A Brazilian digital consultancy has become the first official Automattic for Agencies partner in Latin America. Consultings Company, founded by Julia and Gianmarco Schiavi in 2024, secured the partnership by exclusively building client projects on the WordPress.com platform. The designation highlights the growing demand for owned digital infrastructure in the region’s business landscape.
The firm’s core mission is to assist businesses in constructing comprehensive digital ecosystems, which include social media strategy, customer relationship management automation, brand positioning, and website development. The partnership with Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com and WooCommerce, provides a formal framework for this work.
Emphasis on Owned Digital Assets
Julia Schiavi frequently advises clients on the strategic importance of investing in their own websites. She argues that while social media platforms are useful, they represent rented space subject to external rules and risks. A proprietary website, in contrast, is a foundational owned asset.
This perspective is informed by direct experience. The consultancy previously worked with a client who operated a business solely through a WhatsApp channel linked from an Instagram profile. When WhatsApp blocked the account without warning, the client lost all customer interactions and data accumulated on the platform overnight.
“She lost everything that she had inside WhatsApp,” Schiavi stated. The incident underscored the consultancy’s argument that businesses must capture and control their own audience data, as platform follower counts do not equate to a owned client base.
Platform Standardization for Reliability
To ensure consistency and reliability, Consultings Company mandates the use of WordPress.com hosting in all client contracts. This requirement is not presented as optional. Schiavi explained that this policy guarantees the security, support, and structural stability necessary for long-term digital projects.
“Every client that we have, in our contracts, we say that we only build on WordPress.com, because we trust it,” Schiavi said. The official partner status reinforces this commitment, allowing the firm to leverage enterprise-grade infrastructure and support for its clients’ digital foundations.
Innovation Through AI Tools
The firm has also explored the use of advanced AI in development. At a WordPress event in Rio de Janeiro, the team entered a competition by creating an accessibility tool designed for blind or hearing-impaired users. The project, named Telex, was built entirely through AI prompts without traditional manual coding.
The project won the competition. Schiavi noted that programming such features manually is complex, but the AI tool accomplished the task through prompt engineering. This example demonstrates how new technologies can make certain types of development work more accessible.
The Human Element in Strategy
Despite utilizing AI tools, Schiavi observes a shifting value proposition in digital content. She noted that after a period of widespread AI-generated content, material created with a distinct human perspective is becoming more valued by audiences.
“Now, when you do something handmade, it’s more valuable. It’s not an AI thinking, it’s your idea, your way to express,” she commented. This trend places greater emphasis on the underlying strategy and authentic connection in content, areas where human insight remains crucial.
As the inaugural Automattic partner in the region, Consultings Company is positioned to influence how Latin American businesses approach digital ownership. The partnership is expected to serve as a case study for other agencies considering a similar path of deep platform specialization. The focus on building owned digital ecosystems, rather than relying on third-party platforms, is likely to continue as a central theme in the firm’s expansion and client engagements.
Source: Original client announcement and executive statements
