You talk to anyone in the PR industry about the blatant lies that come out of their agencies on behalf of their clients and they will vehemently defend themselves with words like "integrity" and "credibility". The truth of the matter is, PRs lie. Some stretch the truth, some bend it and most outright break it.

Although not unique to our region, but we do have a rather unhealthy obsession with being the 'first' and 'only'. I will not pretend, we love being the first and we try to always be ahead of everyone else. The problem is when you are so focused on that and you forget to check if you are indeed the first or not!

Indeed it's not just a question of lying about just being first or only.. it also goes back to throwing out figures that have no basis in reality. And oh how we love to give out dollar amounts! The general justification a PR will have is that journalists love numbers and so we need them even if we have to make them up!

It's time for another installment of our mailbox. Today I was greeted by several people and firms offering legal services. I thought it was odd to have them all in the same day. This is what I got:

Subject: Offer Letter for Legal Services

Dear Mr. /Ms. _____________,

The Legal Counsels group are willing to be of service to you in providing legal services and consultations that you may need.

And then it goes on.. followed by an Arabic version of the above text. And yes, it says Mr./Ms. __________. Allow me to offer a piece of advice: If you don't know my name, don't put ________ as an alternative.

But, my favorite (repeat spammer) has to be the one and only Alsafeer Advertising with the subject line:

Not to compete but to serve

Why would I think you would compete with me? Or rather, why do you think that those you are sending this out to would think that you are competing with them? That was just odd.

After years of being in the media monitoring and evaluation business, I still find it difficult to understand why PR agencies insist on selling their 'analytical' services. I cannot stress how absurd this is: does your accounting department perform an audit?

We have been involved in a marathon of a pitch process for a client in a rather specialized industry. While it is a 3-way pitch, our fiercest competition comes from a PR agency! The fact that the client is even considering a PR agency (oh they call themselves whatever they want, marketing communication, public affairs, bla bla bla.. -- at the end of the day, as far as actual work needed for this client, it's mostly media relations with a bit of advertorials) is rather curious.

While one can understand that clients don't fully appreciate the difference between a communication evaluation agency and a public relations shop, it is harder to forgive when a client demonstrates a thorough understanding of what the evaluation reports should include and exclude.

No one in the industry here seems to see anything wrong with this picture and I am beginning to wonder if it's just me who feels that way.

Let us ask this differently then. If media evaluation companies were to start competing with PR agencies for PR briefs, would the client even notice?

Air Arabia is my favorite thing out of Sharjah. However, I couldn't help but feel disappointed when I visited their site and ran into their Refer and Win promotion. Everything is fine until you get to the terms and conditions.

This is a limited period contest. Only forms completed with valid email addresses will be entered into the prize draw. Air Arabia reserves the right to cancel or withdraw this contest at any time without prior notice. The winners will be chosen by a draw of lots and the decison on the winners shall be final. By participating in this contest and filling in this form you unconditionally agree that any information including your personal information can be disclosed and used by Air Arabia and/or any of its nominees to provide offers, promotions and service benefits. The taxes and surcharge on the winning tickets shall be payable by the winner. Other terms apply.

Right. So, what are those other terms (emphasis added)? Come on guys! This is just not right. I'm tired of feeling like I'm constantly having to watch out for someone trying to con me. 

I like reading Alex McNabb's column in Campaign.  I enjoyed his regular column in Campaign (back when it was with ITP and now with Motivate). His column this time talks about how he strongly disagrees about PR being naturally in growth mode in 2009 since it is a cheaper marketing alternative to advertising.

I couldn't agree more. In fact, I am not sure who in their right mind would say something so uninformed. As I have said before and continue to say, as long as PR is not measured, it will be the first to go. The fact that PR costs less than advertising does not make it more likely to be on the 2009 budget. In fact, it is most likely to shrink before they even start looking at the advertising budget.

"What is this? Press release? No no.. have the secretary draft it, I'll sign it and send it off to the journalists we know.. fire the agency.."

"But, it means we will not be able to influence public perception to position our.."

"What are you talking about? All I see is press releases.. we can do it in 10 minutes, I am not sure why we're paying $10k a month for this. Let's not waste any more money, these are trying times.."

And so goes the conversation in a lot of offices. If you think someone is saying, let's spend more on something we can't quantify, you must be out of your mind.

I do agree with McNabb in that brands who have the courage to try new approaches will prosper and grow better than those who will opt to play it safe. I just don't think it's an issue of new as in experimental. Companies who measure their marketing activities scientifically are the ones will do better. 

My father has a theory about weight loss fads: If it really works, how come there are so many fat people out there? The answer is simple: there are too many fads out there and people like shortcuts. The PR industry is not so different today. The truth of the matter is, if you don't invest in research you are continuing to shoot in the dark. If you are not going to lead an active life and eat healthy, you will gain weight. In a global meltdown, I think it's best if people stopped trusting their gut completely and back it up with facts and figures.

Disclaimer: I have never met Alex, nor have I done business with him.

We have seen it time and time again, companies entering crisis mode, only to come out battered and scarred. Some blame the client and others blame the PR agencies. The one thing I cannot understand is how you can suspend all your PR-related work when you are in a CRISIS SITUATION!

I am unfortunately not at liberty to reveal the name of this large organization whose name has been in the media in connection with high-level allegations of corruption, embezzlement, etc. It is absolutely insane to have them come back and openly admit that they have internal issues and as such all people involved in PR are on-hold.

I'm baffled.

Dubai makes no secret of its ambitions to put its name on the map, alongside New York, London, Paris and Tokyo.. it is very vocal about it. So, when you start hearing Dubai's name in movies and popular series, be assured, it's not the writer's heightened sense of globalization. It is someone paying someone to drop Dubai's name.

It happened with Iron Man, though the scenes didn't make it. Then comes Prison Break (Season 4) where the lady (can't remember her name) pleads with her killer to spare her life. She tells him that she has money in Dubai.

So now I am confused. Is Dubai positioning itself as an offshore haven, as opposed to a billionnaire's playground or was this a genuine name-drop that was not paid for by Dubai Inc.?