Listen to this article
The Middle East, a place that is vibrant, filled with investors, marketers, and every single job title that your mind can think of. However, there is that one little job that you may stumble upon that could sound a little strange. The “Asfoura,” which means a little bird in Arabic, is a job that is so unique. Not in a 100% good way, though. Because this isn’t your average 9-to-5 job. This is the curious case of the Asfoura, and I’m here to unravel it.
The “Asfoura” is a professional gossiper. With ears like Dumbo, you have everything to fear them if you have corporate secrets up your sleeve. This is a master snooper. Someone who knows how to slither their way in through the many social circles of your working environment.
But what exactly do they do? Their job is to snatch employee secrets and deliver them to the highest bidder. Why? Because a lot of managers, heads, and even regular employees that are not included in the C-levels would just love to get their hands on some of the ripest news and secrets in the company. And surprisingly, some could even be rewarded for it!
The “Asfoura” in the Workplace
The term “Asfoura” has long had a bad rep. In offices and communities, it’s the person no one wants around. That is because this is one person who lurks, listens, and reports. Their mission? Spread just enough whispers to stay relevant or climb the corporate ladder without the hassles of putting too much effort into their work. But in marketing, if we turn the tables, this undesirable role teaches us one big lesson: how not to gather information.
Brands that scrape data unethically, stalk competition, or copy content or strategies fall into this category. They’re the “Asfoura” of the industry. It is safe to say that they may be labeled as desperate, unimaginative, unoriginal, and ultimately forgettable.
How to Turn Gossip Into Strategy in an Ethical Way
Is there any way that there could be a silver lining in this? Well, good news, there is a certain way that you can turn the Asfoura role into something that could be useful. From a marketing perspective, smart marketers, instead of lurking around, actually listen. And yes, there is a huge difference.
While the Asfoura job trades in rumors, marketers trade in social listening. Additionally, they trade in monitoring trends, customer feedback, and brand mentions. All of this helps them in fueling a good marketing strategy. When the Asfoura spies in the shadows, brands should always observe in the open. They can do that through surveys, analytics, and direct engagement. You can leverage the power of some tools to do so. Like Google Trends, Mention, or even Brandwatch. These tools won’t whisper any secrets to you; however, they will provide you with insights backed by data.
Gossip vs. Buzz: What’s the Difference?
Let’s clear the air about a certain thing, and that is that gossip isn’t buzz. A viral TikTok trend, a clever campaign, or a smart billboard ad can create a buzz and not backroom talk. Simply put, a buzz is built, not spread. And that is because it is the result of creativity, timing, and relevance and not the result of being neither nosy nor noisy.
If you’re a marketer, all you have to do is come up with an idea, create a strategy, and always be a listener to problems that people could encounter in your industry. Believe me, you don’t need to be an Asfoura in order to claim success or climb the corporate marketing ladder. All you need to do is create a message that resonates with people and inspires them and be informative to add value.
The Clash: Should the Asfoura Stay or Should It Go?
Hiring someone and sensing in them that they may have it to hear what’s around them and come deliver it can sometimes have its own perks. Yes, you may get to know every single little detail about someone and their work or how they do it, and yes, you may even get many more details about someone’s personal life, which could quench your curiosity. However, if we look at it from the ethical side, we’ll find that this role is one that doesn’t belong under the ethical banner. Because you should only know about someone whatever they decide to tell you and not through the eyes of some nosey employee at your company who just does it for the love of gossip.
So to answer this question: no, you don’t have to fire anyone unless needed, but you can draw your own professional limits that will keep them out of people’s businesses and affairs. Marketing-wise, you should never aim to steal someone else’s work through the eyes and ears of an Asfoura. All you need to do is invest in people who own a brain that tends to think outside the box, work hard, strategize your market moves, and voila! You’ll find yourself suddenly on top of the market with your own unique identity and not through copycatting a competitor.
