Looking for the right PR agency in Dubai to help you with all your communications needs is a tricky process. The ultimate goal is to find a team that understands your business, the industry and most importantly the market that you operate in.
Being based in Dubai means you are talking to a very diverse audience.
According to sources, the 2021 UAE expat population has now come to approximately 89% of the population. Emiratis or the UAE nationals represent 11%.
That means you need to find a PR company in Dubai that is able to grasp this diversity and turn it into a strategy that plays to your brand’s advantage.
Here are the top 5 things you should consider when searching for a Public Relations in Dubai.
Hire a diverse team
Catering to a diverse market requires a diverse team to build the strategy and plan. In Dubai PR specific terms, that means the strategy needs to include an array of audiences.
Dubai is mainly populated by Expats. Indians and Pakistanis form the largest expatriate groups in the country. Followed by other countries in the middle east region, Europeans and Americans.
Depending on who your target audience is, the medium and message need to be tailored.
An agency with a diverse team will be much more successful in hitting the right tone in the messaging, finding the appropriate niche media and finally setting the right goals to benefit your business.
Ask for local testimonials or client cases
A large number of agencies are run by expats themselves. The benefit of that is, they bring in skills from across the globe and usually have a strong educational background and even experience with international brands.
You should ask for local testimonials and case studies. While international experience is aspirational, the PR consultant first and foremost needs to understand local brands, local audiences, local media and the dynamic of the local market in order to be successful.
Getting the insight from businesses and individuals that have similar goals than you is usually more valuable than going for the obvious choice of award winning PR services.
Ask specific questions about the Dubai media landscape
The two most valuable assets of any PR agency is 1) the experience in the market and the in-depth knowledge of the media landscape and how it works and 2) the media relations in the market.
Media landscapes are complex and vastly differ from market to market. While media landscapes in Europe can be a lot more hostile, media in Dubai typically is more open and positive.
The basic rules apply everywhere when it comes to information to include into the pitch and format to use, however the attitude of journalists, their knowledge on topics on the current topics in the market are the ever changing components.
While it might be easier to get coverage for a foreign brand in Europe, Dubai media prefers homegrown brands or some attachment of the founders to the local market.
Media relations is a term that describes the relationship a PR pro has with journalists at different news outlets. The better the relationship the better the understanding about how to adjust messaging and pitches in order to appeal to the journalist’s audience.
A great relationship might also put clients at the top of the list for bigger collaborations such as feature pieces and covers and make event management an easier task.
Knowing the typical behaviours of journalists in the region, will make any media training a lot more specific.
Make sure the strategy is not a one-size fits all
There is no one-size fits all strategic communication. Not for any client and not in any market. A PR agency needs to be able to think on their feet and come up with a tailored strategy followed by a detailed and specific plan on how to execute.
Businesses operate at different wavelengths when it comes to speed of innovation, brand awareness in the market and buy-in on a leadership level. The strategy needs to reflect this and furthermore, stay flexible enough to be able to pivot when necessary.
Dubai is an extremely faced paced market. The strategy should reflect trends and first and foremost be future proof.
Test the level of creativity
The MENA region is not just fast-paced, it is also aggressively innovative and forward thinking. There is no space for slow moves or standard protocol.
A communications agency needs to be able to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions in order to add the bells and whistles to your PR plan.
Creativity can enter the process in the form of exploring different formats and platforms across traditional and social media. It can show up during the pitching process in order to get the attention of the right people. And finally it can come in when timings are decided. Creative timing can open doors.
Those are just some examples, but you get the jist why it is important to find a creative agency that know the market well and can excel in reputation management when it matters.