China a beacon of pr light

Make no mistake, 2003 was a year that many PR practitioners would like to forget. For an industry that had begun to find its feet again by the end of 2002, the double whammy of Sars and war hit the nascent recovery hard. Unsurprisingly, many agencies took evasive action. Much of the subtlety that had seen increased practice development and the sophisticated creation of second-tier brands to avoid client conflicts fell by the wayside as cost-cutting became the order of the day. Amid the rubble, however, some positives burned bright. The China market sustained its buoyant growth, and PR continued to drift ever upwards on the country's corporate agenda. As more Chinese companies went to market, investor relations increased in visibility, attracting interest from the world's leading players. Strong consumer sentiment also ensured a healthy return for consumer practices, in marked contrast to other Asian markets. However, global and regional networks also began to witness the corollary to China's growth; spiralling competition, from aggressive local players. Indeed the question of 'international versus local', may soon be simply replaced by 'good versus bad'. In India, meanwhile, budgets continued to grow. Virtually all leading global PR firms now have a presence of some form in the country, and how the country's local shops respond to this foreign influx remains a topic of considerable interest. In terms of practice areas, the recovery of the tech sector continued at a steady pace. Healthcare also took centre stage, thanks in part to the succession of health crises that bedeviled the region, from Sars to bird flu to Japanese encephalitis. North Asia saw reasonable growth in public affairs and government relations, particularly during the latter part of the year. As the Media PR rankings illustrate, furthermore, the best Asian agencies did not stand still during 2003. Rather, they looked at how they could compete more effectively in a shifting landscape, and heeded the call from clients to work smarter. Talent development became a more pressing priority and, in a year where big pitches were few and far between, the networks began to look at how to extend and strengthen existing relationships. The next stage may well be to improve the quality of research and insights emanating from the region, areas that appear to have been overlooked for some time now. It is also worth noting that much of the gloom enveloping the industry began to dissipate towards the end of the year -- with many agencies recording a positive final quarter. Interestingly, the year's 'crises' also pushed PR more firmly into the spotlight, thanks to the inadequate communications that often accompanied these issues. More than ever, Asian business is aware of the need to engage with all of its stakeholder groups, be they a less-subservient media, more activist-minded consumer organisations or newly-empowered employees. The hope, of course, is that the region's PR industry can leverage this awareness to improve its own performance and reputation. As the PR rankings demonstrate, there is much world-class work being done in Asia -- but the need for the industry to communicate its abilities effectively must still be a priority.