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'Success comes from integrating knowhow across the spectrum' [Campaign Middle East](Campaign Middle East Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Mamoon Sbeih is visibly excited when he speaks about the Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) offices of his agency, APCO Worldwide. The managing director for the Arab region has reason to be. And his boss Brad Staples is just as excited when he speaks about the region. The Middle East is the fastest growing cluster in APCO's global scheme of things. Staples, who is president - international and chair of global development, is responsible for the US-headquartered public relations major's operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, China and South East Asia. APCO entered the region through its acquisition of JiWin Public Relations in November 2010, which then had a team of 38. JiWin, an entity of TECOM Investments (Dubai Holding), was headed by Sbeih then and had an affiliate relationship with APCO. Under his continued leadership, the team is close to a 100 today. And growing. The agency, which also works with a group of affili- ates in the African continent, established a presence out- side its headquarters of Dubai in the Middle East with an office in Abu Dhabi, a year after it acquired JiWin. It is today, within the Arab region, APCO's fastest growing office. Other offices have been established last year in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Doha (Qatar). Reflecting on the journey till date, Sbeih says, "We have almost tripled in size since 2010. APCO has brought in tremendous value." Dubai continues to be the largest operation, with 70 people on the rolls. But Abu Dhabi is rising rapidly, at 20 people now. Among factors driving this growth is key client Masdar, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy major, with an interest in the space across the world. The number of people in the region, at under 100, belies the scope of the region as envisaged by the 650- people PR firm, underlines Staples. For starters, the four-member team in Jeddah will have company in a Riyadh operation 'very soon', promises Sbeih. It's a case of growing organically, with clients new and old. But there are areas where the agency is looking to herald change rather than follow it, too. Some of these areas are com- petitive advantages, explains the regional MD. Moving up the value chain Within Masdar are eight APCO employees. As one would expect, they are the communications team. For another client, the Dubai World Centre, the agency is again building internal capabilities, while handling their communications. Increasingly, APCO is helping clients in the region set up communication capa- bilities, acting in a consulting role, notes Sbeih. And cedes that a year from now, these clients would be 'far less reli- ant' on the agency. "Major entities want their own strong teams. And there is a line of thought that by helping them create those teams, we would not be serv- ing our own interests. But that is not the case. We oper- ate on a build-operate-transfer model, as a consultant, in helping them build those capabilities, while handling their communications along- side them. Going forward, it allows us to work on a strate- gic level with the client," he elaborates. For clients like the govern- ment establishments, the mandate is not just to engage investors from abroad and make the critical pitch as economy building remains consistently in focus. Governments are also increasingly recognising that it is essential to communicate the vision to the public. The net result is heightened focus on communication. On the functional side, APCO has been known glob- ally for its public affairs capabilities. But in the region, the agency and team it took over was rooted in consumer communications and media relations. Today, it is enjoy- ing the 'best of both worlds', according to Sbeih. Keeping with APCO's lineage, the agency has also invested significantly' in putting teams on ground. Specialists are required not just to understand sophisticated projects better, but also to engage with key stakeholders running such projects. The 'regular' public relations operation continues, along- side, and has an important role to play as well, acknowl- edges the spokesperson heading the region. Top of mind for him is the capability building 'trump card' at the client end. "This is a unique aspect of consultancy, of trying to establish a capability for cli- ents. We're going into Saudi Arabia with this again. That's where the opportunity lies, as opposed to doing the day-to- day public relations - which we do. For a regular commu- nications profile, you will hire someone with three or six years of experience. For a consulting person, you need someone who has experience of 15 to 20 years in driving organisations," says Sbeih. So while the revenues from a consulting practice may be higher, the costs are also high, he adds. Staples points out that given the increased value equation at both ends, a different client mindset is required to create such a practice. "Clients need to understand stakeholder engagement well. Often, there is a research ele- ment, which is built in, to fully understand the reality. There's an advisory aspect as well. More than just a service, it's about creating the right struc- ture," he explains. 'The most dynamic market' Staples, who takes a long haul flight out of London every week in his global role, says the Middle East is possibly the 'most dynamic, fast-paced environment' for communi- cation and public affairs than any other market. APCO, he reasons, has built scale and capability faster here, than in any other market. "Globally, this is very much at the centre of the world in many ways. A lot of opportu- nity comes through the region. At one level it is an international hub, at another level it is a regional hub, and then there are huge local opportunities as well, each interesting places in their own right. But there are chal- lenges here as well. Getting talent - experienced people come at a premium. We are trying to expand and redefine communication's role in the region, which requires tal- ented and experienced people," he notes. Public relations as a func- tion exists in different phases in every market. There will be the agencies executing press releases, and there will be the public affairs adviso- ries consulting with government entities and corporates. "The traditional barriers to the service buckets are breaking down all over the world," says Staples. With that comes increased competition, given far many more organisations in the intersection of those traditional buckets today, according to him. While there are traditional commu- nication firms to contend with, at the other end, he points to law firms and management consultants. The era of 'co-ompetition' has arrived between firms from different genres, including in the Middle East market. With APCO positioned in the spot where government affairs and public policy intersects with business enti- ties and the media environment, the mix of ser- vices follows naturally. The agency has never been a 'cookie cutter' communica- tion agency; and to adopt its solutions approach to client problems, it needs a motley set of services to be on offer, notes the spokesperson. Sbeih reminds us that the market reality is forcing change across the ecosystem. This explains why over half the people at APCO in the Middle East are not from journalism or communica- tions backgrounds. It's an investment that seems to be paying off, if the Middle East head is to be believed. "More and more organisa- tions are demanding advisory work. I would say we have matured with the market, and also pushed the market towards maturity," he adds. The journey is also replete with partnerships. And given APCO's strong client base among government establishments (at least half of the total business), there is a strong local flavor to each office. Having said that, the head of the Masdar busi- ness is APCO's Seattle office. The agency's global vice president is based in Dubai, in what is further evidence of the importance of the region for the agency. With regular frequency, senior and mid-level talent are here from the US and Europe, and also Asia. Local success, underlines the chair of global develop- ment, comes from the ability to find and attract the right local talent from different domains. Even with that design, the diversity in the agency is quite rich. While there are people of 40 nation- alities on the rolls globally, Middle East alone has a blend from 20 countries. Irrespective of nationality, the common theme is emphasis on specialists. "In this region, we have seen that a lot of economic development depends on government support. And governments are looking for specialised communication support. Senior communica- tion directors from around the world are basing them- selves here; they expect a higher level of support from us as partners," he adds. Of digital and integration The company officials under- line that while social and digital are imperatives, they are at the core of all commu- nications assignments today, as against being a standalone offering. Broaching the idea of a specialist unit offering digital-only services with the duo did not get us too far. "It used to be an ad-on in the past. Three years ago, for example, I think we may have had three people doing digital. Today there are 10 to 11, and everyone is expected to know and trained to handle digital communication. I see that doubling every year. But it can no longer be viewed as a separate busi- ness," says Sbeih. The agency's president - international concurs that digital has to be in the DNA of the agency to be a com- plete communication advisory. For instance, Studio Online, a video content pro- duction unit of APCO's globally, is expected to find its way into the Middle East operations in due course. Globally, the agency also draws upon the expertise of creative agency StrawberryFrog, in which it acquired majority stake in 2012. Staples surmises, "We really feel success comes from integrating knowhow across the full spectrum of work. Social media too demands great content, great people. Storytelling is at the heart of that format of com- munication too. Social media is no less strategic than any other form of communication." There is one small differ- ence with the dedicated social media team though, as Sbeih points out. He quips, "They are on call all the time, like doctors." (c) 2014 Motivate Publishing. 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