Public relations: operators and options (page 1 of 4)

By Ranvir Nayar Dubai

The secret of most successful businesses can be reduced to three elements: instinct, imagination and image. While executives in the Middle East may be very familiar with the first two elements, they are just starting to learn about image and the importance of image management.

Take the following case. The chief executive of a local bank is about to sit down for a television interview. A year ago, he would have sat behind his desk, cluttered with files, and said a few lines just to get it over with. Today, the banker calls up his PR agency and asks for a rapid-fire training session. The PR company brings in a television crew and a "dummy" reporter, who asks all the questions that have been sent in by the television station earlier and then he adds some tough ones of his own. The CEO grimaces, sweats and finally smiles. He is ready for the real thing.

While a couple of years ago, it would have been rare to find a CEO going through the dummy run, today few CEOs would dare to face the camera without having had a training session. "Media training sessions is something that has caught on faster among the CEOs of the region than any other fad," remarks a PR professional.

Regional businessmen are finally beginning to understand the importance of image. Little wonder, then, that the bosses of PR companies in the region are happy. Last year, the global PR business was valued at $2.5 billion and only a small fraction of that - $20 million - was spent in the Middle East. By 2006, this figure could go up to $100 million, translating into 500 percent growth in five years.

Branding. The growth has been helped, rather than hampered, by the September terror attacks in the United States as a number of local governments and organizations consider hiring PR firms in order to address the negative image surrounding the Arab world since the attacks. The Arab League is seriously considering launching a campaign to remove misconceptions. Similarly, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt are believed to be looking at national branding campaigns that will seek to enhance the image of their country in order to attract tourists and foreign investors alike.

Business has been booming in the region since September, remarks a head of a PR major, grinning widely and predicting that it will get even better in the coming few months. The booming growth has ensured that most of the world's big players in the PR industry are already present in the region, either directly or through affiliations with local companies.

Boom times. As the market is booming, the key players have begun to clearly outline their strategies for growth and to occupy their positions. Some, including Asdaa and Gulf Hill Knowlton - the two biggest agencies in the region - have focused on growth coming from clients from sectors as varied as Spanish olive oil exporters to Korean electronics giant Samsung.

Asdaa, an affiliate of Burson Marsteller, has chosen to focus on organic growth, coming from existing clients as well as exploring new areas like healthcare, financial communications and offering consultancy to regional companies on the challenges posed by the World Trade Organization rules. Asdaa's strategy seems to be working since the company has bagged nearly a dozen new accounts in the first six months of this year, including Visa, Samsung, Emaar Properties and the newly floated Dubai Bank.

By contrast Headline PR, an affiliate of Grey Communications, is content with a handful of clients.