Information (Photo credit: heathbrandon)
I have probably posted this before but one of the worst things for a PR agency is a client that is (a) confused; (b) demanding and (c) incommunicado.
I am working with a friend to help his client get some publicity but right from the beginning we have both struggled to get information that we could leverage to generate interest (yes I don’t peddle rubbish or anything) with the media and finally focused on the overall service by the client with the visit of the CEO. Everything was set in motion.
On the day. No CEO – it appears he had decided he was not going to come three days before but no one thought to inform either me or my friend. Oh! Did I mention that there was not one person to communicate with? Then we find that almost all the material (except one) is in a language that very few of the target media would read or understand, the few spokespersons they had, barely spoke any English. But they wanted TV interviews!
Here’s a few tips for out of town clients visiting the Middle East, especially Dubai/UAE for the first time.
Please have a spokesperson with a little bit more understanding of English. It is after all the international language of business. If you want to do business here, the languages of equal importance are: Arabic, English, Hindi/Urdu. You need to have information available at least in English and Arabic. Please do get it proof read by a native speaker so that it reads well.
Please come equipped with information about your company and what you do. Especially in context of an event in the UAE – perhaps your history with the region, some facts and figures and be ready to share that information.
Share your key messages and agenda with your PR representative. They need to know and you need to give them whatever information is needed to ensure that the right messages reach your audience. Changes (even last moment ones) are expected but they need to be communicated.
For your PR project to be successful, you need to give your PR team the information to succeed.
