The agency is currently advising the State Food and Drug Administration on its communications strategy in the wake of high-profile product recalls from the likes of Mattel, Gilchrist & Soames, RC2, Menu Foods and Hasbro. In addition, Australia, New Zealand and Spain have ordered withdrawals of, respectively, China-made blankets, pyjamas and toothpaste.
Ogilvy PR China is also advising BOCOG on handling the various Olympics-related media issues that have arisen after NGOs dubbed the upcoming games the ‘Genocide Olympics’.
In the past, the agency has also counselled the State Council Information Office.
Kronick said that the agency’s role is a direct outgrowth of the decision to form a public affairs think-tank in early 2005 with Tsinghua University, to offer Government departments training modules in destination branding, crisis management, corporate social responsibility and media relations.
“It’s really just providing a perspective on what is required in the way of response,” said Kronick.
“Clearly, the Government is taking this very seriously and it has to respond. It’s getting more comfortable about this and trying to reach out. We point out that blaming the foreign media is not a good approach to take - nobody is expecting absolute guarantees, but what people want is transparency.”
The Tsinghua JV is chaired by Ogilvy regional chairman Miles Young, and led by Kronick and Ogilvy advisor Professor Li Xiaguang.
“It was originally Li’s idea,” explained Kronick. “We’ve had the fortunate opportunity through the Tsinghua programme to have this access and we’ve jumped at this opportunity.”
Kronick also revealed that WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell is taking a keen interest in the ongoing product crisis in China. “Martin was the first who wrote to me when this broke and said, ‘there seems to be a lot of speculations — should we be doing something?’”
The move reflects a growing willingness of the China Government to combat negative perceptions, which have largely run uncountered leading to significant amounts of negative press.
In late August, the Goverment launched a four-month drive to improve product quality and restore consumer confidence, although experts believe it will take significantly longer.
China media reports indicate that dozens of children’s clothing factories in Eastern Zhejiang - which reportedly manufacturers 25 per cent of the nation’s children’s garments - have been reprimanded after it was found almost half did not meet minimum quality standards.
