Sherlock Communications is a state of the art Nicaraguan and Latin American PR and digital marketing agency. Insight, Service, Results.
THE BRIDGE TO SUCCESS IN NICARAGUA
THE BRIDGE TO SUCCESS IN NICARAGUA
Sherlock Communications is a state of the art Nicaraguan and Latin American PR and digital marketing agency. Insight, Service, Results.
PR in Nicaragua – Our Story
Any international company wishing to thrive in the market can benefit from working with a Nicaragua PR agency that understands the unique cultural idiosyncrasies of the country, but also has an international perspective.
Whether you are a consumer brand, business services provider or a disruptive tech start-up, Sherlock Communications is a unique among PR agencies in Nicaragua in offering an award-winning team that combines local insight and media contacts, but also decades of international experience.
Whether it’s media relations, social and digital media, influencer campaigns, performance marketing or inbound lead generation, Sherlock’s Nicaraguan team has a proven track record of delivering great results for international clients, from disruptive tech companies to blue-chip brands.
Market Overview
Nicaragua, the largest nation in Central America, is a country full of natural resources, human capital, a solid legal framework, and abundant investment opportunities.
The country is run as a presidential representative democratic republic, made up of four political branches which include the executive branch, legislative branch, electoral branch and the judicial branch.
The current government system follows the Constitution of 1987. Its President, Daniel Ortega, is both the head of state and the head of government and represents the Sandinista National Liberation Front.
The Media Landscape
Nicaraguans consume most of their news on radio and TV. Nicaragua’s TV networks and more than 100 radio stations broadcast opinions for and against the government.
Other programs include local productions, international series, comedies, movies and more. Cable TV is also popular amongst people in urbanized areas (Including Ameri-Cable and Estesa). The largest TV channel in Nicaragua is Televicentro Canal 2, which also has the widest coverage. Estestas Canal 63 or 100% Notícias broadcast local and international news 24 hours a day. Telenica Canal 8 is the most popular TV channel in Nicaragua.
Major newspapers include La Prensa, El Nuevo Diario, Trinchera, La Jornada, Bolsa de Noticias, La Noticia and Hoy. The Internet has essentially provided a means for newspapers and other media organisations to deliver news and, significantly, the means to look up old news. Some organisations only make limited amounts of their output available for free and charge for access to the rest. Other organisations allow their archives to be freely browsed.
There were 1.9 million internet users by 2017, around 60% of the population and 2.2 million active social media users and 8.8 million mobile subscriptions.
The Economy
The main economic revenue is based on agriculture, forestry and fishing, trade, hotels and restaurants, manufacturing and personal and business services. In 2015, Nicaraguan exports of goods and services came to a figure of $4.8 billion and imports of goods and services $7 billion. In 2016, unemployment in Nicaragua stood at 5.9%, which is a huge improvement from ten years ago when it was a substantial 46.5%.
The country is continuing to overcome the after-effects of dictatorship, civil war and natural disasters but since the financial crisis of 2009, Nicaragua has experienced considerable economic growth and by 2016, its GDP growth rate was 4.7%. This growth has been led by pro-business legislations and the facilitation of administrative procedures. In 2016, foreign investment totalled 1.442 million USD.
In an attempt to become an increasingly globalised country, Nicaragua in recent year has joined regional, multilateral and bilateral agreements. It is currently part of the Central American Common Market (MCCA) and has also established free trade agreements with several countries including the United States, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Chile and the European Union.
Although traditionally the Nicaragua relied on agricultural exports to sustain its economy, it is hoping to launch one of the world’s most ambitious infrastructure schemes – a canal project to rival that of the Panama Canal.
Politically there have been controversies with the left-wing Sandinista president, Daniel Ortega with concerns about family members and honesty in opinion polls, however he has strong support from the country’s poor, who account for more than a third of the population and who have benefitted from his social programmes.
During Ortega’s presidency, Nicaragua has experienced stable economic growth, poverty levels have fallen and there is relatively low violence compared to elsewhere in Central America.
Remittances are a major source of income, being the equivalent to 15% of the country’s GDP, which originate primarily from Costa Rica, the United States, and European Union member states. About one million Nicaraguans working abroad contribute to the remittance sector of the economy.
Although traditional products such as coffee, meat, and sugar continue to lead the list of Nicaraguan exports, the fastest growth is now in non-traditional exports: textiles and apparel; gold; seafood; and new agricultural products such as peanuts, sesame, melons, and onions.
Textiles and apparel now account for nearly 60% of Nicaragua’s exports.
Tourism in Nicaragua has grown considerably in recent years and it is now the second largest industry in the nation. It is hoped that this growth will help combat poverty and it has also positively affected the agricultural, commercial and finance industries, as well as construction. The results for Nicaragua’s tourism-driven economy have been significant, with the nation welcoming one million tourists in one year for the first time in its history in 2010.
In 2016, the total contribution of travel and tourism to employment, including jobs indirectly supported by visitor exports generated USD 630.9 million which amounted to 12.7% of total exports. Investment in the sector was USD 161.3 million in 2016, predicted to rise by 6.5% in 2017, and then by 3.7% every year over the next ten years to USD 248.2 million in 2027 – 3.9% of total.
The merging of different cultures within Nicaragua has caused the dawn of a creative and lively native cultural identity. The country is known as the land of poets and Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío is seen as the father of Spanish-American literary movement, Modernism. Nicaragua is a country keen on its music and dance and Marimbas and folkloric dance varieties give vibrancy to its country-wide fiestas. Its art tends to reflect the country’s history and natural environment.
The Capital City – Managua
Managua, with a population of 1,480,270, is the largest city in the country in terms of the number of residents and geographic reach, with a municipality which includes other cities such as Ciudad Sandino and Tipitapa, bringing the total population to around 2.2 million. It is also the seat of government and state powers.
The population is composed mainly of mestizos and whites who are mainly of Spanish descent, with a minority being of French, Jewish Nicaraguan, German Nicaraguan, Italian, Russian and Turkish descent.
New governmental buildings, galleries, museums, apartments, squares, promenades, monuments, restaurants, night time entertainment, broad avenues and boat tours on Lake Managua have all resurrected part of downtown Managua’s former vitality.
If you would like to learn more about PR in Nicaragua, find out how Sherlock Communications can help you meet your business objectives in Nicaragua or simply have an informal chat do call or drop us a line:
If you would like to learn more about PR in Nicaragua, find out how Sherlock Communications can help you meet your business objectives in Nicaragua or simply have an informal chat do call or drop us a line: