Weber Shandwick in Japan builds momentum with TOKYO 2016

On 4 June 2008, the International Olympic Committee announced that Tokyo is one of the four Candidate Cities to remain in the running to be selected for the 2016 Games. Members of Weber Shandwick’s Tokyo team were onsite with TOKYO 2016 Olympic Games Bid Committee at the SportAccord convention in Athens, Greece, for this landmark announcement. The final Host City selection will be made in October 2009.

Leading up to this victory, Weber Shandwick colleagues in Tokyo have shifted into high gear in recent months to support TOKYO 2016 through several milestone events, including the submission of its application file and its participation in the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly in Beijing.

When TOKYO 2016 hand-delivered its application file in January 2008 to the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Tokyo team was on hand to provide critical support to the client—creating and distributing press kits, press releases and talking points; liaising with Tokyo foreign correspondents to ensure a wide array of coverage; and even coordinating with Weber Shandwick colleagues Geneva to have a photographer onsite to capture images for use in future media outreach.

The Tokyo office had a second chance to leverage the agency’s global network in April when TOKYO 2016 attended the ANOC General Assembly in Beijing. Weber Shandwick staff in Tokyo and Beijing—including a Tokyo colleague on exchange at the Beijing office during the event, worked jointly to support the client’s media activities. Two press releases and six interviews with major Olympic trade and international media allowed the client to engage a wide audience of stakeholders at this critical meeting of Olympic Family members.

After key involvement in preparations for TOKYO 2016’s participation at SportAccord, the Weber Shandwick team is exhilarated by Tokyo’s selection and already exercising its strength across a spectrum of PR activities to continue providing dynamic support.

Besides Tokyo, Candidate Cities to continue in the running are Chicago, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro.

	Raising awareness around drug dependence in Malaysia

	Weber Shandwick supports Nike's landmark event in China

Nike unveils designs for 2008 Beijing Olympics gear in the Ancestral Temple near Beijing's Forbidden City

With 88 days to go to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Nike unveiled its innovative designs for Olympic competition gear for 22 Chinese sports federations. Weber Shandwick was appointed to publicise the event—one of Nike’s biggest in China so far—to Chinese media.

The event took place in China’s famed Tai Miao, the Ancestral Temple east of the Forbidden City, where 500 guests and media from around the world gathered to witness the unveiling. Top Nike executives Mark Parker, Charlie Denson, and Trevor Edwards made the trip to China to take part in the event. Star athletes such as Yi Jianlian, members of China’s men’s basketball team and the country’s weightlifting gold medalist also participated to showcase their Nike uniforms.

Weber Shandwick colleagues from Shanghai and Beijing created and seamlessly executed a robust interview agenda for each of the star athletes and Nike leaders, ensuring maximum media exposure for all parties and significant opportunities for the client’s executives to convey key messages around Nike’s innovative line.

	APAC teams assist Microsoft at IIC-China Conference

Microsoft showcases Window Embedded products and announces new Beijing center at International IC-China Conference and Exhibition

In March 2008 at the International IC-China Conference and Exhibition in Shenzhen, China, Microsoft showcased its Windows Embedded family of products and announced the establishment of the Windows Embedded R&D Center in Beijing, its first center in Asia. In an exemplary regional effort, Weber Shandwick colleagues across mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore mobilised to support Microsoft’s activities.

The Weber Shandwick Singapore and China teams assisted Microsoft in preparations for the event and at the opening ceremony. The teams also coordinated a press conference and interviews with top-tier Chinese IT, embedded, business and general media from Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, including Global Electronics China, International Finance News, 21st Century Business Herald and more. The press conference was a joint event with Microsoft and Global Sources, the conference organizer.

The Weber Shandwick team in Taipei pitched in to garner coverage across Taiwan by creating a localised press release on the new Center’s opening.

The outcome was impressive. A total of 174 clippings, all positive, were generated in China, including four feature stories in magazines, two feature columns online and a televised broadcast. Mirroring key messages, coverage focused on Microsoft’s new Windows Embedded R&D Center and highlighted the client’s “Smart, Connected and Service-Oriented” approach.

	Weber Shandwick helps Microsoft celebrate IT heroes in Malaysia

Hot on the heels of the worldwide release of its new enterprise products, Microsoft Malaysia recently showcased its next generation of infrastructure and application platform products, Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008, in what is the largest enterprise launch in the company's history.

The theme of the event, “Heroes Happen Here,” was geared to highlight the outstanding work that IT professionals, developers and partners do every day to create solutions and cutting-edge applications that keep global commerce and industries running—and the work that drove the creation of the three new enterprise products.

For this widely anticipated launch, Microsoft intended to create awareness amongst IT professionals and developers, targeting almost 2,000 attendees, and to generate excitement for its pre- and in-event launch activities. A “First Clinics” lab gave developers a first glimpse of these powerful tools and a Malaysian IT Heroes search contest was planned to culminate on the day of the launch.

To achieve the desired outcomes, Weber Shandwick partnered with Microsoft to conceptualise a range of activities to engage media leading up to the launch event. By profiling Microsoft’s next-generation enterprise products, Weber Shandwick successfully created media opportunities with print media and pitched broadcast interviews for stand-alone pre-event press conferences. Press releases were written to highlight updates and new versions of each product, and a Heroes Happen Here offsite event was coordinated specifically for key media titles including Malaysia’s wire and broadcast service, Bernama.

For the launch, Weber Shandwick successfully organised the official press conference and media engagements, all highlighting the “Heroes Happen Here” theme and emphasising Microsoft Malaysia’s commitment to its key audiences, supplemented with strong and positive endorsements from customers and partners.

Microsoft Malaysia was able to celebrate the innovative spirit of more than 4,000 IT professionals and developers attending the launch in the presence of 40 media representatives from 33 publications, television and radio stations. The planning effort resulted in favorable coverage from the media with over 70 stories featured in major dailies, magazines and broadcast media titles.

	Microsoft Comm Sector, HostCHN partner for summit

Microsoft Comm Sector partnered with HostCHN to present the China Hosting Partner Summit this March in Shanghai, and Weber Shandwick’s Beijing technology practice was on the ground to facilitate media relations.

The event was attended by the vice president of Microsoft’s International Communications Sector, René-Philippe Mantrand. Weber Shandwick’s team maximised the leader’s presence with a special media briefing and Q&A for Beijing and Shanghai media representatives during the summit.

At the start of the event, all participating media were given Internet-ready mobile phones designed to showcase Microsoft technology. Summit activities educated media on Microsoft’s hosting strategy, strong partner ecosystem and leading hosting solutions.

A total of 38 instances of coverage were generated by the event in top-tier IT, telecom and business media, including China Electronic News, Computer Business Information-SMB, Communications Weekly, Shanghai Business Daily and more. Three feature stories stemmed from the special media interview with VP Mantrand.

	Hitachi GST's Bronco K makes cinematic debut in Thailand

Hitachi GST's Bronco K mobile drive debuts its IT and entertainment storage capabilities at a sleek cinema

Weber Shandwick in Bangkok helped give media a big screen preview of Hitachi GST’s Bronco K, the new 2.5 inch mobile drive designed for multimedia use. The product’s launch aimed to convey Bronco K as the perfect match for lifestyles in which IT and entertainment merge, and to solidify Hitachi GST’s position as a technological innovator for the storage sector. The product’s capabilities were showcased for key media at a sleek Bangkok cinema.

The launch generated coverage equal to four times return on the client’s investment, and creatively communicated the message that the Bronco K mobile drive is tailored for uses in consumers' daily lives beyond work.

	Emirates sponsors Maybank Malaysian 08 Open

Professional Golfer Thongchai Jaidee shares the ABCs of golf at an Emirates clinic for underprivileged children during the Maybank Malaysian Open

Emirates Airline, already well-known for its support of sporting events, further exemplified its commitment to athleticism through sponsorship of the Maybank Malaysian Open for the third consecutive year.

The airline frequently supports community programmes such as this annual golf tournament with the goal of cultivating strong relationships with consumers and stakeholders as well as fostering brand awareness.

Emirates representatives from Dubai and Malaysia collaborated with Weber Shandwick’s Kuala Lumpur team to conceptualise a range of activities designed to engage tournament attendees, golfing enthusiasts, media and corporate guests for the duration of the Open.

Leading up to a suspenseful final game at the Open, Emirates hosted several events offering five-star hospitality to 150 media and guests, including professional golfers Paul McGinley, Brian Saltus and Rory McIlroy. Other activities included a business-class trip to Dubai giveaway, a pro-am tournament in which corporate clients were paired with golfing celebrities and a golf clinic hosted by Thongchai Jaidee for underprivileged children from Praise Emmanuel Children’s Home.

Weber Shandwick created significant media opportunities with print media including a networking luncheon for editors with Emirates’ Malaysia country manager. Throughout the tournament, the airline’s branding graced major scoreboards and structures on and off the course, and the agency worked closely with the Open’s editorial team to ensure that Emirates received daily coverage in the tournament newsletter.

	Vidal Sassoon launches China's first virtual hair salon

VS Sassoon launches its online Midnight Salon simultaneously in the real and virtual worlds

Looking to reinforce its brand image as the leading professional and premium hair care brand in China, Vidal Sassoon partnered with Weber Shandwick to design a launch event with a cutting-edge choice of venue: online and in the real world, at the same time.

The Beijing consumer team collaborated with HiPiHi.com, China’s version of Second Life, to open VS Midnight Salon in the virtual world. The salon offers an online styling experience for Chinese consumers, including professional hair care advice from VS top stylists.

Midnight Salon was launched with a simultaneous ribbon-cutting in real-time and online. The real world launch event venue was designed to mirror the modern interior of the virtual Midnight Salon. VS branded laptops at the event allowed VS stylists to interact with visitors at the online salon and gave media a chance to experience the salon themselves. The launch was bolstered by endorsements of Midnight Salon and VS products from key opinion leaders in the beauty industry and from celebrities.

VS’ virtual salon was a hit, garnering 180 clippings (145 in print, 14 on TV and 21 online) and 31 million impressions. Midnight Salon registered over 1,600 avatars.

	Malaysians advocate for relief efforts

Hundreds circle Pavilion KL wearing ribbons symbolising solidarity with the victims of the recent earthquake in China and Nargis in Myanmar

In response to recent natural disasters in China and Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Weber Shandwick in Kuala Lumpur speedily conceived a charity event on behalf of the Malaysian capital's premier shopping mall, Pavilion KL.

On short notice, Pavilion KL turned to Weber Shandwick to kick-off its week-long drive, “Let’s Band Together.” Aimed at raising funds for victims of the earthquake in Sichuan, China, and Nargis in Myanmar, Weber Shandwick conceptualised and executed the client's brief—within a single day.

On May 19, a charity walk had 200 management and employees of Pavilion KL come to advocate for this cause. Participants, wrist-bound with a ribbon that symbolised unity with those affected by the disasters, marched along the streets in the vicinity of the mall. The end-destination: a fund-raising event in the concourse area of the shopping centre.

Weber Shandwick worked to get the message out to Malaysians as well as foreign visitors and shoppers. Collection boxes were set up at designated concierge counters around the shopping centre.

The campaign helped to collect MYR 225,000 (USD 69,848) toward each fund; representing a total of MYR 450,000 (USD 139,669) in just one day. Weber Shandwick also helped to secure noteworthy news coverage in local-language, Chinese and English media.

	GREATWALL Wine launches Beyond 2008 vintage

China’s largest and best known wine brand, GREATWALL Wine (of COFCO Wine & Spirits), engaged Weber Shandwick’s Beijing office to support the launch of its new vintage, Beyond 2008. Not your common product launch, this project also marked the final phase in the brand’s campaign to announce that it will be a sponsor and the exclusive wine supplier for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The consumer team orchestrated a press conference and grand launch event to give Beyond 2008 an impressive introduction. A dozen different news releases were created to tailor the launch to appeal to a diverse set of media. Both events were designed to simultaneously promote Beyond 2008 to fine wine lovers, strengthen GREATWALL Wine’s lead in the industry and highlight the brand’s Olympic Games sponsorship.

The grand launch event included a charity auction of three bottles of Beyond 2008. Many government officials and members of the Olympic Organising Committee were in attendance.

The project was an all-around success and an excellent demonstration of synchronisation between a PR firm with global resources and a prominent domestic brand. Weber Shandwick’s team was honoured to partner with GREATWALL Wine as it debuts in a global spotlight.

GREATWALL Wine launches new vintage and announces sponsorship of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

	Aviva, First Taisec Securities ally for new funds

Aviva Investors partnered with First Taisec Securities leaders to present new funds in Taipei

Aviva Investors partnered with First Taisec Securities to launch five of its offshore funds in the Taiwan market in May 2008. To assist the funds’ introduction, Weber Shandwick Taiwan held a press conference for foreign bank, fund and financial media.

The press conference highlighted the “Aviva Investors European Socially Responsible” fund, in particular. Socially responsible investing has become a trend both in Taiwan and globally.

The four other funds introduced were Aviva Investors Global Convertibles, Aviva Investors European REIT, Aviva Investors Global REIT and Aviva Investors European Convergence Equity. Aviva Business Development Director Vina Cheng made a presentation on the products. Michael Chang, First Financial Holdings Chairman, and Adam Lessing, an Aviva Investors SICAV board member, also gave speeches to celebrate this joint venture.

A total of 36 reporters from 22 media attended the press conference. As of May 20, the agency registered approximately 40 instances of coverage. Both Aviva Investors and First Taisec Securities conveyed their praise for such a successful press conference.

	S.T. Dupont toasts 135th anniversary with new energy

S.T. Dupont recently celebrated its 135th anniversary with a new look and positioning to engage today’s male connoisseurs of luxury accessories. Weber Shandwick’s China team successfully managed the roll-out of S.T. Dupont’s anniversary celebrations in Shanghai.

Hosted by S.T. Dupont CEO Alain Crevet, the event comprised an intimate heritage exhibition and cocktail reception. Participating media learned about how S.T. Dupont intends to take itself forward in the coming years, building on its heritage as a "Maître Orfèvre, Laqueur & Malletier depuis 1872," or “Master Goldsmith, Lacquerer & Travel Case Maker since 1872.”

The exhibition and CEO’s presentation highlighted S.T. Dupont's expertise in four arts—fire, writing, travel and seduction, communicating the brand's superior craftsmanship in the making of luxury lighters, pens, travel cases and men's fashion accessories. The event introduced media to new products within each category.

Weber Shandwick coordinated a series of one-on-one and group interviews with S.T. Dupont’s CEO, providing media a closer look at the brand’s revamped image and a deeper understanding of the new products’ relevance globally and in the China market.

S.T. Dupont CEO Alain Crevet hosts the company’s 135th anniversary celebration and new product unveiling in Shanghai

	Goodyear takes media to Sepang Malaysia

To generate buzz and create brand advocates for Goodyear and its new Kevlar technology, Weber Shandwick’s team in Bangkok helped Goodyear take key broadcast, print and online media on a fun-filled trip to Malaysia’s Formula One circuit in Sepang, a race track stretching 5,543 kilometres long and curving through a jungle environment.

The trip offered an amicable atmosphere where Goodyear executives and media could intimately communicate about the brand and Kevlar product, a strategy that encouraged strong exposure—more than 80 stories across motoring, lifestyle, business and other media. Moreover, coverage helped Goodyear meet early sales targets.

Goodyear executives and key media travel to Malaysia’s F1 circuit