Over the past few days, the Middle East has found itself navigating uncertainty amid regional tensions and operational disruptions. Yet, across the UAE’s public relations industry, agencies have responded with calm professionalism and a steady sense of purpose. PR leaders are drawing on lessons from past crises, including the pandemic, to help brands stay connected, authentic, and sensitive to the public mood.
While the geopolitical situation has brought cautious pauses to events and adjusted campaign timelines, the broader sentiment within the industry remains one of resilience and adaptability. Agencies are prioritising their teams’ wellbeing, offering flexibility, and maintaining open communication with clients to ensure that strategy and empathy move hand in hand.
In conversations with PRmoment MENA, several senior professionals shared how their teams are approaching this period: keeping clients visible, messages relevant, and communities informed.
"Silence is rarely the right strategy"
Gregg Fray, Co-owner & co-founder, Seven Media:
“At Seven Media our first priority has been making sure our team feels safe and supported. We’ve shifted to remote work, where needed, to give people flexibility and reassurance, while staying closely connected with clients across the UAE and the wider GCC.
In many ways the playbook is similar to what we learned during Covid. The instinct in uncertain moments is often to pause communications activity, but in our experience silence is rarely the right strategy. The key is to keep communicating while being aware of the wider mood.
That means avoiding anything tone deaf but staying active and visible. We’ve been speaking with every client about what activity should continue, what might need adjusting and where opportunities exist. Community stories and practical examples of organisations supporting people tend to resonate strongly during periods like this.
Operationally, we’re taking a proactive approach. Our teams monitor developments daily across all GCC markets we cover, with morning updates that ensure everyone is aligned on the latest situation and communications protocols.
We’re also helping clients plan for different scenarios, including recovery campaigns in sectors such as hospitality. The UAE authorities have done a strong job communicating calm and stability, and our role is to help clients contribute to that wider narrative while keeping their businesses moving forward.”
"Ensuring messaging remains sensitive"
Estee Kershoff, Director PR & Communciations, Mangrove Marketing
"Mangrove Marketing continues to operate as usual, with a client-first approach, while prioritising the well-being of both our team and our partners.
As an Abu Dhabi-based agency, we are in close daily contact with our clients to understand how they are responding to the situation, whether venues remain open, and how best to adapt communications in real time.
Our team is currently working from home, with arrangements reviewed daily to ensure both operational continuity and staff welfare. In collaboration with our clients, we have rescheduled selected PR distribution and other activities this week in support of government's guidance to stay home. Paid social media activity around F&B events has also been paused where appropriate, ensuring messaging remains sensitive, timely and relevant.
As always, our focus is to support our clients as best we can to continue to deliver results.”
"Moments like this reinforce the importance of agility"
Duaa Radwan, Founder & Managing director, Dash Consultancy
"For us, the immediate priority was our team, clients and media partners. We immediately moved fully remote and focused on clear, proactive communication to ensure everyone felt supported and informed.
We paused all UAE-based campaigns and made the decision to cancel a press trip that was scheduled for later this week. While difficult, we felt it was important to prioritise the wellbeing and peace of mind of both our team and the media attending, and to avoid placing anyone in an uncomfortable position.
Moments like this reinforce the importance of agility, responsibility, and leading with care.”
"What must prevail is a sense of calm"
Ananda Shakespeare, Founder & CEO, Shakespeare Communications
“During this difficult time, we immediately reached out to all our clients to let them know we are on call for any messaging they might need. And we are acutely aware that everyone is going through the same curve of confusion.
We have worked to help our clients let their customers, staff and stakeholders know what's going on. Some of our clients work internationally, and will be affected by supply chain issues, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and international air travel problems, for example.
It's been a very busy time, but what must prevail is a sense of calm, methodical and pragmatic PR. We are paying very close attention to the wisdom of the UAE authorities, and acting only on verified information. We are grateful that our client base comprises sensible people, and we are advising cancelling iftars, evening events and unnecessary travel. Our meetings are, for the duration, online and remote, and we are also allowing extra time for client responses to questions. My priority, as CEO, is to ensure the safety and security of my staff, my wider stakeholders, and, of course, our wonderful client family.”
"Recognise that everyone processes uncertainty differently"
Injeel Moti, Founder, Catch Communications
“Over the past few days, our priority has been the wellbeing of our team, creating space for open communication, checking in regularly, and offering flexibility where needed, recognising that everyone processes uncertainty differently. We are currently working remotely to ensure staff safety, with mental wellbeing support available through our partners at Amal Counsel (CFBT).
From a client perspective, we’ve focused on responsible, measured communication, reviewing messaging, reassessing campaign timelines, and ensuring all external output is context-aware and culturally sensitive. In addition, consumer and public-facing events have been moved to the following week as a precaution. In moments like this, tone matters just as much as strategy.”
"Pivot quickly and pragmatically"
Stephanie Farah, Founder & Managing Director, Empyre Communications
“PR agencies have had to pivot quickly and pragmatically during this period. At Empyre Communications, we have transitioned to a fully remote working structure, which has allowed the team to continue servicing clients while prioritising the safety and wellbeing of staff.
Earlier this week, we intentionally slowed the pace of communications, focusing only on essential announcements, while temporarily pausing promotional activity to remain sensitive to the broader environment.
Press release scheduling has being adjusted accordingly, with normal promotional communications expected to gradually resume next week. Additionally, several events that were scheduled to take place this week have been postponed to later in the month, allowing sufficient time for the situation to stabilise before proceeding with public activations.”