Comments on: Free laptops for NPC delegates – it looked good on paper http://imagethief.com/2010/03/free-laptops-for-npc-delegates-it-looked-good-on-paper/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=free-laptops-for-npc-delegates-it-looked-good-on-paper Public relations, communication and interesting times in China since 2004 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:02:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Shannon http://imagethief.com/2010/03/free-laptops-for-npc-delegates-it-looked-good-on-paper/comment-page-1/#comment-57 Shannon Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:52:08 +0000 http://imagethief.com/?p=182#comment-57 So, into the Top 10 list of "Worst Jobs in the World" -- with a bullet -- is "Tech Support for Free Laptops Given to Delegates at CPPCC." Can you imagine the utter nightmare that would be?! So, into the Top 10 list of “Worst Jobs in the World” — with a bullet — is “Tech Support for Free Laptops Given to Delegates at CPPCC.”

Can you imagine the utter nightmare that would be?!

]]> By: Will http://imagethief.com/2010/03/free-laptops-for-npc-delegates-it-looked-good-on-paper/comment-page-1/#comment-55 Will Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:25:14 +0000 http://imagethief.com/?p=182#comment-55 Thanks, David. That's a point worth making. I will be interested to see if they are named directly. Part of that may depend upon who's idea the whole thing was. That it was Lenovo's laptops does not mean it was necessarily Lenovo's idea as they are, of course, the Chinese PC brand of record. However it's hard to imagine them being scandalized at the idea. I'd actually be surprised to see this blow up into anything really serious, both because I expect criticism of the CPPCC to be moderated and because I expect Lenovo itself will work its media relations pretty hard if they feel it will be an issue. What's interesting to me is that no one's alarm bells rang about the change. Perhaps this the result of an incremental approach (after all, PCs had been loaned before). Even in China the distribution of free computers to political representatives is stepping onto risky ground considering recent attention to corruption issues. Thanks, David. That’s a point worth making. I will be interested to see if they are named directly. Part of that may depend upon who’s idea the whole thing was. That it was Lenovo’s laptops does not mean it was necessarily Lenovo’s idea as they are, of course, the Chinese PC brand of record. However it’s hard to imagine them being scandalized at the idea.

I’d actually be surprised to see this blow up into anything really serious, both because I expect criticism of the CPPCC to be moderated and because I expect Lenovo itself will work its media relations pretty hard if they feel it will be an issue.

What’s interesting to me is that no one’s alarm bells rang about the change. Perhaps this the result of an incremental approach (after all, PCs had been loaned before). Even in China the distribution of free computers to political representatives is stepping onto risky ground considering recent attention to corruption issues.

]]> By: David http://imagethief.com/2010/03/free-laptops-for-npc-delegates-it-looked-good-on-paper/comment-page-1/#comment-54 David Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:12:49 +0000 http://imagethief.com/?p=182#comment-54 Will: Thanks for picking up our post. Just to be clear, to my knowledge Lenovo specifically has not yet been the target of criticism in Chinese media -- and perhaps there is a reluctance to take them on. The Guangzhou Daily piece mentioned only in passing that the laptops were Lenovo. As soon as I saw the Yang Tao blog piece, however, I had a hunch that the computers in question were Lenovo. This was quickly confirmed. And I had a hunch, too, that Lenovo had a delegate at the CPPCC. It wasn't hard work to track down both Lenovo delegates in coverage unrelated to the computers (which also mentioned that there were 6 IT delegates, including Liu Chuanzhi and Yang Yuanqing. It will be interesting to see if Chinese media pursue this further and connect the dots, or if it just simmers out in the editorial pages. Best, David Will:

Thanks for picking up our post. Just to be clear, to my knowledge Lenovo specifically has not yet been the target of criticism in Chinese media — and perhaps there is a reluctance to take them on. The Guangzhou Daily piece mentioned only in passing that the laptops were Lenovo. As soon as I saw the Yang Tao blog piece, however, I had a hunch that the computers in question were Lenovo. This was quickly confirmed. And I had a hunch, too, that Lenovo had a delegate at the CPPCC. It wasn’t hard work to track down both Lenovo delegates in coverage unrelated to the computers (which also mentioned that there were 6 IT delegates, including Liu Chuanzhi and Yang Yuanqing.

It will be interesting to see if Chinese media pursue this further and connect the dots, or if it just simmers out in the editorial pages.

Best,
David

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