When in Detroit Do as the Chinese Do: Communicating the Right Message to the China Market

 

 

William Dodson (right) with an American Client and Chinese Journalists at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

 

 

 

 

 

The Challenge: How to develop a Public Relations initiative for China that makes the Client's automotive parts products look better than the fast cars and sexy, scantily-clad women at the world's largest Automobile Exhibition?

 

 

If You can Make it There ...

The Detroit Auto Show is the largest red-carpet event of its kind in the world, a showcase for the top automobile manufacturers in the world to show off their latest models. It is a huge, flashy public relations event at which it is very easy to be overwhelmed by all the new car styles and high-technologies. It is also an occasion during which exhibitors vie for media attention in a circus-like atmosphere than can make it difficult to keep the attention of journalists who have flown a half a world to get there.

 

Silk Road Advisors (SRA) had advised its Client - a large Tier-1 automotive parts supplier - it was in its best interest as part of its public relations initiative in China to invite a select group of Chinese automotive journalists traveling to Detroit to deliver a press conference on the Client's expansion into the China market. Weeks before the Show SRA began grabbing the attention of Chinese journalists who would be traveling to Detroit for the exhibition.

 

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

SRA arranged meetings with the Chinese journalists in Beijing and Shanghai before the Detroit Show. The meetings were meant to be informal affairs, occasions during which SRA could learn more about the journalists' interests and requirements, and the journalists could ask basic information about the Client's business and plans for the China market.

 

The SRA-Beijing office arranged a sumptuous 10-course Chinese meal at a quality restaurant in Beijing. William Dodson, Managing Director of SRA, the SRA-Beijing office head and a junior member of the SRA staff warmly met the Beijing-based journalists at the restaurant.

 

All of the guests were specialty writers in the automotive industry in China. Their work was well-known in the industry and they were well-respected. One of the journalists literally came directly from the Beijing airport to the dinner to join us all in relaxed conversation and fine dining.

 

The dinner was marked for the easy back-and-forth of the questions and answers we all had for each other, and for the lack of alcohol consumed during the meal. Indeed, all anyone drank during the supper was green tea (much to the relief of all involved!)

 

SRA presented translations of the company's glossy literature to the journalists so they could have background materials to read about the Client, as well the Client's video presentation about the company. SRA had previously worked with the Client to adapt its video corporate communications for Chinese audiences.

 

SRA management later that same week flew down to Shanghai to meet the Editor-in-Chief of China's pre-eminent automotive parts magazine. William Dodson met the Editor and Publisher in their plush offices to introduce them to the Client. The Client was the only company of those the editors planned to visit at the Detroit Show that had extended itself to all the editors in such a warm and inviting way, the key to raising the Client's image above the cacophony of the Detroit Show.

 

Articles of Faith

Come the day of the press conference in Detroit the SRA Managing Director William Dodson and Zhang Xiaoru, China Resource Management Director, met Client presidents of the company Divisions that would present their enterprise plans for expansion into the China market for a dress rehearsal of the presentations. Days before SRA had completed the translation into Chinese language the Powerpoint slides the Division Presidents would use in their introductions, and had advised the Divisions on the most suitable corporate communications format for the audience of Chinese professionals. SRA printed the Chinese translations for the editors to follow the English display the Presidents would be using. SRA also gave the editors soft-copies of the Chinese translations of the presentations on stylish flash-disk pens with the Client logo.

 

SRA briefed the Presidents on the characters and interests of the Chinese editors that would be attending the press conference. SRA also coached the Presidents on the primary public relations messages they needed to convey to the editors so the editors would be sure to put the messages into print.

 

The Chinese editors deeply appreciated being met again by SRA staff, who made introductions between them and the Client executives in attendance. The meeting was less a public relations exercise than a gathering of "old friends," one of the editors said. The air of familiarity created a comfortable environment in which the editors followed the corporate communications closely and asked detailed questions about the current investments the Client had in China and the Client's plans for expansion in the China market. They were an interested and animated audience, in marked contrast to a previous press meeting the journalists had attended, we were told.

 

After the presentations, the Presidents personally introduced the journalists to the parts displays for their respective Divisions, encouraging yet more discourse with the writers that afternoon. One of the Presidents had even taken up SRA's advise from a year earlier to learn at least a handful of Chinese words and phrases to endear the Chinese to his message! The writers were duly charmed by his efforts.

 

On Top of The World

Once the Chinese journalists had returned to China, SRA offices in Beijing and Suzhou worked with the editors to ensure they had all the information they needed. SRA helped editors to follow-up interviews and to fact-check, turning around information within hours of editorial requests. SRA also helped the writers direct the angle of their articles about the Client to highlight the Client's value-statements cited in its corporate communications about its entry into China.

 

Results were beyond the Client's expectations. The top China-automotive parts magazine gave front-cover exposure to our Client, and an exclusive article featuring photos of the Division President who had expressed himself in Chinese to the writers, and of the products of the other Divisions as well.

 

The Client had indeed overcome the glitz and glamour and clamor of the center of the automotive universe to burst onto the stage of the most dynamic market in the world -- China.

 

For more information about this or any other SRA case, or to contact SRA, email us at: contactus@silkr.com .