The Wonder Women Of MENA: Gambit Communications’ Sarah Alsalem
Driven and Focused, Sarah made the move to agency side with Gambit following a stellar two and a half years brand-side at Toyota Motor Corporation’s regional office, where she was a key part of the team overseeing dealer activities for Toyota & Lexus in the Middle East.
Winner of the prestigious Cannes PR Young Lions competition for 2023 and named the Account Person of the Year at Campaign’s Agency of the Year Awards 2023, Sarah is a serial winner who leads on top clients across various sectors including logistics, retail and automotive such as Porsche, Aramex and Majid Al Futtaim Shopping Malls. Her experience in the PR industry includes traditional PR, integrated communications, strategy and crisis management.
Sarah’s experience extends beyond managing accounts to include overseeing brand launches and client relationships across the GCC region, with a focus on key markets such as UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. This regional expertise has positioned her as a key communications player to clients seeking to navigate the complexities of the media landscape in the MENA region. Through her expertise, she has also navigated challenging situations addressing sensitive issues that may arise to combat negative publicity.
Sarah’s creativity and outstanding work have not gone unnoticed, with her contributions recognized at prestigious awards such as MEPRA Awards and PRCA Regional Awards receiving awards for campaigns such as Icons of Porsche.
Following the historic win for the Cannes PR Young Lions competition, she has been invited to join the MEPRA Youth Board where she actively contributes to the advancement of the communications industry to empower youth to join the PR industry, inspiring the next generation of communications professionals in the region.
Raised between Canada and UAE, Sarah is an honors graduate from the American University in Dubai with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Information Studies specializing in Journalism.
Blurred lines shaping our industry
Public relations has always been central to the ever-evolving communications industry. Traditionally, PR was viewed as a separate entity from marketing, with distinct objectives and strategies. However, in today’s world, the lines between PR, marketing, and other communication roles have started to blur more than ever. Throughout our clients, I have noticed a change in their briefs and approaches as they have recognized the power of integrating all departments together to create impactful campaigns across a 360 approach, even through working with all their external agencies together.
Today, successful campaigns require alignment across all communication channels whether it’s through earned coverage, owned channels, social channels or marketing efforts. The integration of 360 campaigns maximizes engagement with the community and reaches a wider audience making it more impactful. Although traditional outlets continue to play a huge role, the integration of other channels and influencers has made an impact especially when it comes to the awareness phase of campaigns.
With the changing media landscape, it has become harder for brands to position themselves in the modern media landscape and this is where the role of PR agencies like ours come in. Having strong media relationships can truly make or break a campaign or announcement.
Authenticity is key
Moreover, we are bombarded with marketing, ads and brand campaigns everyday in a saturated market and it’s no longer enough to just execute them by targeting the right audience. Authenticity has become a defining factor in capturing consumer attention with content that resonates with them based on relatable experiences.
A success story that highlights the power of authenticity is how TikTok emerged in a market with tech giants and managed to succeed purely because of providing communities with the space to express themselves authentically and we have seen how brands have more and more diverted their campaigns to the platform and even changed how they execute them based on what consumers choose to engage with.