The young businesswomen committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted the event that the International Public Relations Association at the Gulf region organized.
“Public relations departments at government bodies are unable to communicate clearly and transparently with the public, they just did not do their role,” said Sultan Al-Bazie, the deputy head of the International Public Relations Association at the Gulf Region.
He added that the lack of proper public relation departments in the government sector resulted in the failing of different services that these bodies provide, because of “the absence of proper management and communication, as well as not knowing the strategic role that public relations could play.”
“Different municipalities have been attacked. The reason behind that is the lack of capable public relation departments,” said Al-Bazie. He elaborated that public relations at the government sector did not even succeed in their primary role, which is defending government bodies. “There have been orders from the authorities to include public relation departments and spokespersons who can communicate properly to the public,” said Al-Bazie.
Public relations at government sector have failed, according to him, because the “management at government bodies tend to underestimate and distrust the public relations departments.”
The public relations sector has grown by 40 percent in 2011 said Mohammad Al-Aid, the CEO of TRACCS for public relations. Companies have doubled the amounts they spent on public relations and other companies are now approaching public relation to promote their corporate social responsibility programs, explained Al-Aid.
He added that the challenge they face as a public relation agency is explaining the Saudi market to their clients and avoid sending journalists a press release that has no new, valid or useful content.
Commenting on the classification of public relations in the Kingdom, he said: “Public relations is a vague term here. Some would use it to indicate organizing events, while to others it could just mean a job title on a business card.”
Public relations is a rising industry now in the Kingdom, thanks to the economic boom and also to the increasing consumption of the Saudi market, which accounts for 70 percent of the goods being consumed in the region, said Al-Ain.
The Head of the International Public Relations Association in the Gulf region, Faisal Al-Zahrani, said the sector is now rising in the Middle East with half a billion dollars being invested in this sector. The total amount spent on this sector internationally is $9 billion with some 60 thousands employees.
Al-Zahrani added they are organizing the 20th International Conference on Public Relations 2012 in Dubai. The event will take place for the first time in the Middle East and will welcome over 500 specialists in this field from around the world.
