The reputation your client has on Google Maps isn’t a listings problem anymore. It’s a PR problem.
The Scope Problem
In my July column for PRmoment MENA, I look at why agencies still draw a hard line around “scope.” Many treat OTA listings, review platforms, and Google Business Profiles as someone else’s job. That line is quietly costing them control.
When agencies decline to touch these channels, they cede their clients’ reputations to whoever last updated them. AI doesn’t distinguish between a press release and a three-star review. It just looks for consistent, structured evidence, wherever that evidence lives.
The Ownership Gap
The numbers show how wide this gap has become. Muck Rack’s State of PR report found nearly 75% of PR professionals already recognise Generative Engine Optimisation matters. Yet 29% say no one within the organisation owns it. And 39% aren’t measuring it at all.
Recognising the shift and acting on it are two different things.
Why the Gulf Is Different
The urgency is sharper here than most global reporting captures. The UAE plans to deploy agentic AI across half of its government sectors within two years.
Arabic-first models like Jais 2 and HUMAIN Chat don’t just translate English AI behaviour. They draw on a different evidence base entirely. That creates a distinct reputation challenge for luxury brands courting Gulf audiences. An English-language scope of work was never built to cover it.
What I’d Recommend
- Audit what AI platforms currently say about your clients today, in both English and Arabic
- Trace those answers back to their actual sources, rather than assuming coverage in one flagship title is enough
- Shift internal reporting from media-visibility metrics to reputation-intelligence metrics that track structured data across every AI-readable channel
“Not our scope” used to be a reasonable way to keep an engagement focused. In an AI-mediated reputation landscape, it’s becoming the line that costs agencies the account.
Read the full piece on PRmoment MENA: In the Middle East, “Not Our Scope” Is Becoming the Costliest Line in PR