Tag Archives: Business

The trouble with English teachers

AP ran an interesting article (via Peking Duck and Paper Tiger) on the perils of being an English teacher in China. I found it a fascinating read both because it strengthened my own reservations about the seedy Chinese black market … Continue reading

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Electro-sphere and other photo-opps

I know what I am good at and what I am not good at. For example, I consider myself a pretty good writer and PR strategist. Both of those convictions are regularly reinforced by the fact that I get invited … Continue reading

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What if Yahoo abandoned China?

If you grew up in the US reading Marvel Comics, like Imagethief, you may remember the old What If? series. In What If? the fates of Marvel superheroes were projected into alternate realities. It made for some pretty good stories … Continue reading

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Press releases with Chinese characteristics

In my job I am regularly exposed to Chinese press releases from various sources (often not my clients, I hasten to add). We sometimes send these releases for translation into English for our clients. As one of the few native … Continue reading

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The disappointing silence from the top

It’s been nearly two weeks since representatives of Cisco, Microsoft, Yahoo and Google testified before the House Subcommittee on Human Rights about their various entanglements with China. As expected, after blowing hot in the run-up to the testimony, coverage has … Continue reading

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BadBranding@Singapore

I love coming back to my adopted home of Singapore. Always languid and green, Singapore makes an invigorating break from the smoggy bustle of Beijing. Yet whenever I return it doesn’t take long for me to be reminded of some … Continue reading

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The Harbin water crisis

A couple of days ago, in response to a link I posted to his roundup of articles on the Harbin water crisis ESWN put this comment up on my site: As you are the PR expert, how would you have … Continue reading

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American Internet firms in Chinese peril

I like talking with journalists because, naturally, they have a way of asking interesting questions. The same journalist who got me thinking about corruption in PR hit me with a poser while we were talking: “Name a successful American Internet … Continue reading

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Are PR and MNCs corrupting Chinese media?

The week before last I had lunch with a foreign correspondent who asked me if there was corruption in PR in China. Although I was only providing background, and not speaking to him on the record, I was, to put … Continue reading

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How to survive a Chinese drinking party

Imagethief is in Shenzhen, supporting a Japanese client company at the Seventh Annual China High Technology Exposition, currently occupying a huge amount of space at one of Shenzhen’s two convention halls (our first taxi driver took us to the wrong … Continue reading

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