PRWEEK: Fuji Xerox splits its PR in China

Previously, H-line Ogilvy Communications had been appointed as Fuji Xerox's sole comms representative - handling both the product and corporate accounts.

According to Fuji Xerox China PR director, Liang Xiao Rong, when the contract with H-line Ogilvy expired, the company decided to split its PR service requirements into two, set to be managed by separate consultancies.

The dual directive is designed to minimise the impact of potential changes to either the organisational structure or staff line-up at consultancies working on the account.

Fuji Xerox retained H-line Communications in 1999, prior to a milestone majority buy-out by Ogilvy PR in June 2002 that saw H-line retaining its autonomy and operating alongside Ogilvy PR in the China market.

Its contract with Fuji Xerox ended in January.

Liang said PFT had been selected due to its "better understanding of, and close contacts with, the Chinese media" which were pivotal to product launches.

The decision to extend PFT's retainer will be made once the three-month retainer period draws to a close.

PFT's Fuji Xerox team will be led by associate account director Nancy Ma, who reports directly to Xiao Rong and heads a team of four on the account, which will be run out of Beijing - where Fuji Xerox is headquartered.

The digital office behemoth has operations in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, Wuhan, Hangzhou and Tianjin and PFT will run the account from its Beijing office, with ground-level executions handled by the consultancy's additional Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu offices.

Meanwhile, Fuji Xerox continues its search for a PR consultancy to handle corporate PR across first and second tier cities. Consultancies understood to be pitching for this slice of the business include Ogilvy PR, Blue Focus and Euan Barty Associates.