Asda’a Burson-Marsteller is bringing the market research firm that helped Bill Clinton and Tony Blair to win their election campaigns to the Middle East.
Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), which conducts the Arab Youth Survey with Asda’a, will open an office in Dubai in January to help to establish a presence and cater to the wider Middle East market.
Burson-Marsteller and PSB are both owned by the advertising and public relations parent company WPP.
“This region is burgeoning, and business and government opportunities are very much like those we see in other parts of the world,” said Don Baer, the worldwide chairman and chief executive of Burson-Marsteller and the chairman of PSB. “One of the biggest trends is towards evidence-based communication.”
PSB’s main focus will be on the government sector, undertaking research that will provide feedback on a variety of matters.
“It is not just about campaigns and elections, it is about governing – how to understand what your public wants and expects. There are rising expectations on the part of the public, and governments recognise the need to meet and speak to the public in a way that is going to be most effective,” said Mr Baer.
This will be PSB’s ninth office worldwide. The company conducts more than 2 million face-to-face interviews every year in 45 countries for its clients.
There is also interest from the corporate sector, according to Sunil John, the chief executive of Asda’a Burson-Marsteller and PSB Middle East.
“We see demand for new kinds of research in terms of how they [corporations] are perceived in the market,” said Mr John. “More and more, regional companies … are more keen to look at their perceptions and image to go beyond profits and look at their purpose in the market.”
The market research industry is worth about US$300 million in the region. PSB will be competing with the likes of YouGov, which conducts online research for governments and the private sector.
The Middle East a fast growing markets for Burson-Marsteller, according to Mr Baer, alongside India, London, Washington, Brazil and China.
The company is looking to grow organically and acquire companies in the region, particularly in the field of digital and social media.
thamid@thenational.ae