Emerging PR trends in the Middle East for 2022:
towards more cultural understanding and digital transformation

It is that time again when businesses in the Middle East analyze their performance and devise public relation strategies for the new year. With the vital shift in the business ecosystems globally in the wake of the pandemic, brands now depend greatly on public relations agencies more than ever for their better positioning and staying relevant among their valuable customers. In this new landscape, as businesses devise public relations strategies to gain sustainable growth, there are several important points to be considered, such as:

Diverse, inclusive, and unique content
In the digital era, brands in the region must focus on creating unique campaigns that reflect diversity and inclusivity to address a wide range of audiences. Now, it is also vital for the brands to understand the audience from each generation and devise strategies accordingly to retain brand loyalty and brand awareness. For instance, addressing Gen Z or the digital natives should be among the top priorities of brands in their prospects. Furthermore, brands must also focus on campaigns and content that generate customer- engagement in the digital and physical world.

Significance of cultural appreciation
Known for its diverse traditions, social behavior, and other cultural aspects, the Middle East' cultural landscape offers immense potential to the public relations professionals in the region. It is important to understand the specific requirements of the target audience to create campaigns that reflect their cultural attributes and offer them a positive experience that they can identify with. It is also vital to understand the demographics, as the region is home to several ethnically diverse and multilingual communities. Relatable content that ensures cultural sensitivity will enhance brand awareness and brand reputation.

Perfect media pitch
The challenges posed by the pandemic and digital transformation have also changed the way the media functions in the Arab World. A perfectly crafted personalized pitch has more probability to yield intended results than a generic pitch. Also, many media organizations now are increasingly becoming interested in contributed articles in line with the new work models. As Media Relations is one of the most effective strategies for maintaining brand reputation, it is essential for the brands to build close relationships with journalists and gain a thorough understanding of their expertise.

Micro influencers for enhancing PR strategy
Unlike a mega or macro influencer, a micro-influencer will be a more suitable niche for brands for affiliate marketing as they have high-user engagement and can generate more leads. Macro- influencers with followers between 10,000 – 100,000 are the social media influencers that hold the potential for creating brand awareness among a more focused audience.

Data analytics in public relations
Like other sectors, the adoption of digital technologies plays an essential role in the disruption of public relations across the world. Now, many PR agencies are leveraging the immense potential of data analytics to gain market insights and make informed decisions, devise strategies that are the return of investment (ROI) centric and data-driven and create a high level of customer engagement. In addition, agencies can also use data insights to select the media platform for conducting campaigns.

Role of PR agencies in internal communication
With the new work models and the phenomenon of Great Resignation or Big Quit, strategies to ensure effective communication with employees is becoming a prerequisite. In the post-pandemic phase, as organizations and employees embrace the new work models, they can leverage public relations strategies to address the employee's concerns. In addition, PR professionals can also help the leadership to build closer relationships with employees.

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