The pitch, which involved presentations by three international agencies to CI and CCI representatives from both the United States and China, concluded with Ruder Finn Guangzhou being selected for the national coordination of the “Cotton - Beyond Your Imagination” project.
The fourth-annual campaign aims to market cotton clothing as fashionable and versatile in a bid to increase Chinese consumers’ preference for cotton material. It is co-sponsored by CI, which is funded by American cotton growers and importers, and CCI, which is the export-promotion division of the National Cotton Council of America.
According to CI’s vice president of marketing Ric Hendee, Ruder Finn was chosen in part because of its “understanding of the internet and e-public relations”, adding that the 2009 campaign may include designer and celebrity partnerships.
“China is an important country for cotton in view of its number one consumer population,” he said in a release. “We started an active campaign to develop excitement around cotton and cotton products in China in 2006, and we are now ready to leverage more communication tools and cooperate with more designers, celebrities and the trade to escalate our success.”
