Suzy’s family has requested stories, anecdotes and messages from all those who knew and loved Suzy as a colleague, client or friend. These will become pages in a book of memories that they can cherish in the years to come. To help coordinate this, we have set up one email address and will pass on every message sent to this over the coming weeks.

Please send through anything you would like to be included to: suzymemories@lewispr.com

Many thanks

I’m afraid I have some terrible news to report – our friend, colleague and fellow Partner, the lovely Suzy Ferguson died peacefully today (26/07/12), aged just 31.

‘The Ferg’ joined us in 2003 as a graduate. With her combination of leadership and energy, she rapidly climbed the ladder. Clients loved her. Staff loved her. She made Partner quickly and went on to become one of the best-loved leaders in the business.

Love was something that actually defined both her work and her domestic life. She gave everyone she knew so much love.

This is what endures as a testament to her parents and family. You can’t pass on that amount of love unless you have it to spare. Our condolences and thoughts are with them at present. Our thanks for Suzy will be with them forever.

It was no surprise that Suzy gravitated towards finding, nurturing and retaining talent. Many of our most brilliant people came from her ability to spot ‘one of us’ and to ensure they got the most from the training structures she herself developed.

Suzy was diagnosed about two years ago with an aggressive form of cancer. Typically, she went through the surgery and chemotherapy with a cheerfulness that was an inspiration.

Any company is the sum total of the personalities it attracts. Foremost among ours was the inimitable Suzy Ferguson. Her contribution to our lives is one of her many legacies that we will treasure.

The company once had account teams named after London Tube stations. Suzy named her team ‘The Angels’ for their Islington origins.

Tonight, the light in our world is diminished. We draw strength though that in another, the light is more radiant as Suzy joins a new team of angels.

A Personal Message From Chris:

Click here to view the embedded video.

What was hot on the web this week? Get up to speed on the latest trends, news and services with some of our favorite new stories.

NBCOlympics’ Opening Ceremony Tape Delay: Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

While most of the world was watching the Opening Ceremony live, U.S. audiences were held hostage by NBC, which holds the rights to the games here. Rather than air the biggest event of the Olympics live as it happened, NBC decided to air the ceremony on a tape delay to garner more viewers.

At a time when online video and social media bring an air of immediacy to live events, tape delays seem a bit archaic. Not to mention, the @NBCOlympics Twitter account live-tweeted the event, with no apparent sense of the irony that its audiences couldn’t actually watch what it was describing. Instead of building excitement about the Games, all NBC ended up doing was frustrating its audience.

Read more here.

Revenue From Social Networks To Top $16.9bn In 2012, Advertising Alone Worth $8.8bn: Report

Social networks have already revolutionized the way we interact online, becoming the Internet itself for many. But the ‘Facebook Effect’ has gone beyond communication and is changing the way money is made on the web, with $16.9 billion set to be generated from social sites this year.

Gartner predicts that social media-based ad revenue will hit $8.8 billion this year. Social gaming – which doubled its revenue between 2010 and 2011 – is likely to fetch $6.2 billion, while subscription-based income is on target to tally $278 million.

Read more here.

Time to tune in: the Olympics will be live-streamed in HD on YouTube

For the first time in history, the Summer Olympics will be live-streamed in HD via YouTube, thanks to the tight partnerships among social media companies, traditional media companies and the International Olympic Committee.

To access the feed, go to the official YouTube Olympics page. With the new live recording features on the channel, you can see any part of an event you might have missed.

U.S. fans can also watch athlete interviews, get special tips from Olympic coaches and catch other behind-the-scenes content on the official YouTube channel of the U.S. Olympic Team.

Read more here.

Facebook’s Not the Only One Struggling With Mobile Advertising

Despite all the attention it gets, mobile advertising is still just a rookie in the industry, accounting for only $1.6 billion globally in 2011.

Compare that to the overall $498 billion global ad market and you might wonder what all the fuss is about. Even newspaper revenues, which hit their lowest mark in 60 years in 2011, were 129 times greater than those for mobile.

Investors, who calculate the value of a company based on how they think it will do down the road, see a future in which users are accessing Google and Facebook products and services more via mobile devices. Of the two, Google is doing the best; CEO Larry Page claimed a $2.5 billion run rate for mobile ads last October. Meanwhile, Facebook has offered mobile advertising for only a little more than a month.

Read more here.

Expectedly, the explosion in mobile has created a buzz amongst marketing and communication professionals in the region as they scramble to understand user behavior and adapt communication campaigns accordingly. There are plenty of buzzwords to go around as well – mobile marketing, mobile site optimization, mobile SEO, augmented reality apps.

If we walk beyond the buzzwords however, it is easy to see that planning a communication campaign for mobile platforms can be remarkably simple to adopt and execute. Mobile marketing is quite simply marketing to mobile devices. Last week, we put together a few tips to prepare for the future of mobiles. Here are a few strategies to be wary of, especially if you are in Asia Pacific.

• SMS/text messages. When I mentioned mobile marketing to an industry colleague, her immediate response was a telling one: “Don’t tell me you want to spam people with text messages.” (I didn’t want to, but that is a different story.)

In Asia Pacific, there are markets where mobile network coverage does not necessarily extend to 3G. As a result, marketing messages are still delivered via SMS or text messages – much to the annoyance of subscribers. (In India, the daily limit of 200 text messages per subscriber has been recently lifted and subscribers are asked to voluntarily opt out of receiving text messages from marketing companies.)

#Fail: Text messages don’t have links embedded in them for users to click and access more information. The chances of users retyping URLs into their mobile browsers are very remote.

 #UpcomingTrend: Geo marketing – sending subscribers messages relevant to their location. For instance, Singtel, a leading network provider in Singapore, markets its roaming services to all subscribers who enter the Changi airport.

• QR CODES. QR codes or Quick Response codes were born in Asia but the black and white squares have made their way to milk cartons, shopping bags and even buses everywhere. But how many people have been scanning those codes with their mobile phones? Have they impacted website traffic numbers at all? The numbers are very dismal.If a communications professional advocates inclusion of QR codes in your marketing campaign, take the time to look worried.

#Fail: The assumption that mobile users will download QR code readers, scan or photograph your particular code and visit your website to access information or a contest is a naive one.

#StillUsed: The only companies in Asia Pacific successfully using QR codes nowadays are those marketing loyalty rewards (PointPal, Perx, etc)

•  APPS. Unlike the other two, this isn’t a failed mobile marketing strategy. I am however including it here since universal adoption hasn’t helped with marketing.

Like everywhere else in the world, mobile apps are quite popular in Asia Pacific too. Companies across different sectors – from insurance companies to B2B tech companies – have released mobile apps. They are the latest style statements but it is important to remember that mobile apps are not marketing tools in themselves.

#Fail: Simply releasing mobile apps in Google Play, Apple’s App Store or BlackBerry App World will not necessarily reach your target audience. If they can’t find the app, they won’t use it.

#QuestionsToAsk: Before planning a mobile app development project: How integral are mobile apps to the business as a whole? What business requirement does it fulfill? What value are they adding to your customers/users?

This isn’t a complete list by any means. If you have more to add, drop us a line here. Or on twitter: @lewispr_asia

More images, less text

The first, and ultimate, condition an infographic should meet is to contain as many visual elements as possible. ‘Readers’ immediately want to see what the infographic is about, without reading the (usually small) print.

This infographic about ‘The who, why and how of Twitter’ (click image to enlarge) is a good example of using as little text as possible. The text that is there is easy to read and consists of a maximum of four sentences. There is also a great balance between text and images.

The infographic about ‘Global Hotel Price changes’ is also a good example of a visual representation of data:

This infographic about Twitter, however, is not fairing so well. It mentions a lot of facts and figures about Twitter, but none of these are supported by relevant visuals or icons. It seems to be a ready-made image where the text is placed in. In addition to that it lacks a clear structure.

Follow a format

Besides the text-to-image ratio, the size of the infographic has to be taken into account.

Infographics are mainly viewed and shared online, for example, to support a blog post. Ideally, an infographic has a vertical layout and a width of 600 pixels max. The length of the infographic doesn’t really matter, but it would be handy if it consists of different ‘components’, so that it can be divided in a few smaller images. A good example of this is the infographic about ‘8 deadly sins of site design’:

This infographic is divided into different parts, separated by lines and subheadings. This way, it could easily be divided up into different sections. This could be useful when the infographic is too large to fit a certain website.

Design = subject

The design of the infographic must support the subject. All components should connect. Adapt font type, font size and colours to emphasize the subject of the infographic.

The infographic ‘What is an infographic?’ is completely balanced. There is a clear colour scheme, whereby neutral colours are used for background and text and brighter colours are used for the parts that should draw more attention. Besides that, the illustrations all have the same style. It fits the design, character and goal of an infographic.

‘The paperless office’ infographic is also a good example:

So is this infographic about file sharing:

However, the infographic ‘Do you know who’s watching you’ could be described as total chaos. Different colours and styles are used, none of which seem to have a direct purpose. Photos and illustrations are used together, in totally different styles.

With some subjects, a dynamic infographic could add extra value or information. This shows the infographic from Kia, in which its demonstrated the workings of a hybrid car.

 Originating originality

Bar graphs and pie charts can work just fine, but when the subject allows it, you could go much further with an infographic. Check out these examples of really original infographics:

In summary

When you view all ‘good’ infographics right beside one another, you can conclude a number of rules:

• Use as much visuals and as little text as possible
• Make sure the format fits the medium and the infographic is easy to divide into sections
• The fonts, font size and colours should be balanced and aligned with the goal and subject of the infographic
• Choose a particular style of illustrations (or photos) and stay consistent throughout
• Be original, when subject and goal, allow it

Above all, the art of creating an infographic is to gain experience through designing them. Take a look at other infographics and think about what you like or don’t like about them. This helps define what works, and what doesn’t, and allows you to achieve something that does.

What are your favorite examples of recent infographics?

For example, many US Apple fans eagerly anticipate the arrival of the iPhone 5, but we can only begin to speculate what new features the device will have in store. Rumors suggest the release date is right around the corner and consumers are anxiously waiting to be the first to place their orders.  Although the phone is already on its 5^th generation, the new development only marks the beginning of the smartphone revolution.

How does the mobile revolution impact PR and communications pros?

As the popularity for mobile devices continues to grow, digital marketing strategies also have a great opportunity to evolve.  New smartphone developments create new channels for us to share content and news. By optimizing our work for mobile, we now have the ability to reach audiences at distinct times and in a diversity of locations.

Not sure if your marketing and PR plan is ready for the smartphone revolution? Here are four tips to help you prepare for the future of mobile:

1.    Optimize Websites for Mobile Viewing

Most websites are NOT optimized for mobile. Although many are accessible on smartphones, small text and Flash embedded images are not always mobile-user friendly.  Be sure your mobile site is maximizing the limited screen space that current smartphones have. Include easy to access button-links to help viewers navigate and don’t run videos or images on platforms that are unavailable on mobile operating systems.

2.    Understand the Differences in Mobile Search

 Mobile searches do not always share the same results as desktop searches. When a user is searching on mobile, local results are more likely to be shared, image results rank higher, and social search (i.e. Google +1s and social recommendations) are not accounted for. Be aware that SEO for a website can be drastically different from optimizing a site for mobile search.

3.    Invest in Mobile Advertising

Recent reports from Google’s quarterly earnings suggest that mobile advertising is on the rise.  With access to 300,000 mobile apps via Google AdWords’ AdMob network, mobile advertising can help reach audience members via the apps they use most. Ramp up your PPC campaigns with a mobile addition to share your message with more users.

4.  Research Emerging Mobile Trends

Like social media, mobile technology is always changing. By keeping a close eye on emerging mobile trends, we can begin to evolve our digital strategies to better communicate with target consumers. Adjust your campaigns accordingly with every smartphone update and be weary that mobile phones are used for different purposes dependent on location, age and culture.

As mentioned earlier, the popularity and consumption of smartphones can only grow from here. Preparing for the future of mobile starts now. Are you ready for the revolution? Share your mobile marketing tips below!

It’s interesting that an entire conference would be devoted to this subject as you might ask yourself, media relations is media relations, whatever type of age you are in, let alone a digital age.

I discussed this issue with some of my colleagues and there were some strong views as to how digital PR professionals handle their media relations and pitching surrounded by digital tools and channels.

It’s clear that the core skills and approaches are untainted by the digital age. For example:

1. Relationships with media and bloggers. A fundamental part of our work remains unchanged, building relationships with those we want to pitch stories to. Fully understanding their beat, remit, interests and the types of stories and blog posts that they will write / produce.

Not just talking to them when you have something to sell in. That’s just use and abuse. But a genuine interest in who they are, what they are trying to do, and how you can help each other out and satisfy both your objectives.

One of my colleagues in Singapore tells me how she goes cycling at the weekends with a variety of journalists. What a great way to get to know them! It’s all arranged through Facebook, of course.

2. A good story. Great creative content is at the root of what we pitch in to media outlets. It doesn’t matter how clever you are at manipulating digital tools and channels, without the vital content that piques the interest of a journalist or blogger, which he or she thinks will make a compelling story or insight for his or her readers / community, you’ve got nothing to go on.

Constantly looking for great ways to bring a client’s story to life is what creative content professionals seek to do all the time, and always have done.

What has changed of course is the myriad of digital and social channels through which we can communicate, listen and learn. For digital communications professionals, it’s really like being a kid in a candy shop. When have we ever had so many tools and channels available at our disposal?!

I suppose it’s also a challenge – determining which platforms and tools to use, in what order of priority, or all at once! But it’s obvious that, especially in an era of the short attention span, images and video are extremely popular ways to convey messages, content and stories. One of my colleagues was telling me how she now only does video invites when arranging press events and conferences, a text invite email is far too boring and ordinary, or passé.

One thing that the digital age helps us remove our over-reliance on are the over-priced and seldom updated media databases (even online) that cost a fortune. In additional to bloggers, most journalists have a Twitter feed or other social network you can tap into, or at least listen to.

The amount you can learn is huge. You find out about personality, traits, likes and dislikes, when to approach and when not to, areas of interest and often stories that are being produced or researched at the time. Often a fascinating and useful insight into the lives of those we work with day in day out.

I discussed building relationships earlier, but of course connecting with our media and blogging community on Twitter, Facebook and other social outlets is a great way to develop a bond. And of course they won’t say no to you retweeting them when you find a post interesting enough to share.

It seems that the rise of digital is extremely positive for communications professionals. I’d be interested to hear if anyone disagrees or thinks there are some negative aspects of the rise of digital and social in our business.

Having mentioned it earlier, I think the topic of media relations in the short attention span era might be an even more interesting debate!

As savvy publicists, we are responsible for navigating our clients through the social media landscape, pointing them to channels that are most relevant to their audience and demonstrating our digital prowess in a noisy online world. Within this backdrop, PR pros have a great opportunity to showcase their expertise in the digital realm and set their clients up for social media success.

Not quite sure how to start? Follow these four tips to help you become the ultimate social media champion for your most valued clients.

Choose Wisely And Share Meaningful Content

Great counsel begins with understanding what your clients want to achieve followed by understanding what their target audience wants. Oftentimes, our value as social media experts comes from mediating the interactive relationships between the two and finding the right content to share on the appropriate social platforms.

For instance, Facebook fans desire entertainment and direct interaction with the brands they follow. Continuously pushing out marketing content or promotion-specific posts will only turn fans away. On the other hand, Twitter followers want fast, minute-by-minute updates and don’t mind seeing labeled sponsored posts from time to time. Identifying the best interaction source for your client is key to any campaign’s success.

Feeling pressured to use more than just one platform?

It’s okay use multiple networks but counsel your clients to use channels that will be beneficial not only to them but also to the people they want to reach.

Always Keep An Eye Out for New Digital Trends

Savvy counsel should always take note of the latest piece of news coming from the media trenches – from following industry tips to learning about new tech upgrades, network changes and more. We must understand how new trends ultimately affect our clients and our social media campaigns.

But proceed with caution: The ‘latest and greatest’ social media trend doesn’t translate well for everyone. As a consultant, don’t feel like you need to persuade your client to jump on a new tech bandwagon just because everyone else is doing it. Always keep client goals in mind when running a social media campaign and don’t get distracted too quickly by new developments without doing your research first.

Turn Knowledge Into Action

The social media knowledge we share is only as valuable as the actions our clients agree to take. As advisors, you must provide credible, supporting ROI data on all digital marketing strategies and tactics.

For example, if Twitter adds a new, integrated search option or Facebook adds a new editing feature, our counsel must help clients understand why these network updates are important. We must provide relevant facts on how the change can be leveraged and used to the brand’s advantage. Be sure to build a solid understanding of how social media can fine tune search results, reach new audience members and build upon follower numbers. Because social media is always changing, it is important keep in mind both pros and cons of all platform features to truly optimize ROI.

Be Transparent and Keep It Real

The best way to boast your social media expertise is to show your client both campaign successes and lessons learned.

Consistently monitor their social channels on a daily basis to watch and hear what audiences are saying. Highlight achievements on a regular basis. If your efforts turn an unhappy customer into a brand ambassador, make note of it. Clients appreciate being regularly updated with real-life and real-time examples of success. If a tactic doesn’t produce a predicted result, be transparent, let them know and adjust from there. It’s the only realistic way to improve and evolve social media engagement techniques.

All in all, social media is not a one-size-fits-all vehicle of communication. In order to successfully navigate our clients through online clutter, we must be the expert counsel they need and encourage them to truly ‘get social’.

What are your thoughts on the art of giving real social media counsel? Share below!

However, the increasing pressure to start blogging can easily affect the confidence to actually go out and do it. Many questions start to emerge: have we got the resources, how much internal support is there, can we maintain the perseverance, and who knows how the market will respond (if at all).

Also there seem to be so many ways to start blogging, one can easily be confused.

Because we love a good news story, we have one for you: it is in fact pretty straightforward. Basically there are four models you can deploy when implementing an online content strategy – two of which you can start immediately.

But first of all: why?

Let’s start to discuss why it is important to focus on online content.

As I mentioned, right now all the conditions are right to start telling your corporate story, on your own online platform, and through social channels. It allows you to own the content and to tell the story the way you want it to be told. Consider your blog or website as your organisation’s newspaper and your social networks as the paper boys/girls. This is brand journalism in its most basic form (you can read more about brand journalism here).

If you stick to it and continue to share relevant content with your target audience, you are very likely to be recognized as an expert on your topic. Not only because people visit your blog regularly, but Google does so as well. Regular updates on your website, using relevant keywords, all contributes to a better SEO. This is not only true for written articles; Google increasingly searches on audiovisual content too.

Convinced? Good. Now let’s discuss how to tackle this. 

1. Collaborative blogs

Look around you. No matter the industry or market you are in, I bet that experts on your topic have already joined forces in a collaborative blog. They will very likely welcome new contributors, so why not use their platform to share your insights?

There are many advantages: no need to build your own WordPress platform, and most collaborative blogs already have an audience, so you don’t have to build it from scratch. Besides, it also allows you to engage in discussions – sharing your own knowledge and learning from others.

Although the popularity of collaborative blogs has increased over the past years, this does not apply in all countries and regions. If you happen to operate in such a market, it might be a good idea to fill the gap, by using your own, corporate website.

2. Boost your online newsroom

Most corporate websites have a press section. This is where you will find the newsy stuff: we launched a new product, appointed a new manager or signed a new partnership.

Although all this can definitely be worth sharing, an online newsroom has the potential to be so much more. Why not share trends you spot in your industry every day? Where do you think we are heading? Share tips and tricks on how to best use your products?

Exactly these kinds of stories are perfectly suited for collaborative blogs, too. Most of them will not mind if you repurpose an article that was published on a blog, share it in your newsroom and refer to the original posting (this article was published on…).

Finally, an online newsroom is also a great tool to rapidly respond to industry news. Whenever a news article is published, make sure you draft a response quickly, publish it online and flag it to the journalist who wrote the article. He might even use your input in a follow-up story (read more about the topic of newsjacking in our previous story). Check out examples of other online newsrooms too.

3. Corporate blog

If you want to separate the hard news from the soft news, then building a corporate blog is the way forward. Recruit experts from your organisation that have both the vision, willingness and network to make it work. Set up brainstorms, determine interesting angles, manage a content agenda and guard it like a real editor-in-chief. And, most importantly: have patience. It may take some time to actually build a loyal reader audience, but you will succeed if you share good content on a regular basis and engage on social media.

Even though this blog is your corporate domain – do not forget that you are not on this world alone. Read other bloggers and engage with them, build on their knowledge. The more you share, the more you will get.

4. Community blog

If you take this philosophy one step further, why not open your online platform for external authors? This can be especially relevant if your organisation has many business partners. The more you allow others to shine, the more traffic they will generate. Think of your blog as a collaborative one.

Do keep in mind that a community blog places quite a heavy burden on coordination. It can be hard and time consuming to get your own people to develop content on a regular basis and within deadlines – this is even more difficult when bloggers are not your colleagues.

But it is definitely worth it: opening up your blog to a community will shorten the time it takes to build a significant target audience.

So, to wrap it up: if you are thinking about corporate blogging, just do it. You can always find a model that fits your needs. You can find more tips on corporate blogging tips on our blog too.

Let’s start with the obvious difference: the language. While mainland Chinese people speak Mandarin and use simplified Chinese symbols, people in Hong Kong speak Cantonese and write with traditional Chinese symbols. English content can be used in Hong Kong, as there is a small number of English publications, but only to a limited extent. So when thinking about doing PR in China and Hong Kong, be aware that you’ll need to use Cantonese and Mandarin.

The media landscape also differs. Hong Kong with a population of just over 7 million has over 20 newspapers and tabloids, making it one of the highest newspaper-to-resident ratios of major cities worldwide

• Currently there are seventeen Chinese newspapers in Hong Kong: am730, Apple Daily, Headline Daily, Hong Kong Commercial Daily, Hong Kong Daily News, Hong Kong Economic Journal, Hong Kong Economic Times, Metro Daily, Ming Pao Daily, Oriental Daily News, Sing Pao Daily News, Sing Tao Daily News, Sharp Daily, Sky Post, The Sun, Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po
• The English media pool is very small versus the number of local Chinese publications. There are three local English-language newspapers; South China Morning Post, The Standard and China Daily Hong Kong Edition and three regional English-language newspapers; Wall Street Journal Asia, Financial Times Asia and International Herald Tribune

The media landscape in Hong Kong is tiny compared to China, which has a population of 1,339 million people:

• Media in China were state-run until the 1980s. Independent media has emerged, but state-run media outlets continue to hold significant market share
• China has over 2,200 newspapers (leading ones are People’s Daily, Beijing Daily, Guangming Daily and the Liberation Daily) and with 107 million copies sold daily, China is the largest market for newspapers
• The two major news agencies are Xinhua News Agency and the China News Service
• Internet access has been restricted and Facebook and Twitter have been blocked. Local versions including Sina Weibo and Ren Ren are very popular

Not surprisingly, in Hong Kong’s small and efficient media market, a single one-on-one interview with Apple Daily can deliver the in-market impact of 30 newspaper placements across China’s diverse and fragmented media landscape.

Yes, media is censored in China – but that’s not the case in Hong Kong, where the public embraces Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels. PR campaigns can be much more outspoken in Hong Kong, compared to China. Still, they need to be relevant to the local Hong Kong market, so news stories as well as executive visits will need to address topics that are relevant to people and businesses in Hong Kong (as opposed to China) – ranging from fast Internet speeds for high frequency trading to smartphones and mobility. Surprisingly, e-commerce is not a big topic in Hong Kong, but then it is a small city with shops at every corner – so you can buy almost everything anytime and don’t need to order online and wait for delivery.

There are also similarities between PR in China and Hong Kong. For example, when it comes to technology news, there are only a few publications that will be interested in this type of story – especially when it is focused on a business-to-business topic. There are a lot of consumer tech stories in the press, especially around big, well-known brands, but it is much more difficult to place enterprise technology news – unless it is really unique and interesting. Also, the press release is still a key way to effectively communicate news and Chinese media often rely on them to write their story.

We’ve summarized a few tips for PR best practice in Hong Kong and China below and welcome your feedback. Please leave a comment below or reach out to the LEWIS international team on Twitter @global_comms.

Best practice recommendations for PR in Hong Kong

• PR content needs to be localised into English and Cantonese/traditional Chinese (not Mandarin/simplified Chinese)
• Announcements that result in coverage need to have a very strong local news angle (i.e. what impact will this news have on the people and businesses in Hong Kong?)
• With the intimate relationship of Hong Kong and mainland China, stories tied to the China market are of interest to the local media
• Local Chinese media prefer face-to-face interviews; this can often make or break an interview opportunity – whereas English media prefer phone interviews
• Providing there is a strong news angle, small group media briefings with the local Chinese press work very well, English media want to get a unique story so a one-to-one interview is preferred
• The press release is still a key way to effectively communicate news and the local Chinese media often rely on them to write their story
• There is no Internet/media censorship in Hong Kong, foreign websites including Twitter and Facebook are accessible

Best practice recommendations for PR in China

• All content needs to have local relevance, focusing on benefits to the local market and involving local partners/customers
• Press releases work well, but need to be translated in simplified Chinese. They often get syndicated across many media outlets
• It is important to position domain experts that know the local market (vs. marketing experts or communications professionals) as spokespeople
• Traditional media is still very important – although discussions on Sina Weibo and Ren Ren (local social media channels) should not be overlooked
• Face-to-face meetings are very important in China, and Chinese journalists like to attend press conferences and roundtables
• At the end of a meeting or an event Chinese journalists look forward to receiving a gift

But what makes brand journalism worth the investment?

Done well and done consistently, brand journalism will:

• Generate goodwill, trust and positive brand value as customers come to you are your platforms again and again for information and insight
• Educate and build brand awareness by taking a lead role in your sector and establishing your company as a thought leader.
• When shared and optimized it will build a community for your brand and a community that will become your advocates and your company’s champions.

Tom Foremski, a former Financial Times journalist now reporting on Silicon Valley, has dubbed EC=MC: Every Company is a Media Company. He describes it as an imperative for all brands to publish across as many different channels as possible in order to be visible. ”If you aren’t seen amidst all the media noise, you don’t exist.”

To be a success and to become established as credible, brand journalism must stand up to the finest values of journalism. It simply has to be:

1. Based on facts
2. Fast and topical
3. New content should be generated often and consistently
4. It must give value to the reader
5. There must be transparency about the origins of the content

To find out more about brand journalism and how it can benefit your business read our latest white paper: ‘The New Rules of Content – The Role of Brand Journalism in PR’.

Do you already have a brand journalist in-house? How do you see the role of PR in this space?