Understanding Arab World

“Efforts to reinforce relations with Washington can be easily undone by negative campaigns that erode the ground on which those relations rest (remember the Dubai Ports World episode). And advertising campaigns fail to address what’s most on people’s minds. Americans aren’t asking if Arabs are modern and growing their economies; they want to meet Arabs and know them better.”

Just a few decades ago, there was no public relations industry in the Arab world. That has changed. As societies in this region have modernized and their economies have become more complex, issues of branding, marketing and the development of communications strategies have increased in importance. Today, there is a growing local PR industry of competent professionals.

This past week, I attended the first conference of the International Public Relations Association, Gulf Chapter, in Bahrain. It was a wonderful gathering of PR practitioners who assembled to network and share ideas, develop their skills, and discuss problems facing their industry.

I had the honor to deliver a keynote address at the opening of the event. Having been asked to speak on the image of the Gulf in the US and how best to deal with misconceptions that have colored the American public’s understanding of this region, I first outlined the problem and then offered some lessons I hoped might be instructive.

1). Don’t Find Refuge in Excuses or Cliches

It is true that there is a deep and growing gap born of stereotyping and misinformation. But when assessing this problem, it is important not to fall back on cliches about a double standard or a conspiracy or control of Washington or the media. The simple truth is, the Arab side is losing the PR battle because Arabs have not been engaged. The game is lopsided because Arabs aren’t in it.

2). When Trying to Sell a Product, You Need to Know the Market

A wise friend of mine, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, once said, “We can’t help America to know us, until we know America first.” That means listening, testing and learning what Americans are thinking and taking the results seriously. The American people can change their attitudes, but you must talk to them, not at them, and you must talk to them, in person, answering the questions that are on their minds.

3). Government-to-Government Ties Are Important and Consultants and Lobbyists Can Be Useful, but Neither is Sufficient to Win

Efforts to reinforce relations with Washington can be easily undone by negative campaigns that erode the ground on which those relations rest (remember the Dubai Ports World episode). And advertising campaigns fail to address what’s most on people’s minds. Americans aren’t asking if Arabs are modern and growing their economies; they want to meet Arabs and know them better.