ISSUE No. 6

IN THIS ISSUE

1. 8M's Quotable Quote
2. The Insiders Guide to the Media - Tips & Advice
3. Media NTK's (Need to Knows) - A Glossary of Terms
4. 8M's Coming Events

Quotable Quote - A thought starter for the Chinese New Year

"All people are the same, only their habits change"

CONFUCIUS, Chinese teacher and philosopher.

In the year of the Golden Snake what habits will you change?

The Insiders Guide to Media, Marketing & Management - Tips & Advice

Doing Business in Asia? 10 Ways to Increase Your Profile and Image in
China

China's media is booming creating opportunities for marketing-savvy
businesses. But many companies have little understanding of how to
harness the power of the media in the world's most populous country.
How do you build your brand, image and reputation in China?

1. Understand cultural differences.
Be sensitive to local communities and understand the complex
and varied structures of the Chinese media. They are not uniform and
often controlled at a local, provincial and national level. I will
never forget the cultural shock of seeing an armed red-guard standing
on a pillbox outside a TV studio in Guangzhou asking for my official
ID. Improve your cultural literacy by understanding the culture and
history of those you're doing business with. Respect these differences
and don't impose your own values and perceptions on how the local
media should treat you.

2. Use a local spokesperson.
Depending on the news value of the story, you will have a
better chance of gaining media coverage the more Chinese you make your
message. Using a local spokesperson will give you greater credibility.
For example in PR campaigns for Nokia and IBM in China, they use local
Chairmen who are Chinese because they are well respected and have deep
Chinese roots.

3. Know your point of difference - what you do in your own backyard
you also have to do in new markets.
Find out what makes you or your service or product unique in
the marketplace? How will it stand out from the competition. In the
past cultural differences have been used as an excuse for dubious
practices not acceptable back home. This has changed.

4. Clarify your communication objectives?
What do you want to achieve? To inform or entertain? To provide
information? To build a profile? To influence public opinion? Personal
marketing? Marketing or launching a new product or service? How will
cultural diversity and differing news values influence this? News
values differ in China. Often issues will be reported one or two days
later and not with the urgency or timeliness of the Western media.

5. Define your target audience?
Who is your target audience? General public? Customers?
Competitors? Suppliers? What age are they, what level of education,
what beliefs and values, geographical location, how do they use the
local Chinese media? How credible is the media your target audience
uses? Does it still have credibility even though it is controlled? The
media is evolving and becoming more respected.

6. Identify the best channels of communication.
What is the best way to reach your target audience? TV, Radio,
Internet, newspapers - local or national? Do your homework on how news
is structured and gathered. Investigate who is reporting on what. Find
out the nuances. TV has the highest penetration, while the Internet is
growing amongst younger Chinese.

7. What is your key message?
The media is becoming more competitive and market driven. They
need readers and viewers to stay viable in the new economy. How can
you make your message appealing and newsworthy? Distil what you want
to say into three key points. Always check translations of media
releases. Have them retranslated back into English to check for
accuracy.

8. Build your case?
When building your case look for the China angle. What are the
features, advantages and benefits of your message for your Chinese
targets? What evidence do you have that is seen as credible and
independent within their cultural belief system?

9. What is the China hook?
What will make your message or news release stand out from the
rest and appeal to the values of Chinese journalists? You are not
successful in China until the local market tells you. Giving money to
Chinese journalists is no longer acceptable. Use more legal and
ethical incentives such as providing transport, lunch or a gift or
souvenir item.

10. Develop long-term relationships with the media.
Visit and meet journalists face to face. Network, get to know
them and involve them in the story. There is now a focus on the
interactive brand experience. For example in a recent mobile phone
campaign local journalists were involved in trailing the product prior
to launch. They were asked for their feedback and engaged proactively
in its development providing them with ownership of the product and
subsequent story. Relationships and personal connections, or guanxi
are very important in China and especially so in cultivating good
media contacts.

Our 2-pack audio-tape series "China Media - The Ethics of Influence",
featuring interviews with 10 of Asia's most influential media
operators, journalists and public relations consultants is an
important edition to your business library.

You can download a free sample from our website www.8mmedia.com and
order a copy online or call us on 61-8-9388 6888.

Media NTK's (Need to Knows)

"Zibenjia zougou" a Chinese term meaning capitalist running dog. Often
used to describe Chinese women who wore make-up and were seen as
decadent during the tough closed market communist years in China.
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ISSUE No. 7

IN THIS ISSUE

1. 8M's Quotable Quote
2. The Insiders Guide to the Media - Tips & Advice
3. Media NTK's (Need to Knows) - A Glossary of Terms
4. 8M's Coming Events

Quotable Quote - In the wake of the recent WA election ....

"News editors know she helps sell papers"

Christopher Pearson "From flatline to headline" writing in the
Australian Financial Review on Monday 12 February 2001 about the rise
and resurgence of Pauline Hanson.

What media lessons can we learn about the comeback of One Nation in
WA?

The Insiders Guide to Media, Marketing & Management - Tips & Advice

Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party has helped unseat yet another
government, this time in Western Australia where the party gained
nearly 10 per cent of the vote and in some seats up to 20 per cent.

Many commentators wrote off One Nation. So what lessons can be learnt
from the media performance of Pauline Hanson.

While many may not agree with their policies, the party gained
enormous media coverage for a non-mainstream party.

In our "Winning the Media Game" seminars I ask participants to think
of a media role model they believe is skilled at managing and
performing in the media.

Often names like Richard Branson, Dick Smith and Anita Roddick
dominate along with other politicians and sporting stars.

Occasionally Pauline Hanson's name pops up. Why? Well here are 10
lessons I believe you can apply to your professional or personal life
from the Pauline Hanson approach to media management.

1. See the media as an opportunity.
There's no doubt this minor party received considerable media
attention because of their positive attitude towards the media.

2. Target your audience.
Male, low-educated blue-collar workers are the key targets of One
Nation and their media campaign appealed directly to this group of
voters.

3. Use emotion.
Emotion is the hook that builds empathy. One Nation may have been
light on specific policies and detail but they work the emotive line
very well, especially the cry of discontent from Regional Australia.

4. Use conflict?
News editors love conflict. It means high news value. One Nation
worked the conflict stories of globalisation, fall out from dairy
deregulation and changes in the timber industry.

5. Simple language and quotable quotes.
Journalists love quotes that make good copy. Simple language appeals
to the target audience. Only Hanson could refer to the Prime Minister
as "Johnny" Howard and get away with it.

6. Be yourself.
While Hanson may be media savvy - there is a rawness and naturalness
about her media delivery. It's totally different to the polished
performance of traditional politicians who have mastered the art of a
slick sound byte.

7. Develop celebrity status.
The cookbook, the biography, the photograph in all marketing materials
..... they have all helped create the myth and build the profile.

8. Strong visual images
The very emotive image of Pauline Hanson draped in the Australian flag
was used extensively in the campaign and has become her trademark
visual image.

9. Speaking to large audiences.
Speaking to groups can be a powerful way of marketing yourself. Hanson
spent a considerable amount of time in WA prior to the election
speaking to audiences in areas where there were large groups of
disaffected voters - dairy farmers and timber workers in the South
West of the State for example.

10. Dress for Success? Or at least so you make an impact!
You may not agree with her fashion sense but at least it stands out
from the crowd. In the election night tally room who could forget that
dress described in the media as "the slinky, zebra-striped,
hibiscus-flowered, halter-necked, 70-s inspired party frock". Totally
different to the standard political uniform of dark suits it made
great TV footage.

While I don't agree with the policies or support the cause of Pauline
Hanson or One Nation, the way they handled the media provides some
important lessons on managing and dealing with the media.

Media NTK's (Need to Knows)

"Kicker". Used in the print media to describe the sub-heading between
the headline and main body of the story. In the layout the kicker is
in the same font style as the headline and main text but is a
different size. It provides a link for the reader between the headline
and main body of text. It is usually written by the sub-editor and not
the journalist and provides more detail to entice the reader to keep
reading.

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ISSUE No. 8 

IN THIS ISSUE

1. 8M's Quotable Quote
2. The Insiders Guide to the Media - Tips & Advice
3. Media NTK's (Need to Knows) - A Glossary of Terms
4. 8M's Coming Events

Quotable Quote - In memory of Sir Donald Bradman....

"He was a stickler for doing the right thing, he had great integrity"

Managing Director of Argo Investments, Robert Patterson who
worked closely with Sir Donald commenting on the Don's approach to
business outside of his cricket achievements.

What is integrity in business?

The Insiders Guide to Media, Marketing & Management - Tips & Advice

In our Integrity Marketing seminars and keynote presentations, I talk
about five common mistakes people make when trying to market
themselves to leads and prospects.

I want to share them with you now ....

1. Talking too much.
Enthusiasm sells! But don't talk too much about yourself - focus on
your prospects needs and wants and how you can solve their problems.

2. Not listening.
All good marketers have exceptional listening skills. Be an active not
a passive listener. Ask plenty of questions to find out what problems
your client has so you can provide a solution.

3. Hard sell.
I remember when I first set up my own business - with no clients, no
equipment and a silent telephone number - I was so desperate I went on
the hard sell.
I'm sure I missed out on work because of it. Now a lot wiser - my
message is always market the benefits - the "What's In It for ME"
approach really does work and
is better than purely focusing on selling the features.

4. Lack of clarity.
Again I suffered from this problem early on and lacked focus and
clarity. It is a competitive market out there and you need to focus on
your UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION.
What is it that makes you, your service or product unique and
different from others?

5. Distractions.
Life is really busy. Some people are too busy and easily distracted
from the main game.
One of the best things I ever did was to learn as much as I could
about setting goals, writing them down and working out on a daily
basis the important tasks to do. It's called time and priority
management and is a hallmark of successful people. I still remember
the "3 D's - Do It, Dump It or Delegate It" and if your life or your
job depends on it - then it is a Must-do "A" priority, the rest can
wait. Focus is a powerful thing.

Want to know more? Read on ...

Media NTK's (Need to Knows)

"Plug" - an advertising message in the media, usually editorial and
used to build credibility.
Can be a very powerful marketing tactic but damaging if overused as in
the John Laws "cash for comments" scandal. Always use plugs with
integrity.

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ISSUE No. 10

IN THIS ISSUE

1. 8M's Quotable Quote
2. The Insiders Guide to the Media - Tips & Advice
3. Media NTK's (Need to Knows) - A Glossary of Terms
4. 8M's Coming Events

Quotable Quote - Do you find you're addicted to email? Constantly
checking for new messages?

"It is almost like a craving in the brain, where people stay on the
Internet."

Dr James Fearing, a US counsellor talking about how compulsive
Internet addicts could be costing companies millions of dollars in
lost productivity.

The Insiders Guide to Media, Marketing & Management - Tips & Advice

E-communication - when to send and when to talk?

The average CEO receives 200 emails a day and according to the
Australian Financial Review Australian executives now spend on average
two hours a day dealing with email. A new survey has found this is
just 13 minutes less than in face to face meetings.

So what are the new rules about electronic communication? When is it
appropriate to email and when is it best to meet face to face?

7 Myths About What Online Communication will do for you or your
organisation:

1. Give you more time.
Some companies estimate email is taking up to one worker day a week.
It is more time consuming than we think, especially responding to
personal and junk email.

2. Make your job easier.
A survey by Morgan and Banks found dealing with emails more stressful
than performance reviews, new technology and meetings.

3. Deliver a paperless office.
Producers of office paper report the office paper market in Australia
has grown 5-fold since 1983, mainly due to emails. People are printing
off emails because once printed it is more believable than just on the
screen.

4. Improve the quality of your communication.
How many times have you sent an email and then later regretted it? It
happens to more than 35 % of people according to a recent survey.

5. Make you more reliable.
How much time have you wasted looking for lost emails containing that
vital piece of information?

6. Improve your writing skills.
People write emails in a hurry and typically they are full of typos
and mistakes. How does this impact on your professional image?

7. Enhance business relationships.
Email is taking over from face to face communication, you can't see
the body language and is one way. Phone calls and handwritten letters
and cards are making a comeback.

Media NTK's (Need To Know's)

Mockumentary - A fictional film masquerading as a documentary. Made
famous in 1984 with the cult classic 'This is Spinal Tap'. Rob
Reiner's production followed an English stadium rock act called Spinal
Tap on a US tour and delivered a great parody on rock'n'roll clichés.
This technique has resulted in a blurring between what is fact and
fiction. Now showing is the popular 'Best in Show' mockumentary about
people entering their pets in dog shows.

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© 2001 8M Media & Communications