NextEra.
Section 03
An AI-Native MarComms OS.

NextEra has the opportunity to leapfrog traditional, legacy ways of marketing and communications, and build an AI-native MarComms operating system from the ground up.


TRADITIONAL / LEGACY
CMO / EVPFull-time senior headcount, on payroll
PR & comms manager
Brand & content manager
Digital & social media manager
Event manager
Marketing coordinators
The agencies
On retainer
always on
Brand / creative
PR / comms
Social media NOT NEEDED
Project-based
on a need basis
AI-NATIVE / MODERN
CMCO-level advisoryScoped engagement, value-based fee
1-2 lean team
AI AGENTS
Branding & content
PR & comms
Social & digital
Research & analytics
☼ Freelance network

Videographers, photographers and designers, brought in when needed. No full-time headcount, no retainer.

  • Full team, agency roster on retainer: high OPEX.
  • CMOs come in to manage the work; few build systems that outlast them.
  • SOPs and playbooks, if they exist, are filed and forgotten.
  • Institutional knowledge leaves when people resign.
  • Work offloaded to agencies, loosely managed.
  • A lean team orchestrating and optimizing AI agents.
  • CMCO advisory on a value-based fee, scoped to business requirements. Comes in, builds the systems, trains the team, leaves.
  • Best practice codified in the system, not people’s heads.
  • Routine work automated, the team focused on strategy.
  • Agencies and freelancers engaged on a project basis.
Example · PR & comms

Value creation, at a fraction of the cost.

PR and comms is foundational to building the NextEra brand: how the company is seen by government clients, partners, media and talent. Here is how it gets delivered under each model.

Component
TRADITIONAL / LEGACY
AI-NATIVE / MODERN
01
Strategy & planning
Master narrative, messaging platform, annual plan.
SAR 1.5-2M/yr

Strategy, master narrative, messaging and the annual plan are built once, presented, and not proactively revisited or optimized unless the client requests it.

WITHIN CMCO ADVISORY

Strategy, master narrative and the messaging platform are a living asset, with built-in mechanisms for continuous optimization as the business story evolves and the strategy moves.

02
Media relations & visibility
Announcements, interviews, media briefings, speaking engagements at industry events.
SAR 2-10M/yr

Mass distribution to media: the focus is on volume, not quality. Cost varies with frequency and market coverage.

WITHIN CMCO ADVISORY

A media engagement system that codifies templates for press releases, interview briefings and speaking engagements.

DISTRIBUTION OUTSOURCED

The actual media distribution, plus setting up speaking engagements and interviews.

03
Crisis comms & issues
Crisis plan, scenario mapping, protocols, live response.
SAR 750K-1.2M/yr

The agency builds the crisis plan and scenario mapping upfront, then sits on standby. When something breaks, the response relies heavily on people and their availability.

WITHIN CMCO ADVISORY

The same plan, scenarios and protocols, codified in the system, with real-time monitoring of issues as they develop. Senior counsel is brought in when it counts.

04
Media monitoring & intelligence
Coverage tracking, sentiment, competitive intelligence.
SAR 700K-1M/yr

Outsourced to monitoring agencies on hefty monthly retainers: manual clipping, weekly PDFs, monthly reports.

WITHIN CMCO ADVISORY

A system that monitors in real time: not just NextEra’s own coverage, but its competitors, clients and the wider ecosystem, whatever NextEra needs to watch.

05
Internal comms
Leadership communications, change and engagement.
SAR 350-600K/yr

Bought as one-off projects, a transition here, a restructure there, with nothing standing in between.

WITHIN CMCO ADVISORY

A standing internal-comms system: leadership messages, change and engagement updates run on consistent templates and a set cadence, so the team stays informed, aligned and on-message.

Total
SAR 5.3-14.8M /yr
The sum of the lines above, every year.
A fraction of the retainers, built once, operated by NextEra.
(Final figure post scope definition)
Ranges reflect tier-1 agency rates in the GCC market; actuals vary with scope.
How it works

The engagement phases.

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