My Global Marketing Adventure: The Unexpected Career Path of an American PR Professional in Asia : Presented by Richard Burger April 27, 2006 My Global Marketing Adventure: The Unexpected Career Path of an American PR Professional in Asia
Agenda : Agenda Introductions and objectives
My life in China: SARS and all its lessons
My life in Taiwan
The new world of marketing: Blogs
Key learnings accumulated over 25 years
Introductions : Introductions
My Objectives Today : My Objectives Today To share key learnings acquired over some 25 years in journalism and marketing, with focus on my areas of expertise:
Crisis management
Blogs
To share some specific experiences I’ve had in Asia that changed my life
China and the SARS crisis: a case study in crisis control
To give everyone a good sense of where marketing/PR is heading:
Blogs
Podcasts
Search Engines
My CV : Graduated New York University with a Master’s in Journalism, 1982
Joined the New York Times as an Indexer/Editor, 1982
Moved to Maryland to become a news reporter, 1985
Worked in Washington, DC covering Congress, 1987
Was recruited into the world of high technology marketing, 1989
My CV
My CV (continued) : Moved to Silicon Valley at start of Internet craze, 1995
Joined a dot-com and traveled the world, 1999
Watched as the bubble burst, moved to Hong Kong, 2000
Next stop, Beijing –redefining the concept of culture shock, 2002
Returned to US, but my heart remains in Asia, 2004
Returned to Asia for a new life in Taipei, 2005 My CV (continued)
An Unlikely IT Marketer’s Background : Master’s in Journalism
B.A. in German / Classical Music
High School Majors: Spanish, History, English, Music
Childhood interests:
Classical literature
Violin playing
European History An Unlikely IT Marketer’s Background
We Never Know Where Life’s Paths May Lead Us : We Never Know Where Life’s Paths May Lead Us All our plans and dreams can change with a phone call
Early hopes for a musical performance career dashed
A call from a radio station, and a new life begins
A call from a friend who started a software company changes everything
When the moment of truth arrives, consider carefully
Where do I want to go with my life?
This may look good in the short term, but does it get me closer to my end goals or does it distract me?
Ketchum 凱旋先驅公關 : Ketchum 凱旋先驅公關 World’s top 10 PR consultancy, with Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong
One of the strongest global networks in the industry and the second largest in Asia
Member of the Omnicom Group: BBDO, DDB, Diversified Agency Services
Ketchum was three-time winner of “Agency of the Year” Award by Inside PR in the US – 1996, 1997 & 1998; by PRWeek US for 2002
Known for value-addedness, creativity, and global transparency
Committed to “Best Teams” and “Best Practices”
Ketchum Newscan : Ketchum Newscan Established in Hong Kong in 1980
A business consultancy that specializes in communications
Entered into partnership with Ketchum in 1995
Staff of 160+
Wholly owned offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Taipei
Extensive international client service experience with strong multi-cultural / multi-national teams
Practices include Corporate，Brand Marketing, Food & Nutrition and Technology, Healthcare
Specialty services: Digital Business & Media Service, Broadcast Media Strategy, Design & Production Award-winning team:
Ketchum Newscan had won major awards from the Asia PRWeek and China International PR Association over the years for clients’ programs implemented in Asia and Greater China.
Our valued clients : Our valued clients
Ketchum Newscan Taiwan : Ketchum Newscan Taiwan The Taiwan Team
Established in Taiwan in 1991
25 staff
- bilingual - resourceful - creative - young
Globally linked
Extensive international client service experience supported by local expertise
Ketchum Newscan Taiwan Con’t : Ketchum Newscan Taiwan Con’t Management Team strategic counseling
corporate positioning
issues & crisis management
public affairs / government relations
community relations & sponsorships
Marketing communications
Consumer & trade education
Sales promotion support
News product launches
Trade show & exhibition
Advertorial campaign
Joint promotions sales promotion support
educational briefing
new product launches
special events
joint promotions
sponsorship programs
trade shows & exhibitions
marketing support
What Ketchum Newscan, Taiwan Can Offer :
What Ketchum Newscan, Taiwan Can Offer Strategic counseling
News Bureau
Issue Management
Event Management
Brand Exposure Management
Media Relations
Market Intelligence
Industry Analysis
My Time in China: A Glimpse into the Psychology of an Authoritarian State : My Time in China: A Glimpse into the Psychology of an Authoritarian State
One Year in Beijing : One Year in Beijing Worked as Vice President of Ketchum Newscan
Was dazzled by the brilliance of China’s rising star
Was soon disillusioned by the unfairness, corruption, censorship and poverty
One incident left a permanent scar on my memory of China: SARS
No Event of My Life Affected Me like SARS : No Event of My Life Affected Me like SARS Eyewitness to a step by step
descent into chaos
Rare opportunity to watch
trust in government
disintegrate
The best course in crisis management anyone could ever experience
Was the SARS panic justified? : Was the SARS panic justified? Total number of SARS deaths worldwide as of September 10 (2003): 916
Each year, the flu kills more than a quarter-million people.
In 2001, 2,000+ died of flu in Madagascar 馬達加斯加 alone
What made SARS so frightening? : What made SARS so frightening? No known cure
Source is still uncertain
High death rate
New threat
Many unknowns
Unknown vs. Known : Unknown vs. Known Unknown:
Ebola virus 伊波拉
病毒
SARS
Mad cow disease
狂牛症 Known:
E coli 大腸桿菌
Flu 流感
Salmonella 沙門氏菌
A Brief Primer on Crisis Management : A Brief Primer on Crisis Management Product risk
Customer/end-user problem
Social risk
Strike, redundancies
Industrial risk
Plant accident
Natural risk
-- Earthquake, SARS
Ecological risk
Pollution, disposal
Malicious incident
Sabotage 蓄意破壞活動, blackmail
Mistake
-- CEO makes controversial remark
Corporate issue
Fraud, insider trading
“Cyberterrorism”
The Two Key Phases : The Two Key Phases Pre-publicity Phase
Insiders are aware of a brewing or potential crisis
Action can be taken to avert or soften the crisis
Those involved have a good degree of control over how the situation evolves
Acute Phase
Word is out and the sharks start circling
Ability to control the crisis is limited
Instead of controlling, the parties can only hope to perform damage control
Five questions to ask during pre-publicity phase : Five questions to ask during pre-publicity phase If left unattended, is there a good chance it may escalate in intensity?
Could it generate unwanted attention from outsiders – the news media, competitors, regulators?
Might it interfere with normal business operations?
Could it make the company look bad and cause shareholders to lose confidence?
Could it affect the bottom line?
Wrong Way to React : Acting too quickly
Checking information too openly
Focusing on the short term
Underestimating the consequences
Hiding in an ivory tower
Reacting aggressively Wrong Way to React
Right Way to react : Analyzing the risk and potential consequences
Assessing the situation carefully
Taking an objective approach to the situation
Knowing your limitations Right Way to react
China’s reaction to SARS : China’s reaction to SARS Denial / refusal to acknowledge the crisis
Silence over deaths in Guandong Province 廣州 from November 2002 – January 2003
Similar to China’s reaction to AIDS
False promises
“Guandong Province is now free of SARS”
“Only a few cases in Beijing”
Ingredients for a perfect crisis : Ingredients for a perfect crisis Coverup:
In March, China said there were
only 12 SARS cases in Beijing
Government issued a strict
warning to Chinese media not
to report on SARS during Party Congress
Lack of cooperation with WHO officials (hiding patients in ambulances!)
The whistleblower : The whistleblower Time Asia 亞洲時報, April 9:
A physician at Beijing's Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital (No. 301) says that at one Beijing hospital, 60 SARS patients have been admitted of whom seven have died. That indicates the number of patients infected with SARS in Beijing may be significantly higher than those totals made public by China's Ministry of Health. Last Thursday Chinese Minister of Health Zhang Wenkang announced that China's capital had seen just 12 cases of SARS of whom three had died.
Lack of responsiveness : Lack of responsiveness Time Asia 亞洲時報, April 8, 2003:
The old man was very sick and died two days after entering the hospital. In the process of treating him 10 doctors and nurses were infected with SARS. His wife was admitted soon afterward and also died. Only at this time did officials from the Ministry of Health call a meeting of hospital leaders to inform them that Beijing now had cases of this disease, but that in order to ensure stability as the nation's two annual legislative assemblies got underway, hospital officials were forbidden to publicize what they'd learned about SARS.
Still, the leaders opt for denial : Still, the leaders opt for denial CCTV-9 大陸中央電視台, April 9, 2003:
“Thanks to the efforts of the central government, SARS is now under control and no longer a risk to the general public."
China loses all credibility : China loses all credibility Washington Post 華盛頓郵報, April 23:
Until Saturday, China's government reported only 37 cases of SARS in the capital. On Saturday, that number increased tenfold. Today, the government listed the toll in Beijing at 693 infected and 35 dead.
Government criticized : Government criticized NY Times 紐約時報, April 23:
Health experts warned that hundreds more cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome appeared inevitable as the government belatedly struggles to contain an epidemic it had tried to conceal until several days ago.
“Beijing lost the entire month of March in the fight against SARS, and now this is the consequence,” said Henk Bekedam, chief of the World Health Organization 世界衛生組織 office here.
Government loses control of situation : Government loses control of situation Deceptive tactics strip away government’s credibility
Rumors begin to run rampant
Public has no official source of information that can be trusted – result is sheer chaos
Chaos : Chaos Panic ensues
Shops flooded as people rush to buy staple goods
Desperate citizens turn to “cures” based on superstition
Beijing becomes a city under siege
Government forced to act : Government forced to act Unprecedented live press conferences on all Chinese TV networks
Health Minister and Mayor of Beijing fired
Huge awareness campaign launched
Schools are closed, travel to countryside is banned
City is disinfected, restaurants shut down
Mass quarantines imposed
Costs of delay are huge : Costs of delay are huge Decade of image-building erased overnight
Credibility in tatters
China is focus of humiliating global press campaign
Restoring the faith of the people will take years
Government shake-out
Two Asian countries do it right : Two Asian countries do it right Singapore
Vietnam
Both countries take a hands-on approach : Both countries take a hands-on approach Acknowledge SARS crisis and take swift action:
Nationwide education campaign
Schools closed, even before WHO
Thermometers for all schoolchildren
SARS TV channel with local celebrities
Leaflets distributed to all households
All public areas scrubbed, disinfected
Screenings are ENFORCED
SARS and the Web : SARS and the Web Singapore employs the Web as major educational tool:
Most government sites include dedicated SARS sections
MOH sets up comprehensive site dedicated to SARS
Closing the crisis : Closing the crisis Singapore’s OK campaign
Reminders to remain vigilant
Speeches from highest government officials
Parades and celebrations following recovery
A Quick Note on PR in China : A Quick Note on PR in China Like everything in China, it is very different from anywhere else:
“Transportation allowance”
The obligatory gift
The advertorial
Charging per character
The average Chinese employee
My New Life in Taiwan : My New Life in Taiwan
A Whole New Adventure in PR : A Whole New Adventure in PR For the first time, managing non-IT accounts like McDonald’s, FedEx
My first step into healthcare
Being a real jingli
Making things happen:
American Chamber of Commerce 美僑商會Blogging Presentation…then HK Hutchison-Whampoa 和記黃埔集團….now here…
The Project Closest to My Heart : The Project Closest to My Heart Pharmaceutical firm Merck 台灣默克藥廠introduces Erbitux, a treatment for colorectal cancer 大腸直腸癌
My introduction to the strange world of Taiwanese doctors
Working with cancer patients
Creating a video with them
The Brave New World of Marketing : The Brave New World of Marketing
Slide46 : Global Media Evolution Traditional media giving way to host of new tools and techniques that give “power of the press” directly to individuals
What is Personalized Media? : What is Personalized Media? Reaching individuals with the right message at the right time in the format and through the medium they have selected.
What are we talking about? : What are we talking about? Blogs/Online Communities
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
Podcasting
Mobile Marketing
Podcasting : Podcasting Podcasts are audio blogs, really
Over 30% of MP3 player owners have downloaded a podcast
Over a half of MP3 player owners 18-28 have downloaded a podcast
Podcasting’s & PR – Future? : Podcasting’s & PR – Future? Apple’s new iTunes 4.9 & Odeo.com are the Tipping Point
Top podcast topics?
Tech, movies, sports, repurposed radio/tv
Just you wait until the wi-fi iPod...
Podcasting :
Keys to Success
Make it compelling
Give the audience a reason to “stay tuned” initially and
continue downloading new episodes over time
Make it useful
Don’t talk for the sake of talking, impart company, product
or employee-related info that can be used
Make it pertinent
Know your audience; the right format, the right information
Keep it current
Develop a calendar and schedule and stay with it Podcasting
Mobile Marketing Stats : Mobile Marketing Stats 350 billion text messages are exchanged,every month
1.4 billion mobile phone subscribers in the world, 3 billion by 2010
MM provides the best channel to reach core13-25 year olds who don’t read or watch TV
Mobile responses currently outperform any other media (response rates 5-10%)
The Brand In The Hand : The Brand In The Hand You thought the wi-fi iPod ideas were exciting, MM proximity marketing has even more potential
The mobile phone is the ubiquitous information appliance
Question: Will consumers give up personal information to gain access to these new features?
Web + Log = BLOG : “Web logs” first appeared in 1997
Originally they were simply lists of links
Like a captain’s log, they showed the various pages early Web surfers visited
Early blogs were all self-programmed by their owners and read by a small group of early adopters to the Internet Web + Log = BLOG
Blog Characteristics : Blog Characteristics Chronological: Each post is timed and dated (most recent entries first)
Frequently updated
Authentic, unedited voice
Attribution of all sources
Informal, conversational tone
Interactive, either via comments or email
Lots of links (the more links you offer, the more readers will come back to your blog)
Rise of the Blogs : Rise of the Blogs In 2000-01, new tools like Blogger.com and Movable
Type made it fast and easy to publish content online –
for free. No need to know anything about HTML.
Leading blog advocates like “Instapundit” made
blogging a household word in America, advocating it as “the new medium” and ‘the great equalizer,” making every citizen a potential journalist.
With the World Trade Center attacks, blogs soared in popularity as a place for people to express grief and outrage
Stage was set for blogging to become a major force in communications
Uniqueness of Blogs : Uniqueness of Blogs Unlimited reach, but no editor or controls
Everyone becomes a journalist
Easy to find thanks to search tools
Dynamic content thanks to comments and hyperlinking
Extremely easy (and cheap) to set up and launch
Good blogs develop into loyal communities that listen carefully to the advice of the blogger
People trust bloggers, as “ordinary people,” more than they trust professional journalists
In other words, bloggers are the new influencers, with greater potential power than traditional media
Primary Uses for Blogs in PR/Marketing : Primary Uses for Blogs in PR/Marketing Blog monitoring
Business blogging
Blogger relations
Blogs Are Altering the PR Landscape : Blogs Are Altering the PR Landscape Instantaneous news (and instant crises)
Wider audiences
With RSS, easier access to news
30K+ created a day
Influencers
Blogs have made it easier to publish and created a whole new breed of influencers
Blogs must be included in communications mix
Before Bloggers : Before Bloggers Advertising/Marketing Public Relations Your Company
After Bloggers : After Bloggers Marketing Media Relations Your Company Bloggers
Bloggers are becoming the new critics : Bloggers are becoming the new critics
What is a Corporate Blog? : What is a Corporate Blog? A blog that is directly associated with a specific business
A tool for adding a human voice and face to your corporate Web site
Can be used for internal communications as well as external
Reflects the interests of the company and appeals to its target audiences (investors, partners, employees, consumers)
The Corporate Blog Agenda : The Corporate Blog Agenda To promote yourself, your company, or (typically) both at the same time
To influence the thinking of people inside and outside your organization
To communicate directly with customers and staff
Offers “deep thoughts” on industry issues
Corporate Blogs as PR Tools : Corporate Blogs as PR Tools Instant, personalized communication with customers, employees, industry watchers, media and the general public
Enhance thought leadership and visibility
Offer perspective on industry trends
Dialogue with customers, influencers via comments
Improve customer loyalty and motivate
brand ambassadors/evangelists
Add conversational tone to Web site
• Increase keyword ranks on search engines
Should Your Company Start a Blog? : Should Your Company Start a Blog? Who would be responsible for daily posts?
Who would track coverage?
Who would handle spam?
Do they understand the commitment required?
Do they understand a PR agency cannot do the blogging for them?
Richard Edelman’s Blog : Richard Edelman’s Blog Very personal / passionate
Highly distinctive voice
Free of jargon or hype
Comments on topical issues
Offers “deep thoughts” on industry issues
Asian Castings (Yangmei Jian) asiancastings.blogspot.com/ : Asian Castings (Yangmei Jian) asiancastings.blogspot.com/ Highly focused – castings for bicycle parts
Source of industry knowledge and tips
A gathering place for industry members in Asia
Asian Castings : Asian Castings Praises others in the industry
Offers tips to colleagues on where to find the best local tool maker
Photos add intimacy and color
Frank C. T. Hsieh’s Blog (wretch.cc/blog/FrankCTHsieh) : Frank C. T. Hsieh’s Blog (wretch.cc/blog/FrankCTHsieh) An authentic voice from a former Premier
Simple format adopted from existing blogger template
Background: Sentimental “pottery flute” 陶笛music played by Frank Hsieh runs through the blog all the time
Seasonal greetings & comments on some current issues with sense of humor or gently sarcastic at times
Technorati : Technorati Technorati currently tracks 10 million blogs and more than 1 billion links
One of the more popular search engines, used by reporters and firms to track information for articles
Keeps your fingers on the pulse of the “blogosphere”
Cyberterrorism : Cyberterrorism
A single blogger lights the fuse : A single blogger lights the fuse
Google Results for “Zip.ca” : Google Results for “Zip.ca”
Bottom Line : Bottom Line Blogs aren’t going away, but it’s increasingly difficult to get your voice heard
Every marketing professional should be familiar with blogs, and should be checking Technorati on a daily basis
To really get a feel for what blogs are about, you should start your own blog
Write about what you do everyday, and about things your comfortable discussing
Key Learnings : Key Learnings
“Dare to Use Your Imagination” : “Dare to Use Your Imagination” The keyword is “Dare”
Using your imagination requires risk
Most people are afraid of truly original thinking, and are quick to dismiss it as stupid or impractical
It’s very easy to talk yourself out of doing the creative thing – resist this impulse!
Nothing that You Learn Is a Waste : Nothing that You Learn Is a Waste A good marketing person is a vast repository of information on multiple subjects
Read the newspapers and stay current
Be curious and ask questions
“People skills” are at the heart of PR and marketing – the more knowledgeable you are, the better your people skills can be
You may be surprised how skills you don’t value now can benefit you in the future
Be Extraordinary : Be Extraordinary The competition for jobs and wealth is intense, and it’s only getting worse
Don’t hide the talents that make you extraordinary
Surprise people: Under-promise, over-deliver
Think of what you can do to transform that which is ordinary into something extraordinary
My Golden Rule: Follow Your Bliss : My Golden Rule: Follow Your Bliss BILL MOYERS: Do you ever have the sense of
being helped by hidden hands? JOSEPH CAMPBELL喬瑟夫‧坎伯:
All the time. It is miraculous.
I even have a superstition that has grown on me as a
result of invisible hands coming all the time - namely,
that if you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a
kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.
Thank You! : Thank You! Any comments or questions?