Let me begin with a story: my father was in Saudi Arabia for almost two decades, and he would say two things about the country. Firstly, on its influence he’d laugh as he would say, “if Saudi sneezes, the Gulf catches a cold.” And on the ability to get things done, “If it was easy, everyone would already be here.”
The region’s public relations scene has already caught the bug. For the past couple of years, I’d wager that the growth and revenues coming out of Saudi Arabia will exceed every other country.
The number of new launches, the number of pitches for international engagement, and a slow-burning understanding of the growing importance of internal comms means that Saudi Arabia is the place to be for any agency looking to turbocharge its expansion. Throw in a sprinkling of crisis issues, and there’s no country like Saudi Arabia for the possibilities.
This is being borne out on the ground, with agencies from all over the world looking to enter the market, from America, Asia and Europe. What is interesting that agencies in neighboring countries like Egypt are also eyeing the Kingdom.
Many Dubai-based outlets seem to be slower to move into the Kingdom – and I will admit, the process is not as easy as it could be – but can you handle communications remotely from Dubai for Saudi Arabia?
Then there’s the issue of capacity and capability. I could fib and say communications is becoming easier to do here, but you only need to read the lines on my face or count the grey hairs to realise that’s probably not the case. Is now an exciting time in the Kingdom and working as a communicator? Most certainly, especially with all the new projects that are up and coming, the focus on mega events (Expo and the World Cup but to name a few), and the investment in new industries, from electric vehicles and technology to sports and the arts.
So, what are the challenges? I shared these recently with the head of an industry body for their upcoming event in the Kingdom, and I’ll list a couple down here.
First, there’s a clear preference to avoid risk for many people. Which I understand. As one person told me, “No one ever really got fired for staying silent.” But when you are putting your reputation in the hands of others, be it a journalist, an ‘influencer’ or any stakeholder group, that’s taking a risk. What we need to get better at is taking educated risks, especially given all the reputational work that needs to be done.
This leads on to another issue, which is dealing with international media. Right or wrong, the Kingdom’s reputation precedes it in many places, and many people outside of the Kingdom don’t understand or cannot see the changes that are taking place for the country’s development.
On this side, there’s a lack of understanding as to how to get that message across, even with journalists and outlets that are seen as unfriendly. When I asked a person working in a fairly large project about this, their response was, “We don’t need to deal with them.” This is why there’s such a strong preference for paid media. Long-term, we must have hard conversations with those who see the country (and the wider region) negatively to win them round.
The third hurdle is talent. This is an issue everywhere, I admit. At the same time, Saudi Arabia has some of the brightest young people I have worked with.
And, most importantly for the country, many of them understand different cultures given their time abroad (one of the best things Saudi Arabia did was to invest heavily in education and send many of these young people abroad to study).
We need to win them over and get them into communications, so they can tell their own stories to a global audience of a place that isn’t just opening up, but also has an unmatched ambition to be a place which everyone knows and where so much is happening.
That blending of local knowledge, of Saudi Arabia’s cultures and the importance of the Arabic language and protocol, aligned with an international outlook and the energy of youth can mean all the difference for Saudi’s reputation. Ally that with experience and an appetite for calculated risk and you have a country that can rapidly change its own narrative.
For all these reasons and more, I moved back to the Kingdom two years ago.
The journey has had its ups and downs, but as a communicator I would rather be here than anywhere else. And it looks as if many other people are going to keep joining me as the comms sector continues to grow. Just be prepared to go through your own Saudi learning experience.
By Saudi-based communications expert Alex Malouf
