What Middle Eastern brands got right about crisis communication

When a crisis hits, most brands default to one of two responses: they either go quiet or they rush to communicate.

During the early stages of the USA-Iran conflict, several Middle Eastern brands demonstrated a different approach, which did not begin with messaging or in-depth strategy, but with action. While these could have looked opportunistic, when done well, they built respect and trust.

Brands including Majid Al Futtaim, Brands for Less, Alserkal Avenue, and Uber did not default to silence or lean into performative lip service. Instead, the focus remained firmly on being useful in the moment.

Majid Al Futtaim, a real estate, retail, and leisure corporation, offered free retail space, Brands for Less, an off-price fashion and homeware retailer, provided rent-free showcasing for partners, Uber introduced discounted rides, and Alserkal Avenue opened its doors to support creative and community-led activity.

Most importantly, none of this was positioned as a campaign. The value lay in what was delivered rather than what was said.

Brands for Less did not lead with messaging, they led with access. As their CEO, Toufic Kreidieh, put it: “The UAE has always been a place where community drives progress.”

In moments of uncertainty, the strongest brands are not those that attempt to create new narratives, but those that demonstrate the ones they already claim to stand for.

For UK businesses, this is a lesson in good issue management.

Issues management is still often treated in the same way as managing a crisis - as a messaging exercise, focused on what to say from moment to moment, how to respond, and how to manage perception. But trust is not built during a crisis, it is built in the months and years beforehand – in how organisations manage other moments of stress. A resilient brand reputation depends on what it has already done and how it behaves before the pressure arrives, as well as during.

Majid Al Futtaim and Alserkal Avenue did not alter their direction under pressure; they accelerated their existing brand behaviours. Community access, cultural support, and shared value were already embedded in how they operated, and the circumstances simply made them more visible.

Uber’s response followed a similar logic. Discounted rides were not symbolic gestures, but functional support that helped maintain everyday life when daily routines were disrupted. For customers in the UAE, the impact was practical rather than promotional.

Across all these examples, a consistent pattern emerges. Trust is not driven by visibility alone but by usefulness.

For UK brands, this shift matters. Audiences are increasingly able to recognise when action is genuine and when it is performative, particularly in moments of uncertainty.  What sticks is not additional commentary, but a meaningful contribution.

The brands that strengthened loyalty in this context did not necessarily communicate more effectively than others, but they behaved more effectively.

The lesson is clear; stronger action will outperform louder messaging.

In moments of pressure, people rarely remember the brands that spoke the most. They remember the ones that did the most when it mattered.

If you need support shaping your crisis communications strategy or building a plan that holds up when it matters most, get in touch with us at hello@korero.co.uk