Case Study: Putting Palestinian IT on the Global Map
Whenever individuals consider outsourcing locations, they tend to think of India, Egypt, or Vietnam. However, there is an underrated country concerning the global tech industry - and that is Palestine. This movement is spearheaded by PITA, the Palestinian Information Technology Association of Companies.
Whenever individuals consider outsourcing locations, they tend to think of India, Egypt, or Vietnam. However, there is an underrated country concerning the global tech industry - and that is Palestine. This movement is spearheaded by PITA, the Palestinian Information Technology Association of Companies.
Established in 1999 by patriotic Palestinian businessmen, PITA has grown into the foremost defender of Palestine's ICT industry, which currently has more than 200 member firms in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Despite the harsh conditions of working under an occupation and a challenging socio-economic environment, Palestinian tech professionals have been working with the global giants Microsoft, Google, and Apple. Still, the world did not seem to care.
Tags: brand storytelling, PR, strategic communications, tech industry branding, digital campaigns.
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The Story Behind PITA
The Challenge
A Brilliant Industry, An Untold Story
Not having an in-house comminications team — PITA was executing the activities but did not know how to tell their tale to the external world.
Many developing global firms chose to ignore Palestine for various reasons, such as outdated perceptions of its level of security and functionality.
A shifting focus: transitioning from national advocacy to global outreach required a new strategy and a change of branding
The problem was not a lack of skills. It was not creativity either. It was concerning focus and attention.
While PITA was proactively dealing with local issues, they had been locked in ineffective advocacy - giving aid to supporting members, enforcing policies, and building the technological scaffold of Palestine. But external branding? Now that was a first for them. The hurdle? It was immense.
The Solution: Telling the Right Story to the Right People
Here’s how we did it:
Strategic Communications: By framing PITA at the front of IT for Health Tech, Green Tech, and other advanced services, we built a competitive narrative that multiplied value instead of prices.
New Website Content & Branding Evolution: We internationalised PITA brand messaging, which made it more appealing to partners and investors.
Media & PR: We utilised our connections to secure opportunities that changed industry publicity.
Campaign Execution: PITA was placed into the field of vision for crucial global decision-makers with the help of social media, influencer marketing, partnerships, and email marketing bots.
Palestinian startups enjoyed the benefits directly.
Palestinian companies such as Funooni and Olivery were able to close new business deals due to the interest generated in the Palestinian Pavilion, which was highly visited at the LEAP conference.
PITA was able to start advocating for Palestine and rapidly became a global voice in the IT world.
With stronger positioning and branding, PITA was able to establish itself as the leading advocate for Palestinian technology.
The Impact
From Visibility to Real-World Opportunities
It wasn’t just a change in engagement, but it enabled real opportunities. International tech circuits in Europe and the US began to recognise PITA. Palestine has started to capture the attention of industry leaders who previously did not view it as a tech hub.
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Great stories deserve to be seen!
At Olives & Heather, we help organisations with heart and purpose amplify their impact. If you’re ready to share your story and shape perceptions, we’d love to help.
Reach out and let’s build something meaningful together.