In Dhahran recently, the International Public Relations Association, Gulf Chapter (IPRA-GC) hosted a presentation titled, “Adjusting the Picture: The Image of Saudi Arabia in the United States.” Before an invited audience of several hundred Saudis and expatriates, a panel of individuals knowledgeable on this topic put forward their points of view and then fielded a barrage of questions.
Omar Bahlaiwa, secretary-general, Committee for International Trade, Council for Saudi Chambers, Riyadh, spoke first, followed by Nail Al-Jubeir, director, Information and Congressional Affairs Office, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington D.C., Sultan Al-Bazie, CEO, Tariq Media & Publishing, and finally, Dr. Thuraya Arrayed, associate member, Research and Advisory Group, Saudi Aramco Affairs, Saudi Aramco.
In order to help the audience focus on the topic, the presenters had been asked to limit their comments to just a few minutes each. This also made the discussion truly interactive because some time was reserved for audience participation. Al-Jubeir attempted to relate an enormous amount of information, even in the short time he was at the podium. His speech centered on Saudi Arabia’s PR campaign in the United States.
“There were 15 Saudis on those planes and that’s a fact we should never forget,” Al-Jubeir remarked. “Post-9/11, forces critical of Saudi Arabia formed into a perfect storm.”
He explained that the Saudi PR venture is being run similar to a political campaign and that it has required continuous rethinking, fine-tuning and monitoring. The PR campaign involves small undertakings such as sending out more than 200 press releases to the media over the past five years and arranging for Saudi officials to speak to special interest groups in the US. There are also larger efforts which include coordinating the visits by delegations of high level Saudi intellectuals, academics and government officials to conferences, symposia and social events. Al-Jubeir mentioned as well, that now upward of 10,000 Saudi students are receiving higher education in the US.
According to Al-Jubeir, the main issues of importance in the current Saudi PR campaign in the US are:
• Cooperation in the war on terrorism;
• Stability of energy markets;
• Enhancing trade and investment opportunities; and
• Working for peace and stability in the region.
While, Al-Jubeir’s presentation was quite matter of fact and tended to emphasize the positives in regards to the Saudi PR initiative in the US, Al-Bazie was more critical.
“Our problem is that most of our efforts are fragmented,” he advised. Al-Bazie stated that there must be better coordination between the various government ministries and organizations when bringing journalists and decision-makers from abroad. There have been instances when the lack of coordination has resulted in the Kingdom’s image being damaged further. At the very least, opportunities have been wasted due to visitors not being able to make the most of their time in Saudi Arabia.
“Journalists want information, not hospitality,” Al-Bazie stated bluntly.
While the gentlemen on the panel had been concentrating on improving the Kingdom’s image by making the most of the media, academics, decision-makers and other prominent members of both the US and Saudi societies, Arrayed spoke of the need for a more grassroots effort.
“I am a member of many outreach efforts by choice because I am a citizen who loves her country,” she said. “I have brought up my four children to be good representatives of their country. Generally I speak to people who know nothing about Saudi Arabia. I tell them that we are simple people, who only want peace in the world. We want to live and travel without hassles and have a good future for our children.”
In answer to a question from the audience on what the average Saudi could do to improve the image of the Kingdom abroad, Arrayed’s advice was simple, “Just be good.”
