Great Holidays, the GH travel credential, outfits clients for PR journeys in China

Already serving a portfolio of sought-after clients including Marriot International, the Mandarin, leading online accommodation provider HotelClub.com and the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism—GolinHarris turned out a travel credential in time for the summer.

“We have had an excellent opportunity to service some major travel clients in the China region. As more and more Chinese travel abroad and as China moves up as one of the most important travel destinations globally, there is a clear trend for increasing travel-related businesses. Communications supporting those businesses will become more important than ever before,” explained Beijing director Nikki Lin.

Beijing’s Brad Burgess took the lead in developing a glossy, 20-page travel brochure themed after a travel magazine. The title, “Great Holidays,” plays on the agency’s initials, GH.

“We are excited to recognize this trend and offer special expertise and communication service for clients in the travel sector. We hope you enjoy our new travel credential, a fresh guide to help you understand a little more about who we are and what we are doing,” Lin said.

“The way to a client’s heart…”: Through GH’s scrumptious credential menu

Focusing on the F&B field, Shanghai’s Sarah Chin used the menu format to catch clients’ eyes. The sleek, full-color credential—with traditional menu tri-fold—is filled with appetizing case studies from names like Zespri Kiwifruit, General Mills’ Fruit Trix, Häagan-Dazs and Starbucks Coffee.

“As we looked over our most creative and successful campaigns, the names of F&B clients kept coming up. Feedback from that field told us that these companies are hungry for consultants with experience in the local market as they bring new products to China. GolinHarris has acquired the experience, and we’re confident to present this to the F&B industry,” said Lydia Lee, director of GH in Shanghai.

Corresponding with the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival—which includes the important culinary custom of eating pyramid-shaped, rice-filled zongzi—the Shanghai team sent the credentials menu to prospective F&B clients and packaged it with a bottle of wine to announce the agency’s recent industry awards to existing contacts.

GH staff stand with Miss Earth, Hil Hernández of Chile

The event was made possible by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), conference organizer Sound Initiatives and GolinHarris, which UNEP appointed as its official PR agency.

The goal of B4E was to highlight the environmental challenges global businesses face and to provide a platform for delegates to share strategies and best practices in corporate environmental responsibility.

Leading the environmentally friendly path was the official hotel, Shangri-La, which served organic food, used energy-saving light bulbs and eliminated the use of straws, cup covers and paper signage to reduce waste. To ensure that B4E was certified carbon-free, Carbonfund.org, a leading U.S. carbon reduction and offset organization, calculated the amount of air pollution generated from delegates’ air travel to Singapore and converted this into monetary support for renewable energy and reforestation projects in the region.

The summit brought together governments, corporations such as Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd (APRIL), The Dow Chemical Company, Nokia, OSRAM, Petrobras, Hewlett Packard and Shell, and NGOs such as Greenpeace. Hollywood actress and environmentalist Darryl Hannah also presented a paper on behalf of former U.S. vice president Al Gore.

On the sidelines of the summit, a gala dinner featuring Miss Earth 2006 Hil Hernández and UNEP Communications Director Eric Falt honored Champions of the Earth, leaders who have made significant contributions to the environment at the policy level. This year’s Champions included Al Gore and Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee. Singapore's Senior Minister, Goh Chok Tong, was the evening’s guest-of-honor, and four-time Grammy nominee Anglieque Kidjo provided the evening’s entertainment.

B4E coverage appeared in The Washington Post and The Boston Globe, constituting interviews with key U.N. representatives Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP, and Georg Kell, executive director of the U.N. Global Compact.

Pleased with the media interest and turnout, U.N. representatives are reportedly planning to hold another summit next year.

Team Hosts Televised Election Rally in Hong Kong

Yip (in green) alongside Leo Koo, an HK entertainer who participated in the election rally	Donald Tsang and his wife wave to supporters

The Hong Kong office recently helped Donald Tsang, incumbent chief executive, win the Special Administrative Region’s first-ever contested election for the top post.

Hong Kong’s public affairs director, Fanny Wong and her team, have been trusted communication advisors to Tsang for the last two elections, staying behind the scenes to help him communicate messages clearly to voters. This year, however, GH consultant Winnie Yip was squarely in the public eye for one event as the team helped Tsang organize a televised rally that attracted 3,000 participants.

“It was memorable because it was the first time I had done something of this scale, and it was the first time that an event like this had been done before in Hong Kong,” said Yip, who helped coordinate the event and served as master of ceremonies in front of the boisterous crowd. “We only had time for a couple of rehearsals, and then we were on live. It was quite an experience.”

The team’s main role was ensuring that the event went smoothly and that it was both entertaining and substantial. Yip chatted onstage with celebrities and special guests and led the crowd in chanting campaign slogans.

This high-profile event was not the first time that Hong Kong consultants have been called away from their customary behind-the-scenes positions to the frontlines. After Yip’s on-screen performance, it probably will not be the last, either.

PR Professionals Without Borders

Kit Ming Yip, senior associate

GolinHarris is an agency that encourages exchange, whether it is information related to client needs or learning more about each other.

In a move to strengthen client services and regional effectiveness, Hong Kong senior associate Kit Ming Yip will transfer to the Beijing office for June and July, serving the Dow Chemical account. 

"We are glad to extend an invitation to Kit to join us in Beijing,” said Nikki Lin, director in Beijing. “It will be exciting to have her on board and for our team to learn more about Hong Kong in the process."

Yip is also enthusiastic about the opportunity to learn more about the Mainland. "I am looking forward to joining our Beijing team to work for The Dow Chemical Company. I believe it's important to experience how successful public relations is done on the Mainland to further grow my career in Greater China. I'm sure the experience will be an important milestone in my professional development."

GolinHarris Recognized for Strong Growth in China

The China International Public Relations Association (CIPRA)—the chief professional public relations industry association in China—recently released the results of a comprehensive survey, the 2006 Report of the China Public Relations Industry, which looks at a number of current phenomena in the public relations industry.

GolinHarris was proudly recognized as one of the top-ten companies with the strongest growth in 2006, evidencing the agency’s tremendous growth and impressive client outlook.

Marketing Team Tour de China

The Asia Pacific Marketing Team embarked on a journey to parts of Greater China in early April	Meeting with GolinHarris team members in Taipei

In early April, Katrina Foxe, marketing services manager, and recently appointed marketing services assistant, Tim Gingrich, embarked on a tour to parts of Greater China. The team began their journey in Beijing, where Gingrich is based, and then traveled on to Taipei and Hong Kong to meet with the teams there.

It was a great opportunity for Foxe and Gingrich to bring the GolinHarris brand to life and to introduce or remind the teams about the legacy behind it. It was also beneficial for the two to meet and reacquaint themselves with the people they work with regularly across the waters.

"Joining a network with nine offices across the region can be a little daunting," said Gingrich. "I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find all the GolinHarris teams very friendly and extremely hospitable. The agency certainly lived up to its reputation for fostering relationships.”

"Going from office to office, I noticed that all the offices have a lot of talent, company pride—and awards. I was quite impressed," added Gingrich.

When not working in the office, Foxe and Gingrich managed to see some of the local sites including Taipei 101—the world’s tallest building, the Hong Kong Harbor and even the Great Wall.