Hashar Khamis Almandhari is the Public Relations Manager at Nawras. He has a masters degree in marketing from Griffith University (Australia) and bachelors degree of commerce from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and has worked as a business reporter in one of the local newspapers in Oman before he joined Nawras in August 2008. Excerpts from an interview to Oman Vistas: How important are disciplines like Corporate Communications, Marketing Communications and Public Relations in an organization, especially

in the Oman context?

How can we build a nation? It is not enough to have factories, we need to have markets. Marketing tries to identify customers’ needs and wants then provides them to satisfy the customers. The purpose of production and business is to sell the products and services;
otherwise it will be wasting away in warehouses and stores. Organisations communicate with their stakeholders through their marketing department using different marketing communication
elements: advertising, personal selling, promotions, sponsorship, point-of-purchase and publicity.

Oman is a growing, open and free market that brings more competition which needs more marketing activities. Many international companies and brands have opened branches in the
Sultanate, which transfers international marketing experience to Oman. However, international experience is not enough, effective marketing needs a local understanding for the local society.
A good marketing idea in the West could be a disaster in the East. Because it is a growing market, Oman needs marketing. It is not a further step of producing; it is the first step from the

beginning. If there is no market, there is no need to produce.

What according to you is good public
relations?

Good public relations is a strong and committed relationship between organisations and stakeholders (internal and external audiences). It is more than a press release; it should consider each element of communication and manage the organisation’s relationships.
The best public relations should be proactive rather than reactive.

Do you think Public Relations come
of age in Oman?

In ancient history, Omani people used to sail for trading in different directions; they mixed with different people and cultures. Also, people at old Omani markets like Mutrah souq had successful
relations with traders from different countries and backgrounds. If you think from this erspective, Oman already has a good history in corporate communications and public relations. However,
in the modern definition of public relations people need more education and greater investment need to be made in this area. New media channelsstill have limited use, they can be more
effective. Although many people have not got internet in Oman, most of them have mobile phones. There are different public relations activities that can be done through mobile services. For example: Nawras has supported many social campaigns in society by sending bulk SMS like: say no to plastic, tree day and others.

We see an increasing number of handouts being published in the daily newspapers everyday. he bigger advertisers seem to more generous editorial space in the newspapers. How would the reader gauge the believability factor of such write-ups that appear in the newspapers?

Marketing has many channels like advertising and press releases. There is no conflict between them both. Press releases give more details for readers and customers that may not be shown
in advertisements. They perform a function for interested customers by announcing and explaining new products and services. Also, press releases provide relevant information for the
public. However, ethics should be consideredGood public relations should provide interesting and honest stories for customers. The reader is smart and can gauge good and credible press releases.

What type of an organization can benefit with good Public Relations?

All organizations need public relations even non-profit organizations; it is the communication channel with stakeholders.

What is the better for any organization? Internal PR specialist within the organization or hiring of a professional PR company?

I believe internal professional PR is more effective. Nobody can be as loyal to the organization or as knowledgeable about it as the organization’s own employees who live the environment of the company every day. Also, it is complicated to send PR materials to external organizations, because you need to check everything after that. However, I believe companies can successfully hire external PR organisations for a specific project. Also, it can be a good idea for businesses which do not have a need for daily communication with customers.