How does something normally regarded as a necessity suddenly become a luxury that businesses can afford to be without when bottom lines fall under pressure?
This is the conundrum affecting the Middle East PR industry as private and public sectors tighten purse strings amid ongoing economic and security concerns.
In good times, PR is the friend everyone wants to know and party with. In difficult times, it’s the expensive hanger on so easy to shut out.
However, those who dump public relations spending in a knee jerk reaction to falling profits and market uncertainty may be making an expensive mistake.
In any scenario, PR is a process representing an investment designed to bring about long-term gains rather than overnight results.
Businesses generally hire PR agencies to increase awareness of who they are, what they do, what they sell, what services they deliver, and what makes them different.
They do this to stand out from the competition, reinforce their relationship with customers, expand reach into new markets and attract new customers in order to grow and become more profitable.
PR gives businesses a voice and an identity, establishes individuals as thought leaders and experts in their field and builds and strengthens brand recognition.
Its effectiveness depends on it being a consistent, unbroken process in order to achieve the goals set.
Stopping the flow is like halting construction of a building half way up. Leave it standing like that for long and what has been built starts to fall apart.
Businesses that keep on building through challenging times maximise ROI. Those who stop are left behind, risk reversing the process they started, and later struggle to regain their momentum.
