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Public Relations for Expo2020

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If you work in the PR industry, you know that not one day is like the other. The ever-changing industry keeps moving and shaking things, creating new tools, and introducing new schemes to achieve the ultimate objective: to reach the target audience with the right set of messages and cause impact. And if you work in the PR industry in the UAE, you know you’re up for a very exciting journey. Not only the business keeps changing, but there are new industries that are continuously introduced to the market, thanks to the strong vision of the UAE to stay ahead of others in new areas and trends, and its strive to attract global initiatives and events to its land.

Around a year ago, Hattlan Media had the pleasure to start working with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, the home for the National Space Programme. 

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We are PRing Space. A whole new industry not only to the UAE but to the region. While it is a great honour to be the only Public Relations agency to ever announce the first Emirati Arab astronaut going to space in a grand press conference dubbed by some media as “the press conference of the year”, or the ones to PR the launch of the first 100% Emirati manufactured satellite, KhalifaSat, the task is huge ….there’s a lot of education that needed to take place internally within Hattlan Media before we can claim that we know what we are doing. You might think, the rules of PR are quite the same for all industries, with the slight change of tactics from one scheme to another…but for Space, the ballgame is different. The level of accuracy in information we work with throws away the “Spin Doctors” label. The industry is not new to us only, it is new to the media and to the larger audience. Our main role continues to be educating audience about the initiatives and programmes: what it means for the first Emirati- Arab astronaut to go to the International Space Station? And how it affects, not only the UAE and the region, but the whole world with new scientific findings expected to emerge from this mission. Same goes for launching a probe to Mars to study its atmospheric layers and provide new findings about the Red Planet. How launching a 100% Emirati Earth Observing (EO) satellite (KhalifaSat) is set to inspire generations of Emiratis who now know that they also can do it!  

Speaking of PRing new “things” brings us to Dubai Expo 2020!

Dubai_Expo_2020_Logo

In 2013, the UAE won hosting Expo 2020! A great victory and a great moment for everyone. We all celebrated as we saw Dubai gain the majority of votes against its rival cities. Then came the question: But, what is Expo?! And what does it mean for the UAE, and for us, people living in Dubai. Our eyes were all hung on 2020, most plans and strategies revolved around this date. Recently, the answer to our question has started to unfold. We are seeing more of Expo branded content in the news. But it shouldn’t only be about Expo, it is about public and private sectors bringing in their best practices in communications, it is about innovation and foreseeing the future; it is about making history. PRing Expo, similar to PRing Space, involves educating others about facts and case studies more than promoting stories. Probably very few know that the Expo that will be hosted in Dubai in 2020 is a “registered Expo” which only happens every 5 years and is different than the one happening this year in Beijing China, for example.

Expo is a great platform to communicate not only Expo messages, but also the country’s vision to bring in an international dialogue between different countries from around the world to find innovation-based solutions for challenges human kind currently faces. If you are a government organisation, an FMCG brand, an NGO, or a start up company, Expo might be a good platform to connect with others and communicate your brand values. How to do so and guarantee a successful delivery of your communication strategy? Is the one million dirhams question, and you might want  to contact us to find out how we can help you with your public relations for Expo 2020.

Dr Sulaiman Al Hattlan of Hattlan Media
News

Al Hattlan: Media Training Is More Than Spinning Messages

Hattlan Media founder emphasises getting the word out in Arabic for businesses as well.

Dubai: Dr Sulaiman Al Hattlan does not much care for giving spin to a message. As a media training consultant and founder of Hattlan Media, he believes more will be gained by ensuring a message — be it from any organisation or individual — finds a direct and immediate connect with the intended audience.

“Media training is not only about the messages — it’s about breaking the fear barrier and learning how to truly represent your organisation and brand with strong messages and also strong presentations,” said Al Hattlan, whose roster includes retainer clients as well as those who come in strictly on a project basis.

“At the end of the day, no journalist would appreciate an interview where the spokesperson is communicating confused messages and unclear answers. It is an opportunity for spokespeople to appreciate the work of media and realise its power in turning any potential “publicity crisis” that would negatively affect the organisation’s image into a positive experience with positive outcomes.”

Clearly, Al Hattlan wants to be quite some distance removed from the unctuous world of spin doctors and loaded messages that get churned out day in, day out into the media universe. It is also a highly splintered industry with new digital platforms and news aggregators being created and ravenous for 24×7 content generation.

“I am personally a great believer in how digital age has changed many ‘rules of the game’ in communications,” said Al Hattlan. “New media is offering extra platforms for communications and, in some cases depending on the client’s target audience, these have become the primary communication channels that the client needs to focus on.”

One area that Al Hattlan focuses on is to ensure his clients acquire an ease in communicating in Arabic. “We do live in a cosmopolitan society and English seems to be the common language,” said Al Hattlan. “But we also live in Arab countries where the government’s first language is Arabic.

“Communicating your business in Arabic doesn’t only reinforce your Arabic identity but also opens up new opportunities for non-Arab companies through reaching a wider audience in the region.

“We don’t see a problem with Arabic spokespeople communicating in English, but it’s their skills in communicating in Arabic that need harnessing. Many a time it’s because of the industry where the terminologies are better known in English and not Arabic.

“Our command in Arabic language and knowledge of cultural and political sensitivities of the region allow us to help organisations to craft their messages in Arabic and communicate it according to best practices.”

And what should clients not lose sight of under any circumstances? According to Al Hattlan, they should stay on message, don’t be intimidated and enjoy.