I’ve always thought that the public relations industry in the Middle East could do much better when it comes to speaking with one voice about the industry, about what we do and why it is important. And so it was at the beginning of the month, when the PRCA MENA Group was launched. The organization is an offshoot of the PRCA, the Public Relations Consultants Association, the UK-based trade association for the public relations sector, which includes several hundred agency members and in-house communications teams.
The launch of the PRCA MENA included a number of praiseworthy initiatives, particularly the timely announcement, on International Women’s Day of all days, of a new group called Women in Public Relations that will seek to promote the communications industry to women across the region. The evening was rounded off with the release of a study by the PRCA and research firm YouGov on the agency and client landscape in the MENA region (though I’m still confused as to how India is part of the Middle East and North Africa). The research is below in a tidy little infographic.
What also struck me was a lack of engagement during the launch event itself. The PRCA MENA is headed by two chair persons, Loretta Ahmed, the CEO of Grayling for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, and Mohamed Al Ayed, the CEO of Saudi-based TRACCS. While Loretta was being the gracious host and interacting with guests (and using the occasion as an opportunity to ask them what they want from a trade association), Mohamed was instead detached, as was his team. As a previous vice-chair at the International Public Relations Association and a long-standing communicator , Mohamed should understand the importance of engagement. If he’s going to be pushing forward the local organization, then his non-engagement style needs to change. An association is the sum of its members, and not an opportunity to burnish one’s credentials and tout one’s leadership.
By setting up shop on its own, the PRCA has staked its intentions to essentially take on the region’s home-grown association. While this may work in business, I’d rather have seen the PRCA come together with MEPRA to collaborate for the good of the industry. As communicators here know all too well, we’ve long fought to be recognized as a key part of any organization set-up. Similarly, our industry is different to that found in other regions; we may have the same goals, but how we do things can often be fundamentally different to how communications is practiced in places such as London.
As always, I’m an optimist. I hope that sane voices will prevail, and that our industry will have a strong, united voice on issues that matter to us communicators. Let’s hope that we learn the importance of collaborating and engaging in MENA, no matter which organization or trade body we belong to or support.
Enjoy our installment from Alex of Arabia, a blog featuring commentary on the media and marketing industry in the Middle East. Read older posts here .