Controlling the message is a thing of the past
From advanced questions and copy-approval to ‘helpful’ interview topics, these are the public relations requests that journalists have become all too familiar with in the Middle East. Yet recent encounters have shown that some are taking the desire to control the message even further.
A control-freak mentality has set in. A few weeks ago, Campaign interviewed a senior BBC Worldwide executive who read from a script and refused to answer any questions other than those relating to “the reason she came here”. Questions regarding the service’s regional plans were artfully dodged, as were those regarding changes in the overall organisation and problems that have afflicted the corporation. Needless to say, no one comes away happy from such a situation.
Also, social media networks, supposedly the very bastions of free and open discussion, do not merely request pre-approved questions but demand them. And no interview will ever be conducted without the watchful eye of at least one PR poised to swoop in the minute the subject gets hot under the collar. This edition’s feature on Facebook was conducted under similar stricture but was by no means the most dictatorial.
Isn’t controlling the message via one-way communication a remnant of the past? Isn’t a two-way dialogue more satisfactory and beneficial? While journalists acknowledge that brands work hard to cultivate their image, they should not be hiding behind obstructive and domineering PR. Be honest, open and loosen the reins. The results will be ultimately more fruitful. Whether it was diapers for vaccines, clothes for refugees or giving children a breakfast the last 12 months has seen a surge in cause-related marketing initiatives. Some have been global causes that have been localised to the Gulf, while others have been developed specifically for the region.
Spurred by consumer demand for companies to engage in corporate social responsibility initiatives, causerelated marketing in which fundraising for a cause is tied to purchase of a firm’s products – has become popular in recent years. However, marketers face significant challenges in designing cause-related marketing campaigns that appeal to the Gulf’s consumers. The first is the question of who to partner with. Aside from United Nations-affiliated organisations such as UNICEF, there are few global charities operating. Essentially marketers need to partner with local charities, some of which lack an understanding of what is required to make cause-related marketing a success with consumers, particularly the need to communicate the personal role that consumers have in making any charitable campaign a success.
The second issue marketers have to tackle is finding a cause that satisfies three key criteria. The first is one consumers care enough about to motivate them into making a purchase. This can be an exercise in frustration in a country like Qatar where there are few local social issues that a majority of the population cares strongly about. The second is supporting a cause that is different to the myriad of other causerelated campaigns (think of the sameness of all the brandbased cancer- awareness campaigns running through October every year). The third is supporting a cause that has an affinity with the brand. One local example is Unilever’s tie-up with the Red Crescent for its Omo brand and the donation of clothes to the poor during Ramadan.
The final challenge is legislation. A number of Gulf governments have introduced processes that, while wellmeaning in theory, have impeded the number of causerelated marketing initiatives taking place in stores across the region. Regulations include the need to partner with a locallyregistered charity and a requirement for a percentage of the collected funds to be spent locally. Those who don’t follow the letter of the law can expect strict penalties.
When done well, causerelated marketing can result in greater consumer engagement, increased trial and a significant bump in sales. However, brand managers need to wake up and beyond simply copying what others are doing and move towards campaigns that are distinctive enough for consumers to not only recall them but actively engage in and support them.
Working within the region’s legal guidelines regarding fundraising doesn’t make our job easy. But we have to better understand local issues and the charity landscape. We have to be more creative while ensuring that our messaging is personal enough for consumers to both understand what the cause is about and to then take action and support that cause. And we have to better align our cause-related marketing to the brand and the business. If we forget these points, we’re in danger of ending up with campaigns that are supposed to support a good cause but become simply a gimmick. Alex Malouf is vice-chair of the Middle East Public Relation Association (MEPRA)