PPR Blog

Hong Kong Trader - The Facebook Buzz

PPR Greater China Ltd. — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:00:59 +0800

PPR has a busy Social Media Department working with a broad cross section of clients – ranging from large corporate to local businesses.

Social Media Manager, KC Wong, and Technology & New Media Head, Mark Leeper recently talked to the HKTDC’s Hong Kong Trader about the pros and cons of social media marketing and how to build a cost-effective programme combining both online and offline activities.

The Facebook Buzz


Dressed CEO Chris Rork has built a following for his salad restaurant chain using Facebook

When American Chris Rork launched Dressed, his chain of salad restaurants, in Hong Kong, he turned to online social media to promote it. “We created a Facebook group called ‘I love Dressed Salads’ and got almost 400 members in the first three weeks,” recounts Mr Rork. “As a small company with a limited marketing budget, it was an effective way for us to communicate to a large group for free.”

3cm Media Ltd also uses Facebook to generate buzz. Publisher of Prestige Hong Kong and other luxury lifestyle magazines, 3cm Media maintains a community of nearly 1,000 fans on Facebook, sending them updates on new stories, photos and personalities featured in the monthly publication, and responding to their feedback.

The two companies are among the growing ranks of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) turning to online social-networking media for cost-effective marketing.

SMEs have countless choices of Internet tools, including social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, product blogs, online forums, customer reviews, user-generated content promotions, video sharing via YouTube or Tudou or, ideally, a combination of channels.

According to a recent survey of marketing professionals by the Hong Kong Association of Interactive Marketing, 55 per cent of respondents regarded social media as the most trustworthy and influential media option, second only to television (57 per cent) and well ahead of print (41 per cent). And social media far outpaced all other channels in the survey for creating a relationship with target consumers.

From Obama to Long Hair


	Compelling content and soft selling works for social-media marketing, says KC Wong, Social Media Manager of Professional Public Relations Greater China

The use of social media is exploding worldwide. Companies often test TV commercials on YouTube. US President Barack Obama used Twitter during his election campaign, and American astronauts have tweeted reports back to earth. While Twitter has not yet taken off in Hong Kong, local political activist Leung Kwok Hung (aka Long Hair), among others, uses Facebook to promote himself.

Internet users are increasingly using Facebook, MySpace or Xanga (a Chinese-language blogging community) as their homepage, making it a marketer’s dream space. And because social networkers post so much information about themselves and what they like to do, eat, wear, watch and listen to, the medium is a trove of marketing data.

The e-marketer’s goal is to build a community of customers who become emotionally invested in a brand. That requires having a story to tell and a personality to flaunt. “It’s about interacting with their communities instead of just broadcasting their advertising,” says KC Wong, Social Media Manager of Professional Public Relations Greater China Ltd.


Prestige PR and Marketing Manager Natasha Li says social networking sites provide huge consumer insights

Dressed Salads, based in Atlanta, Georgia, employs about 40 people at its two Hong Kong outlets in Central’s ifc mall and in Wan Chai, with a third on the way, as well as a production kitchen for catering. When Mr Rork, co-owner and CEO, opened the ifc mall restaurant last December, he used his personal contacts as the foundation for the Facebook group. “I asked people to help spread the word and boom, people started joining and adding to it. It’s been a godsend for us.”

Having built a Facebook community, Dressed now plans to toss the immediacy of Twitter into the mix “to generate some excitement by tweeting specials and discounts on the fly – things that only our fans and members can access,” he says.

Prestige Hong Kong PR and Marketing Manager Natasha Li started the magazine’s fan page on Facebook last March and finds the community’s comments invaluable. For one thing, praise for good photography or well-written articles contributes to staff morale. “You don’t get that feedback from print,” she notes.

The interaction with fans also helps her gauge how often to update the Prestige “wall,” as the Facebook page is known. “You need to find a balance between not enough updates and too many.” A button on the wall links to the Prestige website, where people can subscribe to the magazine or inquire about buying ads.

Facebook provides graphs that break down the demographic data of the magazine’s fans, including gender, age and location. “It gives me huge insight that I don’t know how else I’d get without paying for somebody to research it,” says Ms Li. “I’m the Facebook generation,” the 23-year-old adds. “It started when I was in university.”

New Tools


A light-hearted quiz on Facebook was one way Hong Kong watch brand Solvil et Titus promoted its products online

That generation is expanding, as people in their 40s, 50s and up get into online networking. Among them are many Hong Kong SMEs. And if they want a PR agency to help them make the leap, Professional Public Relations Greater China is an option.

“It used to be really hard for small businesses to market themselves effectively, but it’s getting much, much easier now,” says Mark Leeper, the agency’s Account Director, New Media. “And a lot of that is down to these new tools that people are still learning how to use.”

“We use compelling content to attract the target audience and keep them,” says Mr Wong, the agency’s Social Media Manager. “We conduct interactive social networking activities to engage the target communities. “We use a neutral tone [as opposed to hard sell] to associate the discussions, content and activities with the product or the brand, and drive people to the website.”

For Hong Kong watch brand Solvil et Titus, the agency set up a light-hearted quiz on Facebook about romantic relationships pegged to the brand’s ad theme, Time Is Love. The quiz attracted the attention of more than 35,000 people, of which 22 per cent participated. After taking the test, they could “publish” the results, so their friends could see the outcome and do the quiz themselves.

In addition, Mr Wong joined popular Hong Kong online discussion forums such as Discuss.com.hk and Uwants.com, raising topics related to the campaign theme and generating more than 12,000 views. Solvil et Titus now has a database of interested contacts from Facebook and forums.

When Size Doesn’t Matter

“The next step for them, having built up this database, is to consider a permission-based e-mail campaign,” says Mr Leeper. “We don’t recommend that you start spamming somebody just because you have their contact details. It’s far better to get them to agree to receive your information. To make this happen, you really need to package your proposition.”

While Solvil et Titus is not a small company, he says, “the thing about using online tools is, it doesn’t matter what size you are, they magnify the scope of your size, your brand and your reach. So it’s an idea that small companies can aspire to.”

For another Hong Kong client, Jervisbay Barbecue World, the agency developed a blog, in Chinese and English, that presents healthy recipes and videos of chef demonstrations (via links to YouTube) along with the company’s products. The agency uses online forums to attract people to the blog.

“Everybody wants information and they’re looking for new sources,” says Mr Leeper.

Related Links
Dressed
Prestige Hong Kong
Professional Public Relations Greater China Ltd

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Ex-PPR Employee Stars in Oldest Rugby Match in the World

PPR Greater China Ltd. — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:48:01 +0800

by Pat Foreman
Consultant, PPR Hong Kong

Former PPR employee Jamie Hood was part of the Cambridge University team that beat Oxford University in the 2009 Varsity Rugby match held at Twickenham in front of 30,000 fans on Thursday 10th December. Jamie, who left Hong Kong and PPR to study at the famous University in September 2009, scored the match winning try for the light blue and whites with a sensational individual effort shown in the video blog. The match between Cambridge and Oxford University is the longest running rugby fixture in the world, which was first held in 1872 and is played once a year.

PPR Go Pretty in Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness

PPR Greater China Ltd. — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:44:49 +0800

by Pat Foreman
Consultant, PPR Hong Kong

PPR provided the Public Relations for the Hong Kong Football Club during their drive to support the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation for the Breast Cancer Awareness Month of October.

PPR HK employee Pat Foreman, member of the rugby 1st XV at HKFC played and then attended the Charity Pink Ball, along with Jo Fargus (fellow PPR HK employee). The event itself raised close to HK$1 million, and PPR was proud to be involved in raising awareness for such a charitable cause.

Hong Kong Football Club 1stXV Rugby squad Pretty in Pink, wearing their Breast Cancer Awareness playing kit

PPR Helps Fashionable Watch Brand Solvil et Titus Carve Out Growing Mindshare Online

PPR Greater China Ltd. — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:58:30 +0800

by KC Wong
Social Media Manager, PPR Hong Kong

Tasked with building an Internet-based component for the Solvil et Titus thematic campaign Time is Love, PPR developed an eight week social media programme that engaged a young and affluent consumer audience.

Facebook was used to create an online community around the Time is Love theme, encouraging more than 35,000 netizens to visit an instant quiz, and achieving a 22% participation rate, with a further 12,000 viewing related online forums and discussion threads.

This highly effective digital campaign ensured significantly increased brand awareness and product interest among a hard-to-reach target group.

Digital Marketing Survey

PPR Greater China Ltd. — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:43:31 +0800

What Kind of Agency is Best Suited for an Online World?

PPR Greater China Ltd. — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:45:28 +0800

by Mark Leeper
Account Director, PPR Hong Kong

Today, the range of opportunities online must surely mean that no communications professional can overlook the potential of the web.

Blogs, e-books, viral marketing initiatives, RSS feeds, podcasts, web conferences and e-newsletters are just some of the tools available to reach out to customers and other audiences.

It is simply no longer sufficient to run a regular advertising schedule and manage a PR programme in the local press.

But as opportunities multiply, so do your choices of a marketing partner – and you probably already have agencies to manage Advertising, PR, Direct Marketing and Website Development.

Do you need an entirely new breed of agency to manage your online activities – can you turn to one of your existing partners to handle this evolving communications arena?

Well, Advertising Agencies are frequently well-resourced and many of them are adding online divisions. If you have an Ad agency that is already providing you with a solid communications strategy beyond traditional media, your current partner may be able to help meet your online requirements.

Website Developers know the Internet and understand the nature of the evolving family of online tools. However, their focus is more on technical capability than on interpreting business needs.

Direct Marketing agencies have a depth of knowledge when it comes to talking with customers - experience that is clearly relevant in an online environment – but they tend to be more comfortable executing instructions than devising a comprehensive communications strategy.

As for Public Relations – well you could argue that an organization that spends its time talking to the media is less relevant in an online world of direct communication. However, a broader interpretation of PR targets many audiences, through a variety of communications channels. And a well-managed agency will take a strategic approach to communications – focusing on understanding a client’s business needs before implementing a carefully designed plan.

In a world increasingly influenced by the Internet, your choice of agency type is much less clear. My recommendation would be to look for the right balance of services that your business requires. Chose a partner based on their strategic approach, their people and their openness to adopting and using online tools to meet your business needs. Good luck!

Good Apples amongst Bad Ones

PPR Greater China Ltd. — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:15:16 +0800

by Chin-Lee Tan
Senior Account Director, PPR Singapore

烂苹果中还有好苹果

(2009-06-12)

陈进利

尽管龙筹股最近频频凸槌，但烂苹果中仍然隐藏着不少的好苹果。在我多年的工作经验中，就曾经和素质很不错的龙筹股公司合作。

在这里就以一家零售业公司为案例。该公司在上市时的公关工作做得相当成功。公司业绩也亮丽, 可是公司股价却一直表现不甚理想。负责公司对投资者沟通的董事经理和执行董事，认为公司的投资亮点似乎还没有被发掘，决定寻求援助。

投资者关系顾问在听取两人的汇报，了解公司的需求后，根据公司的业务为公司定下主要投资讯息和投资目标，也重新调整了上市后一直沿用的介绍公司短片。因为，投资者对公司已经有所认识，短片应该更明确和精准的点出公司的投资亮点。公司管理层也同时被告知，分析师和基金经理更看重的是一家有发展前景和拥有肯说真话管理层的公司。

当时正发生中国航油事件，投资者对龙筹股的诚信度已受到一定的影响。但是，公司管理层并没有气馁，诚恳和用心的进行一家又一家的拜访，与分析师及基金经理交流和沟通。听取投资者的意见，也不时改善宣传资料内容。

甚至于分析师和基金经理向公司索取在中国国内数百家分店的地址，管理层也能在一天内便把有关资料整理好，让投资者看到公司的工作效率。另外，该公司也邀请分析师和基金经理到中国的工厂参观，让他们亲身体验公司的作业。

公司的董事经理和执行董事在和分析师与基金经理会面时，也不夸大行业和公司的一些数据，据实以报。

经过两年的努力，公司的股票获得分析师和基金经理和市场的信任，股价涨了三倍。与此同时，在吸取投资者关系顾问的经验后，公司也培养了内部的投资者关系团队。

不同行业，有不同的投资者关系做法。这里有另外一个案例：一家从事电子部件设计的公司，公司没有固定资产，由于公司的资产主要是从事软件设计和人才，一般上，投资者对缺乏固定资产的公司，兴趣不大。投资者关系的策略当然有所改变。

这家公司拥有一名出色的财务总监，他虽然是新加坡籍，却常驻中国。他认为只有贴近“风土民情”才能更好的掌控公司一切财务。有这样一位肯作出牺牲的财务人才，公司的投资者关系工作当然事半功倍。因为财务总监对公司了如指掌，投资者要求的数据就在弹指之间。这只股票也就深获分析师和基金经理的爱戴。他本身就是公司的亮点之一，环视龙筹股，愿意常驻中国的财务总监毕竟少见。

经过多年的投资者关系经验后，这家公司也成立了内部的投资者关系部门，为投资者提供更好的交流管道。

最近，股市又见好转，也许是这些好苹果（基本面好和现金流雄厚的龙筹股）表现的大好机会。

（作者为投资者关系顾问）

Online Version: http://www.zaobao.com/finance/pages2/comment090612.shtml

Resolving the S-Chip Conundrum on the Singapore Bourse

PPR Greater China Ltd. — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:08:01 +0800

by Chin-Lee Tan
Senior Account Director, PPR Singapore

As Asia's second largest-listed stockmarket, Singapore has attracted numerous mainland Chinese companies looking for investment capital to back their international expansion plans. A number of these companies - locally known as S-Chips - have faced financial and regulatory issues in recent months, mainly due to poor governance.

Now the remaining 100 or so Singapore-listed Chinese companies risk guilt by association. A loss of confidence among investors is difficult to handle at the best of times, but potentially disasterous in a tough economic climate.

So what can S-Chips do to better manage their reputation?

In my view, every S-chip needs to undertake a careful audit of activities and do some genuine soul searching to establish whether the company has complied fully with regulatory requirements for accurate and fair disclosure.

If the answer is yes, how can the facts of this compliance be effectively communicated to improve overall investor confidence? If no, how can lasting improvements be made - and what will it take to convince investors that the company sincerely intends to reform its approach?

Only by taking these steps can investor confidence in S-chips be mended and ultimately fully restored. Let me illustrate this point with two examples:

Telling the Story
For one such S-chip, the discovery of negative news came nine months after a successful IPO exercise. Senior executives noticed that investor interest in the company stock was declining despite a series of good financial results. They realized that simply meeting regulatory standards for disclosure was nolonger sufficient and that significant improvements were required to enhance communications with key investor groups.

As the retained IR consultant, I worked with the managment team to devise a fresh communications approach and reach out to the investor target audience. Among the first tasks was the reframing of key messages about the company as a listed entity in order to address the information needs of Singapore-based analysts and fund managers. This was particularly important because the company's operations and management team were located hundreds of miles away in China.

Recent cases of corporate governance failure have inevitably raised the bar on the quality of information that is demanded by investment analysts and fund managers to evaluate business efficiency. It is now essential to provide realistic and accurate responses on the management of the company and its business prospects. Senior executives must be prepared to deliver on these expectations. Working closely with the client, a detailed programme was developed to significantly improve communications.

Knocking on Doors
When the 2004 China Aviation Oil insider trading scandal caused investor sentiment to sink to a new low, another Singapore-listed China company took the opportunity to stand out from the crowd by and talking directly to analysts and fund managers. Together, we knocked on doors: going from one house to the next in order to obtain feedback and address any concerns.

Working with the company's Chinese directors, I was struck by their sincerity and determination. We resolved to address any scepticism within the shortest possible time. On one occasion we encountered doubts about the scale of the company’s operations and the directors responded by arranging for a detailed inventory of several hundred offices and factories to be prepared within twenty four hours. This document was then included as part of the company's standard credentials for future meetings.

The intensive effort was rewarded as various investor groups were gradually convinced of the company’s integrity and its commitment to meet the latest standards of governance and transparency. This success is reflected in the strength of investor confidence in the company’s stock today.

When the Chips are Down
As an investor relations consultant with nearly seven years experience, four of which have been spent working closely with S-Chip clients, I can confidently say that most mainland companies listed in Singapore will be able to manage this issue by following the advice outlined above.

The vast majority of S-Chips are well organized mainland businesses that choose to list in Singapore precisely because of its rigorous standards of corporate governance and disclosure. These companies want to adopt the best practise in order to improve management of their own business. In addition, they demonstrate a willingness to invest both time and effort to foster relations and to engage in two-way communications on an ongoing and sustainable basis with the investing community.

As communications professionals, we need to help ensure that this process is effectively carried out. Only then will investor confidence be fully restored.

New Technology Serves to Strengthen Old Priorities

PPR Greater China Ltd. — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 +0800

by Mark Leeper
Account Director, PPR Hong Kong

By now you will have realized that PPR Greater China has a new website featuring the first few pages of a new company Blog. About time - you might think - surely there is no room today for an old fashioned PR company that fails to optimize its use of the Internet? And naturally I would have to agree with you. But fortunately for my career prospects in the new role of Account Director - New Media for PPR, the company has long since moved beyond traditonal Public Relations.

Thanks to an established in-house web-development capability, PPR has designed and implemented customised online tools that help organizations as diverse as Calvin Klein, CPA Australia and WWF to reach out to their varied audiences and learn more than ever before about their needs and interests.

Internet-based tools like ROPA, a proprietary online survey platform, provide the insight that enables companies to establish cohesive strategies on which truly effective communications programmes can be built. Needless to say, such programmes combine both online and offline activities more effectively than ever before.

So let me finish with a question for you: when was the last time you asked your customers what they want from your company? Perhaps now's the time to give it a try.

SGX-Listed Guangzhao Announces Appointment of PPR Investor Relations Specialist as Independent Director

PPR Greater China Ltd. — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:16:00 +0800

SGX Mainboard-listed Guangzhao Industrial Forest Biotechnology Group Limited, a leading producer of fast-growing plantlets including poplar, Oriental Fir, tropical fruits and Jatropha Curcas, announced today that it has appointed a new executive director and three independent directors with effect from 25th April 2009.

Mr Oh Yong Hui, who has worked for LabOne Singapore Pte Ltd, Expressway Logistics Pte Ltd and JL Supply Chain International Pte Ltd as Chief Financial Officer, was appointed Executive Director. Prior to these appointments, Mr Oh was Sales Team Manager from 2002 to 2008 at direct selling company WBG Network (Singapore) Pte Ltd and he was one of the key personnel who spearheaded WBG’s expansion into Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Mr Oh graduated with a Bachelor degree in accounting from Nanyang Technological University in 1998.

The three independent directors are Mr Tang Chi Loong, Mr Foo Teck Leong and Mr Tan Chin Lee.

Mr Tang Chi Loong, is a practising lawyer with over 13 years of experience. He is currently a partner at law firm Hin Tat Augustine and Partners and has been an Independent Director of Singapore-listed HLN Tech Ltd since 2006. Mr Tang graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws in 1994.

Mr Foo Teck Leong currently manages a business consultancy firm and is a director of several privately held companies. He held senior positions in Hong Kong-listed IDS Group Limited and Singapore’s Inchcape Marketing Services Limited from 1994 to 1999 and received his Bachelor degree in Accounting in 1989 from the National University of Singapore. He went on to complete a Master in Business Administration from Manchester Business School in 2002.

Further to their appointments, Mr Tang will assume the role of Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and Nominating Committee while Mr Foo Teck Leong will be appointed as the Chairman of Audit Committee.

Mr Tan Chin Lee is currently the Senior Accounts Director at Professional Public Relations Pte Ltd. He has extensive experience in public relations consultancy and journalism through his tenure with various media firms including Mediacorp News, Forbes Zibenjia, Lianhe Zaobao, Miri News, WeR1 Consultants Pte Ltd and i.MAGE Public Relations Pte Ltd. Mr Tan graduated from the National Chengchi University of Taiwan in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Western Languages and Literature.

Apart from the four new appointments, the other members of Guangzhao’s Board of Directors include Ms Su Min (Executive Director and Chairman), Mr Song Xue Meng (Executive Director and CEO) and Mdm Sun Shu Shen (Executive Director and Deputy CEO).

Guangzhao’s Chief Executive Mr Song Xuemeng said, “On behalf of the Group, I would like to welcome all new board members. These new directors brings with them some unique skill sets such as legal, accounting, marketing and public relations. I believe that by working together with the existing Executive Directors, they would be able to help steer the Group away from the challenges that it is currently facing.”