Foreign and Military Affairs
Beijing selling China to the world
By Jin Zhu and Ding Qingfen (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-01 07:37
The government has started a global charm offensive aimed at getting more consumers to reach for "Made in China" products.
The groundbreaking ad campaign is seeking to boost the image of Chinese goods around the world.
The initiative is believed to be the government's first foray into branding, something experts are hailing as "a PR breakthrough".
The Ministry of Commerce said the initiative was designed to promote Chinese-made products "in a fair and objective way".
The campaign started on Nov 23 with a 30-second spot on CNN International, CNN US and CNN Headline News, the ministry said in a statement.
In the ad, a series of goods with the "Made in China" label are shown being made with the help of top foreign firms.
An MP3 player is described as "Made in China with software from Silicon Valley". A fashion shoot includes clothes labeled "Made in China with French designers". And a refrigerator bears the text "Made in China with European styling".
The campaign "reflects the Chinese firms' attitude and aspiration of strengthening cooperation with other countries to provide quality goods for foreign consumers", the statement said.
Chen Na, a press secretary with the China Advertising Association of Commerce, said the campaign was commissioned by the ministry with participation from four industry groups.
The four groups are the China Advertising Association of Commerce, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Light Industrial Products and Arts-Crafts, and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles.
The ad, which was created by DDB Guoan in Beijing, has been in development for months. The agency won the account last year.
China is known as the "world's factory". It is the planet's largest manufacturer of more than 210 industrial products.
"Chinese products can be found everywhere in the world now. However, some do not have a good reputation. The task of promoting the brand is imminent," said Huang Shengmin, dean of the Advertising Department of Communication University of China.
