\As the role of PR evolves, the industry’s need for fresh thinking becomes apparent. PR has grown manifold with communication professionals going beyond securing visibility to managing real time engagement with audiences using modern day communication tools.
While trends keep changing according to different markets, the right piece of content still is the core for any good PR activity. “The power of a beautiful piece of content that gets seen and shared across social networks and media is still the biggest trend and will be for some time,” explained Louise Jacobson, Managing Director, Brazen.
Speaking on how the right strategy, creativity and resource is important for a successful PR campaign, Ms Jacobson said visuals still lead the way. “YouTube is also extremely popular here, so video should be part of a content marketing strategy where possible. Collaborating with influencers in an interesting and relevant way is a major part of our campaigns here and in the UK. Despite social media being part of every day life here in the region, print media is also still very strong, much more than in the Western markets,” she added.
The MENA region has also seen a great impact of digital on PR business, giving the domain the opportunity to have a two-way conversation with the audience. “Digital is providing PR professionals with the awesome opportunity to have meaningful, two-way engagement, direct with an audience. For our business, digital is core to everything we do, from marketing our own Brazen brand, to the brands of our clients.”
With the many challenges that the industry brings, keeping abreast of the constant changes and adapting to it, is one of the most challenging aspects. “This links to a need for the right resource and skillset, which is why Brazen has a global news and content director and a search and content manager. Comparing today’s times to when I first started in PR 13 years ago, there have been radical changes. We didn’t need an understanding of SEO and if we got a client a piece of coverage online, rather than in a newspaper they were disappointed,” recalled Ms Jacobson.
However one thing that hasn’t changed is the art of storytelling. “The first thing a PR professional is taught, is how tell a story. It has been part of our mandate from day one to create newsworthy, interesting and entertaining content, which is why PR agencies are relishing changes like the Google algorithms favoring quality content. Most marketing agencies now offer social media services, which can be challenging. PR professionals have been engaging in two-way conversations with journalists throughout their careers, as well as creating stories and editorial content, so for me, our industry is best placed to lead social engagement – it’s in our DNA,” explained Ms Jacobson.
Four Qs to Louise Jacobson on Brazen PR’s roadmap in Middle East
You have recently launched in MENA – what had driven the decision and how has the experience been so far?
Brazen was born in Manchester, UK and we have successfully been delivering award winning, creative and results driven campaigns for the past 14 years. Strategically we wanted to take the business further and one of the areas for growth was expansion. When we looked at markets, for us there was no question it had to be in MENA. The region is one we know very well, and its visionary outlook provides exciting business opportunities, as readers will know.
What are perhaps some of the initial challenges or market traits that may not have been as per expectations?
Dubai has a fast paced business environment in many respects, but in some areas we’ve found things like processes to take a little longer than expected.
What are the markets of importance for you in the region in your initial launch phase?
We are consumer brand experts and are privileged to work with some of the world’s most famous brands. Our markets of importance are those with which we have strong experience in, including FMCG, hotels, restaurants, bars, consumer durable goods, fashion, beauty and the luxury sector.
How would you say the Brazen experience differs from some of the other players in the market?
Brazen has its own unique brand of PR & Content Marketing, and we think and do things differently. We offer clients a return on investment up front and we keep going until we achieve the desired results – we call this approach ‘uncompromising.’
