Peru's mining industry has a PR problem - Grupo Leo can help

This week, Southern Copper CEO Óscar González announced that the company could extend the 60-day temporary pause of the company’s controversial Tía María copper mining project. He explained that the company is considering this option to give it time to implement a full communication campaign, “so people are more aware of the project, so talks can be held and there can be direct communication to clear up any doubts they may have.”

We at Grupo Leo welcome this decision from Southern Copper. It seems that mining companies operating in Peru are finally coming to understand that their mining projects will not just sell themselves. The benefits of these large mining projects are little understood by the local communities and by Peruvians across the country, and the companies cannot outsource their communication strategy to the Peruvian government. The Peruvian government needs to play the role of a bridge between the local communities and the mining companies, but the mining companies must be in charge of their own message.

Carlos Santa Cruz, ex vice president for Latin America at Newmont Mining, believes that both the mining companies and the Peruvian government need to invest more resources in publicizing mining’s benefits for the people of Peru. He argues that mining’s reputation in Peru has taken a beating, and it’s now beholden on the sector to go out and education the country.

We at Grupo Leo make an excellent partner for both private mining companies and the Peruvian government for these communication projects.  We work with both public and private sector clients in educating hard-to-reach communities about complicated, important problems. We are adept at developing communication strategies, implementing those strategies, and then measuring their effectiveness and adjusting our messaging as needed. Let us know how we can help; we’re ready to go.