The new entity - Publicis Consultants Worldwide Plus Akin Gump – has been launched globally in Beijing, and will be headed by Publicis Consultants Worldwide’s crisis response team chief Charles Winner, who is also president and CEO of Winner & Associates, a subsidiary of Publicis Consultants Worldwide.
Initially focussing on China in the leadup to the Beijing Olympic Games next year and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, the alliance was formed in response to several brand crisis that have recently emerged involving the mainland. “With the focus on China on the global economic scene, and the importance of China, there have been stories almost daily on products and services involving China and Asia,” said Winner.
“China is very complex, very broad, and there are a lot of misconceptions and miscommunication in China. We’re dealing with cultural, political and media differences, so it’s a complex environment,” he said.