Phoney telephony
So the biggest craze right now is the VoIP situation in the UAE. For those who don't know, the TRA has banned VoIP in the UAE. By that law, UAE telecom providers are obliged to block all VoIP traffic. In short, all cheaper communication for the largely expatriate-based population is out of the question.
Of course in a country where the telecom is a government-owned firm, it is hard to distinguish between the TRA and, say.. etisalat. The fact that the new kid on the block 'du' (also known as 'duopoly') is also half-owned by the government, makes things even worse.
etisalat's PR agency (the one and only.. the sleaziest of them all, Asdaa) should make it very clear that the TRA and etisalat are not best friends. Unfortunately of course, Asdaa is hardly competent enough to deal with that and DMO is not certain how long Asdaa is going to continue to serve etisalat without the contract being renewed.
If etisalat wants to establish itself as the 'good guy', which, I assure you, is going to be a really tough sell - they need to hire a PR agency that is not as sleazy and unethical as they are.
Oh yes, there hardly is an 'ethical' PR agency, but Asdaa does stand out. I think it is how they differentiate themselves from the pack, "We will backstab and hurt people without care. We are sleazy and unethical. We are Asdaa."
Really, etisalat, time to hire a real agency - and don't just throw it on to a government-owned agency like Du did with Jiwin. Do it right.
Of course in a country where the telecom is a government-owned firm, it is hard to distinguish between the TRA and, say.. etisalat. The fact that the new kid on the block 'du' (also known as 'duopoly') is also half-owned by the government, makes things even worse.
etisalat's PR agency (the one and only.. the sleaziest of them all, Asdaa) should make it very clear that the TRA and etisalat are not best friends. Unfortunately of course, Asdaa is hardly competent enough to deal with that and DMO is not certain how long Asdaa is going to continue to serve etisalat without the contract being renewed.
If etisalat wants to establish itself as the 'good guy', which, I assure you, is going to be a really tough sell - they need to hire a PR agency that is not as sleazy and unethical as they are.
Oh yes, there hardly is an 'ethical' PR agency, but Asdaa does stand out. I think it is how they differentiate themselves from the pack, "We will backstab and hurt people without care. We are sleazy and unethical. We are Asdaa."
Really, etisalat, time to hire a real agency - and don't just throw it on to a government-owned agency like Du did with Jiwin. Do it right.
posted by Dubai Media Observer at 11:34 AM
5 Comments:
Given the real reason why Asda'a got the account in the first place, it's hardly likely not to be renewed.
"etisalat's PR agency (the one and only.. the sleaziest of them all, Asdaa) should make it very clear that the TRA and etisalat are not best friends"
I beg to differ...
Etisalat and the TRA are best of friends; infact key board members of TRA are ex-etisalat staff/CEO's and ex-thuraya staff; conflict of interest? Unpossible.
I've written quite a bit about this on my blog, in particular this and this post
I am not disputing they are. I am saying that my PR strategy would be to distance myself as far away as possible from the TRA. Reality is irrelevant, it's all about perception.
secretdubai, my sources tell me that this is a contract that is not likely to be renewd.
Oh that's interesting. That will make a certain imminent meeting very interesting.
Though in Asda'a's defence, it's an impossible account. The sheer impenetrabilty of the Dishdash Brotherhood coupled with the general arrogance and incompetence of UAE government companies render it a PR nightmare.
Have you seen Absolute Power? Prentiss-McCabe are frankly the only PR firm in history that could handle Etishite, and even they would probably give up in despair.
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