The MGP blog periodically features our global PR partners and journalists to give readers insight into both industries. Today we’re happy to share a Q&A with Barbara Gemma La Malfa, the founder of Seigradi, a Milan-based boutique PR agency. Seigradi is more than two decades old and has worked with startups and established brands. 

What is the name of your PR firm, where are you based, and what market(s) do you serve? 

Seigradi is a Milan-based boutique PR agency serving tech companies. We work with well-established multinationals, assisting them in their entry into our market, and with young innovative start-ups. The (company) name comes from the theory of the “six degrees of separation” formulated in the 1960s by the sociologist Stanley Milgram: Each person in the world can reach another one only through six intermediate steps. 

What made you want to start a PR agency?

Since I was a teenager, I have loved to read newspapers and magazines and even sniff the smell of printed paper! I wanted to become a journalist and war correspondent. I studied marketing and economics at La Sapienza University in Rome, and during the summer, I worked as a tourist guide. After my degree, I met someone who offered me an internship in a PR agency in Milan specializing in tech. It was love at first sight. In 2003 I decided to open Seigradi because I wanted to serve clients with a different approach, more personalized and tailor-made. We continue to offer the same approach to our clients 20 years later. 

What sectors do you specialize in, and what makes your PR firm unique? 

We have experience in advising international and local companies. We can develop and maintain positive relations with the public and support expansion, coordinate with teams globally and still move autonomously without client PR on the ground. We offer the same presence and involvement the client would require from an employee.

What are the most important factors in making a relationship with a client and PR firm work? Equally, what is the most important factor in building relationships with journalists in your market? 

We work together with our clients offering strategic consultancy fuelled by enthusiasm, passion, and tenacity. Once the PR strategy is planned, we can work autonomously, adapting to company dynamics and timing. We are not afraid of working fast, and we like challenges. As for journalists, the most important factor in building relationships is firstly knowing your target media, what they write about, their style of journalism, and who their readers are. 

 Can you share something unique about PR in your particular market?

A strategic part of the new way of doing PR in Italy is the storytelling approach which focuses on taking groundbreaking, complicated ideas and translating them into easy-to-understand, convincing storylines and developing differentiated messages to create true break-out moments. The results are byline or opinion articles that are appreciated by Italian media, not only vertical ones but also mainstream and general titles. 

Can you tell us about one client story you were particularly delighted to see? 

We are happy and proud to have changed one of our long-standing clients’ minds regarding PR in Italy. The client is Trustpilot. After some bad experiences with PR in Italy, they were skeptical but agreed to another trial, trusting Seigradi.  We started PR activities in Italy for Trustpilot in May 2018. Since then, Trustpilot obtained a 38.5% increase in the share of voice compared to Q2 2018. 

Where is your company going next? What are your aspirations? Anything else you want to share? 

In almost 20 years, we’ve had the honor to work for many clients, ranging from start-ups to mid-size to Fortune 500 companies. As the communication tools change, we will evolve to offer our clients new communication services.

The MGP blog periodically features our global PR partners and journalists to give readers insight into both industries. Today we’re happy to share a Q&A with Barbara Gemma La Malfa, the founder of Seigradi, a Milan-based boutique PR agency. Seigradi is more than two decades old and has worked with startups and established brands. 

What is the name of your PR firm, where are you based, and what market(s) do you serve? 

Seigradi is a Milan-based boutique PR agency serving tech companies. We work with well-established multinationals, assisting them in their entry into our market, and with young innovative start-ups. The (company) name comes from the theory of the “six degrees of separation” formulated in the 1960s by the sociologist Stanley Milgram: Each person in the world can reach another one only through six intermediate steps. 

What made you want to start a PR agency?

Since I was a teenager, I have loved to read newspapers and magazines and even sniff the smell of printed paper! I wanted to become a journalist and war correspondent. I studied marketing and economics at La Sapienza University in Rome, and during the summer, I worked as a tourist guide. After my degree, I met someone who offered me an internship in a PR agency in Milan specializing in tech. It was love at first sight. In 2003 I decided to open Seigradi because I wanted to serve clients with a different approach, more personalized and tailor-made. We continue to offer the same approach to our clients 20 years later. 

What sectors do you specialize in, and what makes your PR firm unique? 

We have experience in advising international and local companies. We can develop and maintain positive relations with the public and support expansion, coordinate with teams globally and still move autonomously without client PR on the ground. We offer the same presence and involvement the client would require from an employee.

What are the most important factors in making a relationship with a client and PR firm work? Equally, what is the most important factor in building relationships with journalists in your market? 

We work together with our clients offering strategic consultancy fuelled by enthusiasm, passion, and tenacity. Once the PR strategy is planned, we can work autonomously, adapting to company dynamics and timing. We are not afraid of working fast, and we like challenges. As for journalists, the most important factor in building relationships is firstly knowing your target media, what they write about, their style of journalism, and who their readers are. 

 Can you share something unique about PR in your particular market?

A strategic part of the new way of doing PR in Italy is the storytelling approach which focuses on taking groundbreaking, complicated ideas and translating them into easy-to-understand, convincing storylines and developing differentiated messages to create true break-out moments. The results are byline or opinion articles that are appreciated by Italian media, not only vertical ones but also mainstream and general titles. 

Can you tell us about one client story you were particularly delighted to see? 

We are happy and proud to have changed one of our long-standing clients’ minds regarding PR in Italy. The client is Trustpilot. After some bad experiences with PR in Italy, they were skeptical but agreed to another trial, trusting Seigradi.  We started PR activities in Italy for Trustpilot in May 2018. Since then, Trustpilot obtained a 38.5% increase in the share of voice compared to Q2 2018. 

Where is your company going next? What are your aspirations? Anything else you want to share? 

In almost 20 years, we’ve had the honor to work for many clients, ranging from start-ups to mid-size to Fortune 500 companies. As the communication tools change, we will evolve to offer our clients new communication services.