Navigating change: how brands and PR agencies can thrive in MENA’s evolving media landscape
The media landscape across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is undergoing a profound transformation. Once dominated by traditional outlets, the region is now a dynamic, market shaped by globalisation, shifting geopolitics, and a youthful population. Booming tourism and international events demonstrate the region's growing global profile. For brands and public relations agencies, this is both an opportunity and a challenge to successfully navigate the new environment or risk irrelevance.
Foreign and homegrown PR agencies and their clients are encountering various obstacles as they operate in the region's changing media industry and social fabric. The rise of the internet and social media has led to fragmentation of the media. MENA’s traditional media (TV, radio, and newspapers) market is in decline, as shown by several legacy media outlets ceasing publication or scaling back their workforces in recent years, struggling with falling revenue. Conversely, niche influencers, podcasts, and regional content creators are gaining ground.
Additionally, the region does not have the robust trade press present in Western markets such as the US, the UK, or Europe. These present challenges to brands and PR agencies, limiting options for coverage and relationship-building.
As the region’s social structure and media evolve, government regulations follow suit. Young digital natives are entering the public sector workforce, resulting in governments in the region becoming more technologically savvy, with rules now applying to digital communications.
In a more global context, the media and PR industries are struggling in the age of misinformation. Combatting fake news and maintaining credibility are important for brands everywhere if they are to maintain the public's trust. Social media platforms can also be very volatile, with their proprietary algorithms having a huge degree of control on what audiences see. A sudden shift in these algorithms can spell the difference between success and disaster for a campaign, so PR practitioners must be responsive to any changes.
The roadmap to relevance
Strategic PR is no longer optional – it's foundational. With social media and the 24-hour news cycle, PR shouldn't be limited to conventional press releases. Rather, it involves managing a brand’s overall reputation with a 360-degree approach. PR is now an integral component of corporate strategy with a seat at the leadership table, aligning closely with business objectives and shaping external narratives with precision and purpose.
Due to MENA’s shrinking and increasingly fragmented media sector, PR practitioners should become more creative in their storytelling. This involves crafting narratives that are not only brand-aligned but also media-worthy. This shift can also help reinvigorate journalism in the region by encouraging deeper, more original reporting that goes beyond the press release.
The changes in the region highlight the need for cultural sensitivity in PR. MENA is not a cultural monolith, with language, values, and social norms varying widely across the Gulf, the Levant, and North Africa. Effective campaigns must reflect this diversity, balancing Arabic dialects, English, and bilingual strategies to resonate authentically.
Any meaningful PR strategy must have digital media as an essential component. Brands and PR agencies should be able to craft captivating stories and produce engaging and audience-specific content, while staying agile in response to shifting trends. Leveraging emerging technologies such as AI tools for sentiment analysis and trend forecasting is valuable to understand audience behaviour and preferences. This enables purpose-driven messaging and helps decision-makers align with values that resonate strongly in the region, such as family, heritage, and sustainability.
Additionally, brands and PR agencies will benefit from hyper-localisation. This entails tailoring campaigns to specific countries and even cities, as well as collaborating with local influencers and media outlets. In cosmopolitan markets such as Dubai, this may include targeting specific communities based on demographic characteristics such as nationality, language, or ethnicity.
Finally, successful PR includes crisis preparedness. Agencies should assist their clients in building robust crisis communication frameworks, which includes monitoring social media in real time to respond swiftly to any issues that may make or break the brand.
Thriving in a region of rapid change
As MENA’s media landscape continues to evolve, brands and PR agencies must adapt accordingly or risk fading into the background. Success lies in the ability to localise messaging, embrace emerging platforms, and craft stories that resonate across diverse cultural and linguistic contexts. This allows brands to build deeper, more meaningful connections with their audiences and create purpose-driven, culturally attuned campaigns. Looking ahead, the most effective PR strategies will be those that blend creativity with technology, and tradition with innovation. Agencies that achieve this will not just survive but thrive in this region.