Dr. Ahmed Kamel, CEO of Innovation PR: The Advertiser’s Absolute Authority Over What Is Published Could Be Detrimental

Chief Marketing Officers Magazine (CMOs) exclusively interviewed Dr. Ahmed Kamel, CEO of Innovation PR agency, to discuss main topics that concern the sector, most notably the reasons for why traditional media not keeping pace with new media and how the sector has benefited from both of them, further to the challenges facing PR community, and the relationship between public relations agencies, clients and media corporates.

Innovation is a PR and Media agency that provides public relations services, marketing consultations, internal and government communication, corporate social responsibility activities, in addition to social media services, Events management and media training.

The agency has media arms outside Egypt through signed agreements with a number of sister companies, including its membership in the “Muller” network, which includes “Stride” in Sweden in addition to their offices in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, and “Rosy Fontana” agency in Italy to provide PR services in Europe through it and vice versa. In addition to other agreements with “Bidaya” companies in Jordan and the Levant, “Pencils” in Iraq, “APCO” and “Pan Asian Media” in the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf, Asia, and “SenSi” in Algeria and North Africa.

Innovation PR also has a wide base of clients in various sectors, including Prime Holding Group, PayMob, Insan Films, Dar Al Fouad Hospitals, A15, Arabiata, Cinnabon, TIJ, Cook Door, Hundred, Echo, Egypt Radiology Center, International Observatory for Rights Human, Ford Experts, and others.

Further, the agency is currently managing PR for a number of public figures, topped by Amr Moussa, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt and Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, as well as ambassador Mohamed Al-Orabi, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Parliament member.

The following is a graph showing the time series of the number of clients joined Innovation PR agency from 2014 until 2020..

• The positive relationship between business and media is necessary to ensure survival

Kamel began his interview with us, talking about the great boom in the media sector in Egypt over the past ten years. He pointed out that when media gained real freedom and the ability to discuss issues of concern to people, a change occurred in the public’s relationship with both media and business alike. That’s why businessmen desire to invest in the media increased, even if it was not for profit.

But what makes a businessman invest in a field that faces difficulties in making profits? Kamel explained that investors have discovered how important is the positive relationship between them and the media in order to ensure their success and survival in the market, what makes the media is not just a profit target but a mediator to address the public.

He also gave an example by the businessman Ahmed Bahgat when he was asked about the reason for launching Dream TV Channel, and his response came that the real reason is not making profits from it but to advertise the products and projects of his company “Dream Group” such as Dreamland, Bahgat Stores and others.

• The growth of PR sector in the past ten years came with support from the rebound of the Egyptian media

Kamel added that the evolution in the media role during the past ten years and the rise of New Media; such as digital and social media; didn’t hamper the success of traditional media represented by talk shows and newspapers, at that time.

He pointed out that the huge number of newspapers, channels and news websites that were launched during the period following 2011 was supported by the audience great desire to follow the news, as there was new content published every minute, in addition to the large financial investments that were directed for developing content in press and media at that time. This created direct contact between the Egyptian and international media, which became interested – at the time – in reporting everything new about Egypt, which reflected the power of the Egyptian media at this period of time.

He continued: This media boom created an independent personality for media to address the consumer, viewer, or citizen. Hence, companies and individuals had a need for PR agencies to regulate the relationship between them and the media that addresses public opinion, which means that the growth of PR sector at this time came with support from the rebound of the Egyptian media.

• The traditional media failed to keep pace with the new media, due to the random growth and irregular investments in the sector

He added that due to the random growth and irregular investments in the media sector, the new media represented by social media, blogs, youtubers and others, dominated a large part of the viewer’s interests, at the time when the traditional media failed to play the same role due to its continuing obsession with politics, while the viewer’s passion for this type of content faded as compared to the other types.

Kamel confirmed that content development has become an urgent necessity at the time that media financial inputs are declining, and the dominance of advertising is increasing, as many of media corporates are forced at the present time to convert a large part of time allocated to content into advertisements, which made them have two options, either to turn into an advertising agent (pay for publishing), or to have the ability to create a story that attracts the audience interest, whether viewers, listeners, or readers towards the client.

He continued: Here is the role of PR agencies, because if they present to the media the story that concerns the reader or the viewer, there is no way to refuse publishing it, and here the full benefit is achieved among all parties (media, audience, and client).

• The government’s attention is only focused on the local media, while its foreign counterpart is not at the top of the agenda

We asked Dr. Ahmed Kamel whether Egypt is in a need to launch a private institution to manage its own PR and marketing campaigns similar to some other countries, and his answer came that there are several types of marketing for countries, including political, economic, investment and tourism, pointing out that marketing in decision-making centers and in certain authorities such as embassies, ministries, and decision-making capitals through international, local, private and state-owned media is a matter of survival, as it paves the way for many of the state’s political and diplomatic matters to be discussed in other official channels.

Kamel added: Despite Egypt’s current interest in media file, but – unfortunately – the local has received the most attention, while the foreign one is not at the top of the agenda, as we do not yet have TV channels qualified to address Europe, Africa and Asia.

He continued: Even English or French-speaking publications in Egypt, whether state-owned or independent, are striving for survival. As a result, Egypt’s voice does not reach many places in the world. This can be partly compensated by communicating with the world through public and media relations institutions, even if by relying on the paid articles in international newspapers, noting that the purpose is not only to publish, but to make use of what is published.

• The advertiser’s absolute authority over what is published could be detrimental, and hiring PR agencies is important in the long term

Regarding the greatest challenges facing PR agencies in Egypt, Kamel said that the advertorial – which gives the advertiser absolute authority over what is published – could be detrimental to the client, despite its high cost compared to PR agencies’ rates. In spite of that, some newspapers do not mind collaborating directly with clients who want to publish their own advertorials away from PR agencies, not realizing that the real problem is not just publishing, but creating the material that prompts the recipient to read, view and interact with it.

Kamel explained that PR agencies achieve full benefit for both parties (the advertiser and the publisher) because they can create the story that the reader is looking for and then indirectly support it in marketing, which will achieve great benefit for the advertiser in the long run.

He added that the current economic challenges are also among the obstacles facing the public relations agencies in Egypt right now, especially that there is a large segment of clients who still do not understand the role of these agencies and how important they are for their business survival, so they compress their expenses by excluding dealing with them.

He also emphasized that the economic crisis is an opportunity for PR agencies amid the high cost of advertising, describing these agencies as the most successful, sustainable and appropriate alternative to the current economic conditions due to their low rates compared to direct advertising.

• The “CSR” culture is more prevalent among multinational companies… while the local ones confuse them with religious duties

Kamel said that public relations agencies have a responsibility to spread the concept of “CSR” among companies and contribute to the community service campaigns aiming at helping people, in the interest of both society and businesses.

He pointed out that the culture of corporate social responsibility is more widespread among multinational companies. As for local companies, there is a severe confusion between the activities of the “CSR” and religious duties such as handouts and zakat, despite the activities of social responsibility mainly aim to build a positive image of the company in the community.

• PR agencies are indispensable under the conflict of interest between the journalist and the source

Regarding his opinion about the entry of journalists into the PR field and depending on them – from the perspective of some clients- as an alternative to agencies, the CEO of Innovation PR said that the conflict of interest between the journalist and the source confirms the necessity of PR agencies presence as the regulator of the relationship between the two parties, other than that the PR campaign is not limited to writing and distributing the press release only, but also extends to much further.

• The recipient turns to the alternative media when not finding what he is looking for in the traditional

Kamel explained that alternative media (websites, blogs, and social media) have greatly benefited the public relations sector, being a direct tool that can be used without the need for a mediator, whether journalists or media corporates, bearing in mind that it is a double-edged sword.

He pointed out that the recipient turns to the alternative media when he does not find what he is looking for in the traditional. Therefore, it is a more effective tool.

He explained that Facebook is ranked fourth in terms of importance after YouTube, Instagram and Twitter, due to the high cost when targeting the right audience, besides the spread of false news and fake accounts through it.