Sunil John, founder and CEO of Asda'a Burson-Marsteller in the Middle East and North Africa, gave a presentation on the rise of public relations in Asia and the MENA region. He discussed how the PR industry in MENA has grown to $500 million and is projected to reach $1 billion by 2020. Social media has changed the media landscape and is increasingly seen as a trusted news source, especially among youth. The growth of industries like energy, retail, and tourism present strong opportunities for PR work in the region. Success requires having a long-term view of relationships and investing in local talent.

1. PRESENTATION BY
SUNIL JOHN
FOUNDER & CEO
ASDA’A BURSON-MARSTELLER
MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
NEW DELHI
OCTOBER 9, 2014
THE RISE OF ASIAN PR

2. IS ASIAN PR RISING?

3. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
EMEA APAC
Straddling two worlds

4. WAR ZONE OR GROWTH ENGINE

5. YOUTH & UNEMPLOYMENT
60% below the age of 25 years
200 million youth
27% unemployment

6. ARAB SPRING – THE GAME-CHANGER

7. PR IN MENA

8. PR INDUSTRY IN MENA
US$500 million PR industry set to
grow to US$1 billion by 2020

9. A FRESH TEMPLATE - ANGLO-SAXON TO HOME-GROWN
‘MADE IN MENA’

10. THE BIG FOUR DOMINATE THE SECTOR
WPP Omnicom
Interpublic Publicis

11. A NEW CLIENT LANDSCAPE
70%
LOCAL / REGIONAL
30%
MULTINATIONAL

12. MENA MEDIA
LANDSCAPE

13. MENA MEDIA LANDSCAPE
Media explosion across all platforms

14. TELEVISION IS KING
Where do you get your news?
NEWS SOURCES
Base: Among All - not showing those that said “Don’t know“ and “I’m not interested in news”
47
42
51
59 59
20
28 29
31
15 14
16
21
41
29
10 6 7
25
17
6 8 7
65
62
32
24
31
76
79
72
75
62
Television Online Newspapers Social media Friends and family Radio Magazines
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

15. SOCIAL MEDIA IS INCREASINGLY TRUSTED
In your opinion what is the most trusted source of news?
TRUSTED NEWS SOURCES
Base: Among All - not showing those that said “Don’t know“ and “Other”
52
60
49
40
43
TV news channels
9
22
39
Social Media
26
19 18
9
14
Newspapers
4
1
3
1 2
Radio shows
3
1
2
0
1
Magazines
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

16. SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGES THE RULES

17. TWIPLOMACY REPORT 2014
Top 50 Most Followed World Leaders
Source: Burson-Marsteller

18. OPPORTUNITIES
FOR PR

19. A NEW AXIS OF ENERGY & TRADE

20. AT THE HEART OF A NEW SILK ROAD

21. STRONG GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
Energy Retail Telecom Finance
Aviation Tourism Hospitality Healthcare

22. DOING PR IN THE ARAB WORLD
Be ready for the long-haul.
Every relationship is a slow burn

23. DOING PR IN THE ARAB WORLD
Invest in local talent

24. MENA MARKETS
The Catalyst for Asian PR?

25. CONTACT DETAILS:
SUNIL JOHN
FOUNDER & CEO
ASDA’A BURSON-MARSTELLER
THE GATEWAY BUILDING
DUBAI MEDIA CITY, PO BOX 28063
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
TEL +971 4 4507 600, FAX +971 4 4358 040
sunil.john@bm.com
www.asdaabm.com
www.bm.com