Team TMN chat with Injeel Moti, Managing Director, Catch Communications, who talks about her current role and offers her thoughts on the PR industry in the Middle East.
Name: Injeel Moti
Age: 27
Nationality: Indian
Current job title: Managing Director
When did you first arrive in Dubai? 2010
Where did you work prior? I kicked off my PR career with BUZ Public Relations before moving to an in-house role at Saffron media and publishing. I was most recently with Sept PR.
What were your first impressions of the PR industry in the Middle East? The industry offered a lot of opportunity for growth and progression. You could get in and make it your own. Back in 2012 when I stepped into the business the way PR was done was quite different that it is today with the print landscape dominating so much of what comprised PR as we like to call it today, traditional PR.
Has your opinion changed much? One of the bigger changes and one we have lived through in the recent years is the shift from print to digital. Influencer marketing and social strategies now form a large part of any PR campaign which wasn’t the case too many years ago.
Tell us about your current role… As Managing Director of Catch Communications which is a boutique consultancy, my role is really quite diverse; no two days are the same. I am juggling my time between client servicing, managing accounts, deadlines, new business pitches and of course the most grueling yet essential of all – finances
What challenges do you face? I would say it would be time management. When you are running a business you are responsible for every single aspect of your operation, everything from start to finish needs to be meticulously looked at. There are several hats that I wear through the working day including that of a publicist, an accountant, a business developer among others, thus making time a luxury to have and time management a skill that needs to be mastered.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Retention of a client and the renewal of a contract. No award bigger in a fiercely competitive industry such as ours to know that your client wants to work with you again and trusts in your ability to deliver for their brand / service. And of course landing a meaty piece of coverage for a client, a double spread always has me going yipeee!
How has clients’ expectations in today’s digital community influenced PR and marketing in the UAE? What I have come to see in my experience is clients are wanting a lot more exposure digitally now than ever before. Briefs sometimes come in the form of ‘We want X influencer to review the restaurant’ or ‘We want to run a campaign on Instagram with XYZ’. PR agencies have to be quick to adapt and come up with solutions and recommendations to yield the best possible results for their clients.
How has social media in the region evolved to become an integrated part of the PR industry? Social media has shaped up to become a large part of PR practice today. A lot of creative strategy and input involves a social media element to it. With the print industry in the region shrinking more so with each passing day and digital & social mediums being the outlets through to which brands reach their consumers, it has come to be an essential channel for PR practitioners to work with.
What do you think of PR ethics in the industry today? There is good and bad in any industry. A few campaigns might have gone terribly wrong in recent times but it isn’t fair to label the industry in entirety. I believe the PR community in the region here comprises of many wonderful people from around the world who truly put in their best. A lot of my peers from the industry have gone to set up their own ventures or landed high ranking roles as communication officers producing some truly wonderful work!
Describe yourself in five words… Warm, approachable, hustler, professional, driven
Who inspires you? Any self made woman who is at the top of her game
What’s your most overused saying? ‘Send it across shortly’
Five things you can’t live without? Netflix, phone, cats, dumplings, books (not necessarily in that order)
If you weren’t in your current role, what would you be doing? Designing shoes, with really high heels
What’s your favourite form of media? Print, I am old school like that. There is always a stack of magazines around me.
What advice would you offer to someone looking to start a career in PR in the UAE? Try it out and see if you enjoy it, the best way to do that – internships. Intern at a multinational, a mid-sized firm, a boutique consultancy and find out where you fit in the best. The exposure that you will receive at each will be very different and by the end of it you will know if PR is for you!
