New Face of New Zealand

Sheep, green fields, fresh air, deep blue sea – perhaps these are the only things that come to mind when you think of New Zealand. But have you ever thought of the business side of this beautiful country?

Weber Shandwick in Hong Kong recently assisted New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, New Zealand’s national economic development agency, launch the world’s first New Zealand concept centre, New Zealand Focus, in Hong Kong. The launch not only brings the true experience of New Zealand to the people of Hong Kong, but also provides a unique and interactive business platform for New Zealand exporters to reach Hong Kong and Greater China markets.

Providing a fantastic opportunity to experience a unique lifestyle, New Zealand Focus showcases everything you ever needed to know about New Zealand – from trade, lifestyle and education, to tourism and immigration.

Weber Shandwick’s Hong Kong team liaised with over 30 news organisations to attend the launch, including print and broadcast media from New Zealand, Mainland China and Hong Kong. Within two weeks of the event, more than 35 articles have appeared, covering the four key messages of the campaign and a range of news angles – business, lifestyle, gourmet food, travel and education.

Over 75 percent of the coverage so far has been highly positive with recommendations to the audience to visit the centre, such as: "If you happen to drop by Causeway Bay, check it (New Zealand Focus) out!"
Positive comments have been received from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and honourable guests. "The turn-out far exceeded my expectations!" said Merv Stark, Regional Director, North Asia, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

World Expo Tour in Aichi

Members from the IPG group (Weber Shandwick in Japan, Powell Tate | Weber Shandwick in China, and Daiko) gather around the Vice Mayor Zhou at the luncheon.

In September, Weber Shandwick in Japan and Powell Tate | Weber Shandwick in China arranged a delegation tour for the Shanghai Expo Bureau to the Aichi World Expo 2005.

The city of Shanghai won the right to hold the 2010 World Expo following an international bidding process in 2002. A global Interpublic team, led by Powell Tate | Weber Shandwick has been appointed to develop the marketing development master plan for the Expo.

The Chinese delegation, led by Shanghai's Vice Mayor Zhou Yupeng, the head of the Shanghai Expo Bureau, attended the opening ceremony of Shanghai Week at the Expo on September 19th. The Chinese Pavilion at the Expo organized events focused on cities in China such as Tianjin and Hangzhou. Shanghai, the host of the next Expo, was the last city to be featured. More than 40 government officials, Shanghai business executives and NBA star player Yao Ming attended the ceremony to congratulate the Aichi Expo on its success and show support for the 2010 Shanghai Expo delegates.

As part of the Aichi Expo tour, Weber Shandwick arranged for the business executives to take a tour of the three most popular pavilions at the Expo: Global House, Toyota Group, and Hitachi GST, a Weber Shandwick client.

The group experienced the future of technology through performances featuring vehicles and robots at the Toyota Group pavilion and previewed the latest in information technology by interacting with recreated images of rare animals selected from the World Conservation Union's "red list" at the Hitachi GST Pavilion.

Weber Shandwick organized a successful luncheon on behalf of Vice Mayor Zhou to establish initial contact with potential Japanese sponsors for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. Weber Shandwick faced the challenge of incorporating Chinese business and political protocol in a Japanese business setting. This challenge was overcome and provided a valuable platform for discussion. More than 50 people attended the luncheon including CEOs from Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Yamaha Corporation.

Weber Shandwick Celebrates Performance at Mobil 1 Event

Montoya driving simulator.

Team McLaren driver, Juan Pablo Montoya.

The IPG team from Weber Shandwick, McCann Erickson, Momentum, and Universal McCann.

On October 12, an ExxonMobil taskforce consisting of Weber Shandwick and IPG sister agencies McCann Erickson, Momentum, and Universal McCann, helped ExxonMobil unveil its Mobil 1 Experiential Truck in Shanghai to celebrate its successful performance in Grand Prix racing for more than 25 years. The truck was unveiled before the final race of the season on Huai Hai Road - one of the busiest roads in Shanghai.

The Mobil 1 Experiential Truck is the first of its kind in China and was developed using advanced technology to create a mobile platform to educate the public on the history of Formula One, synthetic oils and Mobil 1. The truck is equipped with a Team McLaren Mercedes Formula One showcar, PlayStation 2 racing games and a simulator so members of the public can experience, first-hand, the thrills of Formula One racing.

The nation was enthralled with Formula One racing and the final race of the season in Shanghai with Team McLaren driver, Juan Pablo Montoya. A total of 56 media were attracted to the event and generated tons of press coverage - from China to Spain.

The integrated campaign by the ExxonMobil team resulted in a successful event for Mobil 1 with widespread media exposure. The media praised Weber Shandwick for an entertaining and well-organized event and ExxonMobil was thrilled with our work on its biggest event in China this year.

Spread Love, Not Herpes

A talk show at the launch event focused on genital herpes and its treatment. Dr. Hemendra Kumar Doshi (left) and talk show host, Geetha Nair (right)

Weber Shandwick in Malaysia recently helped introduce GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) new treatment Valtrex (valacyclovir) to the Malaysian public. Valtrex is the world’s first and only clinically proven treatment to reduce the risk of genital herpes transmission. In the past, treatment was approved only for the suppression of genital herpes.

The overall objective of the assignment was to educate patients on the importance of preventing and protecting themselves against genital herpes, and to highlight the need to reduce the transmission of genital herpes. The strategy employed by the team was to take the taboo topic to the media via a creative, lifestyle-focused `talk show concept’ press conference.

A week prior to the press conference, editors of leading dailies and health/lifestyle publications received a creative teaser in the form of a button badge that read "Spread Love, Not ???" along with a note saying, "It’s a type of virus, which is easily transmitted. One in five people has it. Some have no symptoms. 80 percent of these people remain undiagnosed and unaware they have the infection." This was followed by an official invitation a few days later with details of the press conference.

The press conference began with a short opening video on genital herpes, followed by the talk show discussion and a media question and answer session. Seated on a couch next to the talk show host, chairman of AIDS Action Committee in Malaysia Medical Association, Dr. Hemendra Kumar Doshi, talked about the disease, its condition, transmission of the disease and how one can reduce the risk of transmission of the disease. The insightful banter between the `talk show host’ and the spokes-doctor kept attending journalists focused and interested on the topic.

Approximately 12 journalists from a range of publications, including local dailies, leading parenting, health and lifestyle magazines, attended the press conference. Coverage from the launch following the event gained the public’s attention with Weber Shandwick receiving numerous enquiries about the treatment. Further awareness and education programs for Valtrex in Malaysia are being planning by GSK together with Weber Shandwick.

Boeing Soars High at Seoul Air Show

The Seoul Air Show was the Korean Public’s first opportunity to view the F-15K.

Weber Shandwick’s Korean affiliate, News Communications, recently coordinated with Boeing Korea to maximize media coverage of the Boeing’s capabilities at the 2005 Seoul Air Show. The News Communication team worked closely with Boeing Korea Communications and the ROKAF (Republic of Korea Air Force) Public Affairs team to ensure that Boeing’s F-15K communications plan was executed accordingly.

The air show attracted 200,000 visitors, including the public, industry experts, media, officials, and manufacturers. All visitors enjoyed demonstration flights and various aircraft and defence armaments displayed at the indoor and outdoor exhibits.

Boeing focused on showcasing two defence platforms: the F-15K (pictured) and the 737 AEW&C. For the first time, the Korean public got to see the F-15K.

During the event, News Communications coordinated media briefings, one-on-one interviews, media roundtables, and disseminated press releases in order to highlight Boeing’s capabilities. With nationwide print, broadcast and online media attention of the event, Boeing enjoyed positive coverage, making its participation at the Seoul Air Show 2005 highly successful.

Arts Knows No Boundaries

Weber Shandwick affiliate in the Philippines, BSMG, recently handled the publicity for the annual Mekong Performing Arts Laboratory for client, the Philippine Educational Theatre Association (PETA).

The Mekong Performance Arts Laboratory serves as a venue for artists and performing arts groups from the Greater Mekong Sub-region to pool their talents together in creating artistic advocacy work on the issues of gender, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS. The project is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation Southeast Asia Regional Office, a US-based global philanthropic institution that supports creativity and culture, as well as public health based on its mission and historic competencies

With the event involving artists from various countries namely Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Yunnan Province of China, it was anticipated that language could pose a challenge. The event however, proved that art transcends the language barrier. As the event progressed, it was realised that the language barrier was an opportunity for everyone, agency included, to be artistic and creative in communicating with the participants. In a creative twist, media interviews saw journalists drawing and miming to communicate their questions to the actors!

Overall, coverage of the Laboratory was hugely successful, providing extensive awareness for the project. Members of the media also showed their support by attending both the project’s launch and final performance.

Economist Intelligence Unit Report Creates Waves

Charles Goddard, Editorial Director, EIU discusses the new report on CNBC.

Weber Shandwick in Hong Kong recently led the multi-market launch of the Economist Intelligence Unit's new research report: "Domestic Companies in China: Taking on the Competition."

Despite high-profile overseas acquisitions, China's domestic companies are overwhelmingly inward-looking and few have plans to expand abroad, the report revealed. Most mainland Chinese companies plan to focus on their home market in the short term, and see other local firms such as state-owned enterprises—rather than foreign rivals—as their real competition.

The report was launched in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong and a comprehensive media plan was developed to manage the news flow and maximise exposure across the three launch locations. Managed by Hong Kong as the lead office, the three teams worked closely together to ensure the right media were targeted in strategic locations.

A total of 74 print and broadcast media outlets were briefed via press briefings, group interviews and one-on-one interviews, resulting in close to 80 pieces of news appearing in the media including CNBC, Shanghai TV, AFP, Dow Jones, Associate Press, Financial Times, Forbes, South China Morning Post and The Standard. The media coverage highlighted the Economist Intelligence Unit as the author of the report and, most importantly, generated significant interest in the report among Economist Intelligence Unit customers.

Microsoft’s Innovative Teachers’ Conference in Seoul

The three-day conference, hosted by Microsoft provided a global platform for teachers to collaborate.

Held at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill, Microsoft’s Innovative Teacher’s Conference in Seoul, Korea, brought together over 150 teachers from 23 countries globally to share best practices in innovative uses of technology in education.

For the second year running, Weber Shandwick in Malaysia engaged and pitched to media to attend the Conference.

Organised under the Microsoft Partners in Learning Program, this year’s conference was co-hosted by Korea Education & Resource Information Services (KERIS), Ministry of Education & Human Resources Development, Republic of Korea and was supported by Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, UNESCO and Educational Broadcast Services.

The three-day event provided a global platform for teachers to collaborate and learn from each others’ experiences. In addition to sessions where teachers shared their innovative teaching practices, the event featured keynote presentations by notable educators and thinkers such as Professor Eduardo Chaves, coordinator of the UNESCO Chair in Education in Human Development at the Ayrton Senna Institute in Brazil as well as Professor Kyungsook C. Lee, President of Sookmyung Women’s University.

The media had an extremely engaging session, and found the underlying theme of "innovation" highly apt and applicable to the Malaysian education landscape. The conference was also an opportunity for media to interview and network with key representatives, providing great insights into innovation within education, what makes an innovative teacher and most importantly, how innovation and technology are linked.

Weber Shandwick Supports Microsoft MED and Hitachi IFG at PT/Wireless 2005

Visitors experiencing the power of Windows Mobile 5.0 at the Microsoft booth at PT/Wireless

Microsoft MED
Since winning the Microsoft MED account globally in September 2005, this project was the first for this client in China. Two pre-event media briefings were held before the trade show for general and trade media respectively, and six one-on-one interviews with Microsoft spokespersons were held during the trade show. Weber Shandwick also provided daily onsite support to handle media enquiries at the show. As a result, 30 top-tier publications attended the pre-event briefings, and more than 100 media visited the Microsoft booth during the PT/Wireless trade show.

Over 100 pieces of coverage reporting Microsoft’s highlights and activities at the PT/Wireless trade show have been generated to date.

"The Weber Shandwick team in Beijing did a fantastic job in creating an opportunity for Microsoft to communicate the value and power of Windows Mobile 5.0 media around the event," said Chris Sorensen, Lead Product Manager for Asia Pacific & Greater China of Microsoft Mobile and Embedded Devices Division. "The planning and execution was flawless and made even more impressive with the week-long Chinese National Holiday having taken place just a week prior to the event."

The Hitachi IFG booth at PT/Wireless 2005.

Hitachi IFG
With Hitachi being one of Weber Shandwick’s top accounts in China, Weber Shandwick concurrently raised public awareness for Hitachi through pre-event media activities in the lead up to PT/Wireless. An official press conference was held during the trade show. During the pre-event phase, a release was widely distributed to IT, trade, general and business media. Before the press conference, media were invited to tour Hitachi’s booth to experience Hitachi’s newest technologies. To date, over 70 pieces of coverage have been generated by key media.

"The Weber Shandwick team in Beijing implemented PR activities for PT/Wireless Communication China 2005 as one team," said Tomoki Hirano, senior manager for marketing communication department of Information & Telecommunication System Group, Hitachi (China) Ltd., "Weber Shandwick supported our new company, Salira (China) Optical Network System Ltd and announced its new CEO. Weber Shandwick came to the Hitachi Group Pavilion everyday and contacted a lot of editors, which resulted in a huge amount of media coverage... that featured our key messages, goals and products. Weber Shandwick contributed to the improvement of our IT recognition and we strongly ask them to continue supporting us as a long term partner in China!"

Hong Kong Team Help Dispel the “It Won’t Happen to Me” Syndrome

Media Briefing.

Do you know much about chronic hepatitis B (CHB)? Most people think that CHB is not a threat because they have been vaccinated. Others think that CHB cannot be prevented and cured, therefore it cannot be effectively treated. In fact, even though CHB cannot be cured, it can be controlled with proper treatment. Correct understanding and proper management of CHB can prevent progression which may save lives.

To learn more about how patients with CHB viewed their condition, its treatment and its impact on their lives, a survey was conducted to measure awareness and attitudes about CHB in 10 Asian countries.

In October, Weber Shandwick in Hong Kong helped GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) headquarters conduct a regional media briefing to generate awareness of the serious nature of CHB and to announce the results of the regional survey on the patient’s perspective of CHB. A patient also attended and shared his valuable insight into living with CHB. More than 40 journalists from Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines attended the event.

The survey found that that the majority of patients in Asia Pacific do not know much about their disease at the time they were diagnosed. About 89% of patients had no idea they were infected with the hepatitis B virus, even when a close family member was known to have the disease. They often had unrealistic goals of treatment – complete recovery or cure of the disease. The fact remains that most patients are not well aware of or not worried about the future impact of the disease on their daily life, the “It won’t happen to me syndrome.”

The media briefing was well-received with a lively question and answer session. Remarkable media coverage was generated from the event and the feedback the Hong Kong healthcare team received from the client was positive.

The Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival 2005

The Malaysia Mega Sale Bus

The Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival, a national program and pride of Malaysians was created to reinforce the country’s position around the globe as an ideal shopping haven.

The vision for this year’s program was to introduce a new flavour to the Carnival. With the support of MasterCard International, a new host of programs were developed. This year was especially significant for MasterCard its official card status Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival has been extended for the next three years.

Weber Shandwick in Malaysia worked on an integrated marketing program with McCann-Erickson to reinforce MasterCard’s profile as the official card for the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival 2005 and to communicate the benefits of being a MasterCard cardholder: the exclusive programs, priceless ‘upgrades’ and offers.

The campaign kicked off with a new composite logo and the launch of the ‘Shop Malaysia, Shop the World’ contest where cardholders stood a chance to win four “priceless” holidays to Milan or Paris. Activities throughout the program included leveraging existing programs and creating out-of-the-box ideas to create further interest such as having media interviews on the MasterCard Mega Sale Bus, which trawled the main shopping district of Kuala Lumpur to ferry MasterCard cardholders from one mall to the next.

Other Sale-related events, such as the Asian Shopping Conference, were also leveraged to extend publicity for MasterCard.

At the end of the six week program, Weber Shandwick generated more than 70 business and lifestyle pieces for MasterCard in top tier Malaysian media.

According to Datuk Dr Leo Michael Toyad, Tourism Minister for Malaysia, "The Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival 2005…has been a success. The six-week program continues to get better each year as we build upon past successes and experiences…I am confident that MasterCard will continue to create the awareness of Malaysia that will complement the tourism industry further."

Korean Affiliate Promotes Aussie Beef

Youngsters display their strength at the "Three-Year-Old Baby Samson" competition.

Weber Shandwick's affiliate in Korea, News Communications, recently held two events in Korea for Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) to publicize the third anniversary of Hoju Chungjung Woo - which literally means clean and safe Australian beef.

In conjunction with this anniversary, News Communications held a "Three-Year-Old Baby Samson" contest. A group of three-year-olds wore Hoju Chungjung Woo T-shirts and showed off their little muscles by lifting weights made out of sponges. The competition created a fabulous photo-op and received nationwide publicity.

News Communications arranged a media roundtable following the competition that addressed the concerns regarding Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), otherwise known as "Mad Cow Disease" and the existing ban on U.S. beef imports to Korea. The MLA wanted to highlight the remarkable growth over the past three years of Australian beef in the Korean market while supporting the theme of the campaign, that Australian beef is "Safe, Delicious, and Nutritious." It also was looking to position Australia as a BSE-free country with high beef production technology.

The roundtable achieved the goals of the MLA and garnered favorable opinion among conservative and local media. A total of 14 key trade media attended the event and the coverage was unanimous in its support of MLA objectives.

Hong Kong Helps Software Giant Sharpen its Market Focus

From left to right: Mr. Mark Michelson, Invest HK; Mr. Jeff Clarke, Computer Associates; Mr. John Ruthven, Computer Associates and Marlene Sakaue, United States Consulate General of HK.

Moving into a new financial year, Computer Associates (CA), the world’s forth largest software company, has undergone a wide-ranging transformation to sharpen its execution to customers and improve efficiencies.

To demonstrate these objectives, CA announced the establishment of its Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) headquarters in November. By consolidating the regional headquarters in Hong Kong, with its world-class infrastructure and close proximity to key growth markets, the new regional headquarters aims to enhance the company’s implementation and streamline overall strategy and reporting structures for Greater China, ASEAN and India, Australia and New Zealand, Korea, and Japan.

In November, Weber Shandwick in Hong Kong leveraged the visit of CA’s COO and other senior executives to launch this announcement. Taking place in Island Shangri-la hotel, the press briefing was the first-ever organized by Weber Shandwick for CA.

Officiating the ceremony were Jeff Clarke, COO of CA, John Ruthven, Senior Vice President & General Manager, APJ, CA, Mark Michelson, Associate Director-General, Invest HK and Marlene Sakaue, Deputy Consul General, US Consulate General Hong Kong.

The event started with Jeff’s keynote speech about CA’s transformation, followed by Mark Michelson and Marlene Sakaue’s complimentary comments about CA’s contributions to Hong Kong. The event ended with an unveiling ceremony. Four official guests unveiled the model of CA’s new headquarters office to mark the occasion.

More than 20 journalists from general, business and IT sections from broadcast, print, and wires attended the press briefing. Remarkable coverage was received, including stories from CNBC, Forbes, AFX, Dow Jones and South China Morning Post. Positive feedback was received from the client after the event and the success of the press briefing has become a standard for other CA events launched in the region.