Newsletter report on Beijing London Advertising Forum
Last week (28th — 30th April) a group of 30 APA and IPA members headed for Beijing.
Our mission was to promote the concept of Chinese advertising agencies and brand owners forging a special relationship with UK advertising agencies and production companies.
We offered to be their creative hub to the world; in line with the brief we had received from UK government and Creative Britain.
Our vehicle for engaging with some 300 representatives of the Chinese advertising community was a 2 day event and conference.
Orchestrated by Steve Davies of the APA, it was a skillful blend of UK and domestic speakers and covered the spectrum of advertising topics from creativity to effectiveness, relationship management, to value for money.
There were 26 presentations, 60% of them from the UK.
Around the main event, there were, of course, opportunistic bolt-ons.
The UK Embassy hosted a welcome reception for us, the IPA arranged a VIP dinner with leading Chinese brand owners so that its members could have a more interactive dialogue with potential clients, and UK TI helped organize a press conference on the morning of the first day.
Of the 59 media invited 39 turned up on the day, and within 3 days there were a reported 31,400 mentions of the event on Google China. M&C Saatchi used the opportunity to launch a digital office in Beijing, and Smoke & Mirrors (post-production) were able to announce their new Shanghai office, opening in September 2009.
Obviously, the more we could publicise the event, and the overall objectives of our mission, the more we could extend our reach beyond the immediate attendees.
Behind the scenes, we had also worked hard to ensure that some of the key players on the Chinese adscene would be there to hear and endorse our message. The minister for advertising in the Chinese government provided a welcome speech to open our event, and the China Advertising Association and the IAA China Chapter, between them, corralled more than 60 senior advertisers and agencies to attend. We were lucky enough to get a client speaker from Lenovo to address the audience at the end of the first day.
We developed important contacts with both the main national television network and the national television training network. We discussed openly opportunities for business development and training. The equivalent of Campaign in China sought our help to develop a 6 page report on our visit.
Overall, we were left with the impression that China represented real potential for UK advertising agencies and production companies.
Several APA members were approached by Chinese agencies looking to do business with them; three of the client companies attending the IPA VIP dinner were actively looking to develop their business partnerships with centres of excellence outside of China. At least three hot leads were identified at one of the two tables. UK TI in Beijing got to understand us better, and were confident that they could help develop further our links to Chinese brand owners.
We left optimistic that a follow-up mission to Shanghai, linked to the British Pavilion at Shanghai Expo in 2010, would yield dividends, and were buoyed by the open invitation extended to us by IPA affiliate agencies, M&C Saatchi, BBH and Profero in Shanghai, to draw upon their resource and contacts, to help make it happen.
The feedback from speakers and delegates was equally positive. Perhaps it is just the Chinese way, but it was good to see a full house of delegates right up until the last speaker had finished.
Thursday 30th April 2009
Nick Blunden, Managing Partner, Profero presents at the Forum on 'Using digital to build brands without borders'
Daryl Arnold (left), Global CEO, Profero, flies in from Shanghai to support UK Managing Partner, Nick Blunden at the Forum
Lunch in the shaded courtyard on the second day of the Forum. Note Pamela Perl, IPA, fourth in the queue!
Janet Hull, IPA with UK TI officials in Beijing, Angela Wang (left) and Jacky Cheng (right)
Group planning director, Tracey Lee, from BBH Shanghai, presents IPA Effectiveness Grand Prix winning case for Johnnie Walker, on behalf of BBH London.
Global creative director for HSBC, Axel Chaldecott, JWT, explains how he approaches the challenge of creating advertising that works in every market in which HSBC operate.
Geoff Russell, IPA, delivering his closing remarks on the second day of the Forum.
Over 35 members of the IAA China Chapter attended the Forum, including the Minister for Advertising and the Director General of the China Advertising Association.
The courtyard gardens at the China Club, an exclusive private members' club in Beijing, and venue for the IPA/APA Beijing London Advertising Forum.
Wednesday 29th April 2009
Today, 29th April, over 300 delegates flooded into the first day of the joint IPA/APA Beijing London Advertising Forum.
We enjoyed presentations from JWT Shanghai, DDB Beijing, M&C Saatchi London, Ogilvy Beijing, and Chinese brand Lenovo, among others.
Over 40 media turned up for the IPA press conference fielded by Moray MacLennan, M&C Saatchi, Janet Hull, IPA and Steve Davies, APA. Including state television.
The IPA hosted a dinner for IPA delegates the same evening, attended by the CEO of China Britain Business Council, and UK TI officials. Chinese brand owners attending included Founder Technology Group, Great Wall Motor Company, Aigo, Lenovo, CCTV, Sohu Changyou and Wuyutai Tea.
Moray MacLennan speaking on 'Simplicity' at the Beijing London Advertising Forum.
The IPA hosts a dinner for IPA members in Beijing with Chinese brand owners at the China Club
Tuesday 28th April 2009
EMBASSY RECEPTION
This evening we were welcomed by the British Ambassador Sir William Ehrman and senior members of UK TI and China Britain Business Council.
The ambassador spoke about the strength of the UK creative industries, and the advertising sector in particular, and how UK agencies could help Chinese brands go global.
There were 100 people in attendance including the director general of the China Advertising Association and the President of the China Chapter of the International Advertising Association.
Among the delegates from the UK are M&C Saatchi, Profero, JWT, BBH, 23red, Ridley Scott Associates, Academy, Moxie Pictures, Stink, Spank, Hibbert Ralph Animations, and Rushes.
Steve Davies, APA, and Geoff Russell, IPA thanking the Ambassador for his welcome, ably assisted by their Chinese interpreter
Janet Hull, IPA, in the company of the Director General of the China Advertising Association (right) and the President of the China Chapter of the International Advertising Association (left)
Drinks continued on the verandah overlooking the Embassy gardens.