Society Marketing Communications

Society Marketing Communications (SOCIETY) is a creative communications agency that provides services including marketing communications, public relations, events, advertising, content, influencer and ambassador marketing, and digital and paid media.

Industry:

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

Sector:

Other

Solution:

Working Capital

Region:

North America

Need

SOCIETY identified an opportunity to expand into the US market but needed financial support to do so quickly and effectively. 

Solution

We provided SOCIETY with the finance it needed, which enabled the business to launch its operations in the US within just 60 days.

When the opportunity to expand globally arises, having the finance in place to enable growth is critical. When SOCIETY determined that the right time to move into the US was immediate, we were able to provide the finance it needed to launch into the market.

Founder and CEO of SOCIETY, Dena Vassallo, created the marketing communications firm SOCIETY to revolutionise how agencies support brands and organisations that are positively shaping our societies. The agency takes a people-first approach, helping brands become more connected and loved—no matter their size.

SOCIETY's unique offering lies in its approach: working with community-minded brands and organisations to spark conversations within communities and society and then building marketing activities around those conversations.

Export Finance Australia was vital for us to launch as quickly as we did because it wasn’t originally the plan. When I made that first trip, I thought we’d start exporting six to 12 months down the road, not for it to be two months later. It was vital to have that support so we could harness that opportunity immediately.”

Dena Vassallo

Founder and CEO, Society Marketing Communications

“We work with organisations that are deeply embedded in communities,” Dena explained. “They might have business operations all over Australia, from Northern Territory to Sydney Metro. They have a real stake in how we live and work and play as Australians, which was a point of view that we felt we could bring into other markets and that would resonate and be meaningful.”

SOCIETY has worked with clients in New Zealand, Singapore and the US, but following the border closures in 2020, Dena chose to focus her efforts more locally. It wasn’t until 2023 that Dena began exploring whether it was time to reconsider the export market.

Empowering growth and expansion

With tentative plans to begin exporting in six to 12 months, Dena travelled to the US to gauge demand for her services on the other side of the Pacific. However, it soon became clear that the US market was in a similar condition to Australia.

“The market was very similar to when we launched in Australia,” Dena said. “I thought, this is a business problem I know how to solve, I have done this once where the sentiment was similar. So, I knew how they were feeling, and I could understand what they felt that was missing from a professional agency relationship.”

We were able to provide a loan that enabled SOCIETY to launch its operations in the US within just 60 days, an extraordinarily quick turnaround by any standard.

“Working with Export Finance Australia has given us a pretty exciting opportunity to extend the success we’ve had here into overseas markets.”

Harnessing opportunities and shaping the future

The finance was primarily used to support market development in the US, including to cover initial costs associated with exporting, such as legal, finance and cash flow including between currencies.

This financial support enabled SOCIETY to conduct a roadshow across the US, including Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, in February 2024. Following the roadshow, SOCIETY secured a number of US clients.

For SOCIETY, this assistance was a “game changer,” Dena said.

“Ultimately, successfully exporting comes down to surrounding yourself with the right partners to set you up for success.

“We needed Export Finance Australia, just like we need fantastic lawyers and accountants in both markets. If you don’t have the right accounting, finance and legal partners – partners that understand you – it’s going to make it a lot more difficult.”

As for what comes next, SOCIETY plans to continue exporting its creativity and unique services, employing more people in the US and Australia as they grow and exploring further opportunities in other markets like the UK and Canada.

Society Marketing Communications

Need

Solution

Empowering growth and expansion

Harnessing opportunities and shaping the future

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