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Media Relations, Guanxi and the Power of Connections in Asia

Photo Credit By Maureen TsengHoffman Singapore If you are planning on doing some solid media outreach in Asia, then you better get yourself acquainted fast with this term — “Guanxi.”  Guanxi, coming from Chinese roots, is the practice of networking and securing influential relationships to facilitate business and other dealings. According to Wikipedia, Guanxi describes…

Three Things I Learned from Raising a Scholarship Fund

By Naoko Kawahara The Hoffman Agency, Japan On March 11, 2011, Japan’s Tohoku area was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami. By the end of March, my friend and I decided to launch a scholarship fund to support the youth who were affected by this disaster. The name of this organization is Okikobo, and…

Using Storytelling to Revitalize the Local Economy: Japan’s Kumamon Craze

By Satoko Tanaka The Hoffman Agency, Japan In Japan, you can easily find Yuruchara – roughly translated as “loose characters” – at most tourism sites. These are cartoon mascots that represent specific prefectures (regions) in Japan and were created to promote area tourism, delicacies and events. Now TV shows, commercials and social media play up…

Storytelling_Meets_Media_Strategy

Vis-à-vis at COMPUTEX 2013, Taipei: The Benefits of Face-to-face Communication

By Icho Saito The Hoffman Agency, Japan Taipei is a lovely city! From their ma-la (spicy) hotpot which piques your appetite even in the summer heat, to the ready-to-serve fresh fruit stalls stationed at every few blocks to quench your thirst. For the past few months, our team has been working on various projects in…

face-to-face communications

Oliver’s Twist in Hong Kong’s Bun Festival

By Terence Nip The Hoffman Agency, Hong Kong Papier-mâché effigies, colorful costumes, a bun-snatching competition and a 60-foot bamboo tower are all exciting aspects to one of Hong Kong’s oldest festivals – the Cheung Chau Island Bun Festival.  The festival –  held each year to ward off evil spirits – has been gradually rebranded as…

About Hong Kong - Bun Festival 2

Business Across Borders – Doing International PR for HYSTA

By Giuseppina Chiaramonte and Polly Yu The Hoffman Agency, United States and Hong Kong PR pros are always dancing. We juggle media calls between pitching journalists; we draft press releases, while finalizing briefing docs. We cram all we can into a single day, all the while trying to maximize our time to the nth degree….