Egyptian PR Industry

In Egypt, PR is often considered synonymous with hospitality or customer relations. The service industry is probably the one most associated with PR jobs, and for instance hotels employ PR directors who are responsible for guest services. It can be said that there is a lack of understanding for the parameters of the PR profession in Egypt, and confusion exists among organisations with regard to the distinctions between PR, advertising, and marketing. Sales are often considered the primary goal of PR, with little interest in or patience for programmes or tactics that do not directly tackle sales. By one estimation, out of all who consider themselves part of the PR business in Egypt only 10% truly are skilled professionals.

The dominant coalitions in most Egyptian organisations have traditionally not included PR specialists, which is why they don’t have a very high regard for the contributions that PR could make to organisational effectiveness. A further challenge is the lack of formal training in modern PR theory and practices.

There are numerous obstacles and problems to be dealt with before PR is fully accepted as an effective and integral organisational function in Egypt, but there seems to be cause for optimism. The recent years have seen some changes as some international PR firms have entered into affiliation agreements with local agencies in Cairo. Also more sophisticated PR strategies and techniques have already been tried out, and the country’s economic and social systems are continuously evolving for the better.

--
Kevin L. Keenan: Public Relations in Egypt: Practices, Obstacles, and Potentials, published in The Global Public Relations Handbook.