Staying ahead of the curve in PR

What will a #PR agency look like ten years from now? Are today’s PR firms in the Middle East awake to the challenges and the changes ahead? What about the communicator of the year? How would PR pros’ skill sets evolve to continue adding value and maintain their relevance in an environment that blurs boundaries between marketing communications disciplines’ practitioners? Read the rest of the @gulf_news article here http://bit.ly/13aHQkg

The definitive PR diary of Dubai's PR agencies

The month by month 2015 #MEPRA_org  @Dubai #PR agencies’ diary:


January – #DubaiShoppingFestival - During the 20^th edition of #DSF most brands will brief us to produce zero-cost, PR and social media campaigns that can create memorable and lasting impressions for consumers while creating an inexorable link with the legacy of DSF. Just sponsor a fireworks display and save yourself the trouble.    

February – The ‘F’ word (Food, what did you think?) – #DubaiFoodFestival, #GulfFood and #DubaiFoodCarnival will keep @Dubai PR firms busy during the leap month as restaurants, FMCG suppliers and lifestyle brands vie for a slice (pun intended) of the region’s most voracious food fanfare. Oh, and don’t forget the month’s music moments at the #EmiratesAirlineDubaiJazzFestival.

March – The mother of all months in trade events  – #DubaiInternationalBoatShow, #DubaiWorldCup, #EmiratesAirlineFestivalofLiterature, #ArtDubai, #DubaiFestivalofLights and the march goes on and on. From boats to bookies and books PR teams need to dig deep in their wardrobes for trendy hats befitting each occasion.

April – The cruelest month – This is when clients receive their hefty bonuses because of all the hard and intelligent work that WE did and for which we have NOTHING to show it for.

May – The month made for asking – May I get a raise? May I discuss my career path? May I take the Arabian Travel Market week off? You may never find out unless you ask but it is highly unlikely!

June – Ramadan, need I say anything more?

For the second semester visit: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141210080823-77099332-the-2015-mepra-org-dubai-pr-agencies-diary?trk=prof-post

A survival guide to Awards Events

Just a few hours left before the 2014 edition of #MEPRAWARDS and hundreds of PR professionals from across the #MENA region are looking forward to a good night out with industry colleagues and peers. Few will go home with a trophy in their hands but for most the night will bring nothing other than a nasty hangover the day after. Here are a few tips to help you get through the night: http://linkd.in/15kum7v
 

Don't Facebook me!

Is the number of Likes on your #Facebook page an indication of your brand’s or company’s appeal? Is it mandatory to have a presence on #socialmedia, such as a Facebook page?

The answer to both questions should be NO unless of course your brand or company itself is in the business of selling social media services.

On November 15th 2014 I conducted an impromptu audit of the Facebook presence of four social media agencies selling services in the @UAE.

The findings were rather surprising, if not bemusing, in a sarcastic kind of way. Here is a summary:

linkd.in/1xFdHXH 

Have social media agencies lost the plot?

#Socialmedia has come off age and confidently occupies a prominent position in the #marketing #communications mix.

Social media natives are becoming commonplace and their valuable innate understanding of the sector and unique skillset are vital ingredients for the talent pool of Team Marketing.

Social media agencies however may not be as indispensable to the future of marketing communications as they had been thus far.

#PR agencies have for long now been evolving onboard the social media bandwagon recruiting Generation Y talent - #Millennials – for newly created social media roles plugged in existing PR teams.

Integrated set ups are doing the same offering clients holistic strategies across every stakeholder touch point which complement each other to enhance the impact on customer engagement. 

  

Ironically, in a future where digital dominates, standalone social media agencies don’t seem to possess this little bit of extra, exclusive or cutting edge to help them maintain their relevance.

Am I wrong? 

Is LinkedIn fundamentally changing the required skillset of recruiters?

At #LinkedinDayDubai earlier today, LinkedIn’s @Manal Siddiqui said that “the best recruiters must act like marketers”, unwittingly perhaps opening a massive debate with repercussions across two corporate cost centres, HR and Corporate Communications.

The agreement goes like this:

Fact 1: Social recruiting is here to stay as more and more candidates find employment through social media (@JohnVickerman, SVP, HR at OSN)

Fact 2: Of the total global workforce of 3.3bn, there are 640mn professionals (white collar) of which roughly half (332mn as of yesterday to be exact) are LinkedIn members.

Fact 3: 75% of LinkedIn’s professional members are passive and not looking for a new job.

So, according to #LinkedIn’s regional top brass corporations must follow three steps to successfully engage with the potential pool of senior talent maintaining a LinkedIn profile:

1.Build your followers and your brand

2.Engage and nurture your target audience

3.Recruit

To a marketer, or more specifically, to a PR professional , the first two steps are inherent to DNA and skillset, however recruiters don’t necessarily possess the ability to deliver on any other than step 3 in the above list.

Now you decide whether the answer to the question posed in the headline of this post is a YES or a NO.

Social media strategy as vital as mission statement

More than 51 per cent of digitally connected youth spread the word about their experiences with companies — both good and bad.


This is what Canadian musician Dave Carroll did when United Airlines broke his guitar during one of his trips while refusing to compensate him for it and despite the artist’s repeated attempts to draw attention to his cause. Having failed to attract the airline’s attention, he turned to YouTube becoming an overnight sensation

As companies engage with consumers through their corporate social media channels, it is important they learn to distinguish between a brewing crisis and a customer relations issue of no major impact.with his hit ‘Cause United Breaks Guitars’, helping him receive unprecedented global media attention.

Read full article on Gulf News