of our team used to be a journalist so she has a lot of editorial experience. At Midas we are not just about providing pure PR: we also propose activities that are related to business development. We want our clients to grow their business with us. In many cases our proposals are more hands-on and sales driven.

Karin knows what she can expect from me and I know what I can expect from her. When we work on a project, Karin focuses on things she thrives at and I’ll focus on what I’m best at. That’s our recipe for success.

Of course if you work closely with someone there are moments of divergence. Karin is extremely multi-tasking - sometimes I wonder how she can do a million things at the same time. It’s a quality many women have and I guess we men will never understand it.

Sometimes I wish I could be more patient if things don’t go as I imagine. I believe in learning something new every day in order to improve myself. Eventually, I’ll also learn to tame my impatience- it’s the Mediterranean blood in me.

Karin has a knack for combining different clients. If with one activity we can satisfy three clients at the same time, for each of them it means increasing their business.

We also believe in giving something back to society. For example, there are lots of people who die on the road in developing countries like Thailand and Vietnam. These fatalities often affect whole families and economically result in a loss of GDP estimated at between 1.5% and 2% per year. I came across an NGO called “Asia Injury Prevention Foundation” which did a fantastic job in Vietnam and now are going to launch their programme in Thailand. Their aim is to reduce fatalities on the street and traffic accidents. We both believe in this NGO so much that we instantly agreed to work on a pro bono basis.

When we propose CSR to our clients, one of the most important things is the relevance for their individual needs. We carefully look at the kind of business our client is operating and how the core of its activities can be linked with the CSR project. For example, the hotel that replants trees makes sense because the hotel uses a lot of water and energy.

One of the most rewarding things is to see a client that is happy, knowing that we’re able to add value to their business. That’s extremely rewarding. Yes, we’re Midas, the agency with the golden touch!