Insight by Andrew Collins

I found this article up from Mailman Group website where CEO Andrew Collins makes some interesting points about brands staying relevant the article can be found here;

http://www.mailmangroup.com/2011/12/watch-for-consumer-cues-to-stay-relevent/

If you keep reading it is here as well…

How many brands closely watch ‘consumer cues’ to drive brand decisions? After all it’s the consumers whom actually create trends, push trends or even squash trends. So if it is the very consumer whom decides that the fate of your brand is the question- how much are you paying attention?

Culture can have a profound impact on the success of brands. Observing past sub cultures that make their way to mainstream trends as in the case of hip hop music in America once could have foretold the burgling success brands like Rockport, Adidas, Reebok and others had whilst embracing early signs of the now ‘popular culture’. However, it was never rosy to begin with-there are many tales of ‘establishment’ knocking down the movement that was fast transcending beyond urban ‘African American’ culture.

What happened during the early eighties with hip hop is a process that occurs over and over again as sub cultures emerge, disappear and sometimes boom. So what are they? And how do find them? Firstly with the expense of stating the obvious- you gotta listen to your people. Partake in active dialogue with your consumer (and better yet the ones who don’t like you) and create a funnel of delicious insights can be used to quench the appetite for your brand and strategic development.

People change. Tends change. Attitudes change. And all this faster then you think. Just ask Reebok with the height of the 80-90’s in athletic wear about management ignoring the signs, the authenticity of the brand and the brigade of fans shifting to any alternative. It can happen to any brand at any point. A  more recent case is MySpace- don’t we all remember that one.

Listening, observing, responding are the three steps you can issue to embrace change and to stay ‘relevant’. The current is always moving- so ask yourself ’are you going with it or against it?

An insight by Michael MacRitchie

Sponsorship is one of the fastest growing forms of marketing globally.

However it is It is still very much in its infancy stage here in China .

So, why should your company be interested in sponsorship? When done well, it offers significant opportunities for ‘high impact branding’, heightened consumer engagement and a way to bring to life a brands DNA.  This leads to distinct marketing and competitive advantages, as well as showing support of the event.

So what is sponsorship?

Sponsorship is the financial or in-kind support of an activity, used primarily to reach specified business goals.  According to IEG’s Complete Guide to Sponsorship, “Sponsorship should not be confused with advertising.  Advertising is considered a quantitative medium, whereas sponsorship is considered a qualitative medium. It promotes a company in association with the sponsee.”

A large number of events these days use sponsorship support to offer more exciting programs and to help defray rising costs. Sponsorship allows you to reach specifically targeted niche markets which is highly targeted and therefore ‘high impact’ brand awareness. In addition, sponsorship is a powerful complement to other marketing programs, in addition to having a dramatic influence on customer relations.

Why sponsor?

Sponsorship offers the possibility of achieving several goals at once. According to Schmader and Jackson in their book, Special Events: Inside and Out, a company can benefit from sponsorship in many ways, such as:

• Enhancing Image/Shaping Consumer Attitudes Often companies are looking to improve how they are perceived by their target audience. Sponsoring events that appeal to their market are likely to shape buying attitudes and help generate a positive reaction. Coca Cola, for example is always looking to generate a positive influence of their products in the minds of their consumers and as such regularly support events they feel can influence consumer opinions. When we think of Coca Cola, we don’t think of it as simply a sugary water drink, the brand is built on marketing and a lot of this has been achieved through sponsoring events which excite and therefore creates and builds the brand.

• Driving Sales Sponsorship geared to driving sales can be an extremely potent promotional tool. This objective allows sponsors to showcase their product attributes. Food and beverage companies often use sponsorship to encourage samplings and sales. IEG’s Complete Guide to Sponsorship cites Visa’s fund-raising effort around its sponsorship of the Olympic Games and the U.S. Olympic Team. They promoted their association by offering to make a donation to the team each time consumers charge a purchase to their card. American Express used a similar strategy by donating to needy causes with their “Charge Against Hunger” campaign. As a result, both companies experienced a significant rise in sales volume.

• Creating positive publicity/heightening visibility Every sponsor is seeking wide exposure in both electronic and print media. Positive publicity helps create heightened visibility of products/services. Various media covering the event may include sponsors names and/or photos. In addition, the kind of media coverage a sponsor may get is often unaffordable if the company were to think of purchasing it, and if it were available. To maximize this objective, it is important for the sponsoring company to have a comprehensive media campaign to augment the regular media coverage promoted by the organizers. Sponsorship can often generate media coverage that might otherwise not have been available.

• Differentiating from competitors The mere act of sponsoring an event, especially an exclusive sponsorship, is a significant way to create competitor differentiation. Your company name has the opportunity to stand out head and shoulders above the competition. This is particularly helpful if your company wants to combat a competitor with a larger ad budget. Sponsorship allows smaller companies to compete with their industry giants. Target audiences often perceive sponsorship in a positive way. They see you as making a greater effort to support the event, often allowing more or better activities to take place as a result of your sponsorship.

• Helping in the capacity as a good “Corporate Citizen” . Another powerful sponsorship objective allows companies to be viewed as a “good neighbor.” To be seen supporting the community and contributing to its economic development is extremely powerful and creates enormous goodwill.

• Enhancing business, consumer and VIP relations Sponsorship that offers hospitality opportunities is always very attractive to companies. Perks may include special exclusive networking settings such as VIP receptions or golf tournaments – opportunities to meet key customers and solidify business relationships. It is important to evaluate each opportunity and look for ways it could tie into your marketing objectives.

For more information, speak to us now….

Michael MacRitchie , BA, Media, Hons , is Vice President of  MGI Entertainment, which offers event planning, entertainment marketing, sponsorship and brand partnership services.  Michael has over 15 years of experience with large scale events like London Olympic Bid, European Football Cup and managing  concerts with artists : Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, Jon Legend, Maroon 5, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and sporting events: Oakley Air & Style & USA Basketball pre-Olympic games team. Michael has also experience in  luxury branding, and film product placement.

News by Michael MacRitchie

BEIJING — The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am is heading back to China in support of the Obama Administration’s 100,000 Strong initiative, designed to boost the number of American students studying in China, for a concert announced for later this year.

The U.S. State Dept. said that following a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will.i.am agreed to perform at and help promote the show, for which no date has yet been given.

The concert is being organized by Americans Promoting Study Abroad, a U.S. nonprofit organization that sponsors low-income students to study Chinese language and culture in China. Clinton and will.i.am met on July 29 in Washington, according to the State Dept.

The concert would be will.i.am’s third official performance in China, having played here with the Black Eyed Peas twice, in 2006 and again in 2009.

The concert, which will feature performances by will.i.am and other US and Chinese pop stars, will promote and benefit the plan, said the statement, which did not give details about the other participants.

“In order to become responsible global citizens, young people need to experience the world around them,” will.i.am said in the statement.

“We must make sure that American students have the cultural awareness and skills necessary to succeed in a global economy.”

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_696479.html

http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2011/07/30/22854721.aspx

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/arts/music/state-department-taps-william-for-china-effort.html

 “There are very few global challenges that can solved unless the United States and China agree. That is why I am very pleased to announce that the US will dramatically expand the number of students who study in China to 100,000 students in the next 4 years. This exchanges mark clear commitment to build ties between among our people surely as you will help determine the destiny of the 21^st century” President Obama said while addressing several hundred students.

The 100,000 Strong Initiative was launched by the Obama Administration, in partial cooperation with the Chinese government, in response to Chinese students studying in the U.S. outnumbering Americans students in China by 10 to one. The public-private partnership has so far attracted $7 million in funding.

APSA is seeking to raise USD 10 million including USD1million for study abroad programs in each of -eight US cities and USD 2 million to fund APSA’s programs.  Funding will come from philanthropic donations and commercial sponsorships of events.

MGI Entertainment is handling the brand partnerships and commercial sponsorship opportunities available at the Beijing concert in December this year. APSA sponsors and donors receive access to VIP events during the week of the concert and will be able to strengthen political ties between US and Chinese relations.

Michael MacRitchie, Vice President of MGI Entertainment, is asking all US and Chinese companies to not only see this as an unprecedented branding opportunity but also a way to help these young students gain global perspective through the power of education. Not only is this event high profile but the flow on effects for the brands and students will be enormous

An insight by Andrew Howie

China has experienced a relentless surge in consumer buying power since the 1990’s. The Chinese consumer has become wealthier and more accepting of western retail formats- with international supermarket chains, department stores and mass retailers paving the way for luxury retailers. Luxury brand companies have been investing in the China market, with  Louis Vuitton, Bally, Gucci, Ferragamo among the first wave of retailers in China more then 10 years ago. But now with consumer spending increasing and the loosening of government restrictions, foreign luxury brands face pressure to strengthen the commitment to the mainland or risk loosing ground to the rivals.

Luxury is consistently evolving and subject to concept, and not easy to define. But more often then not, the word is used to define an inessential but desirable item or a state of extreme comfort or indulgence. What sets luxury brands apart is that they command a premium without a clear functional advantage over their counterparts. Yet consumers are willing to pay the significance price difference because the brand has a unique set of characteristics including premium quality, craftsmanship,  exclusivity and reputation

Luxury brands not only convey a standard of excellence but act as social codes indicating access to the rare, exclusive and desirable. This makes the luxury market a particularly interesting one because it represents consumption as its most hedonistic  and seemingly irrational- purchasing for the personal pleasure it provides despite the financial  cost.

The luxury brands operating in China are largely European in origin and span across different retail sectors such as fashion, jewelery, motor vehicle and accessories, footwear, cosmetics, perfume & liquor .

When brands are evaluating their marketing strategy, it is very important to align with a sport, event or celebrity that truly represents the brand equity. One sport that has made a very successful brand connect in China is the sport of Polo.

According to a leading expert “The sport of Polo is commonly associated with royalty, class and power, but the world of Polo goes much further beyond the actual sport. It stretches into a world of elegance, beauty, charm and lifestyle. The Sport of Kings is not for the conservative, but rather the brave and adventurous, those who seek excitement, thrill and power. Polo is a unique sporting and lifestyle communications platform, and the sponsorship opportunities are appealing for any brand that is looking to make history by developing a landmark and pioneer.”

First introduced to China in 1997 by Steve Wyatt, an English business strategist, entrepreneur and sporting aficionado, the sport has grown in popularity with the execution of some very successful events and now like all successful products has local competitors.

Similar to the luxury market, which has experienced huge growth, an equally fast growing segment of local industry has been counterfeiting. The sport of kings now also has counterfeits…

So in this world of luxury, it is very important to choose the right partner to guide you through what is real and what is fake.

Premier entertainment, owned by Steve Wyatt has delivered some excellent partnerships for brands like Royal Salute, Cartier, Maserati,  and is now looking to add to their already healthy portfolio of horse, equestrian and Polo events.

For more information please contact Steve on steve.wyatt@hussarspolo.com

You are organizing a big event. It can be an a charity fundraiser or a rock festival or a film project. To organize any event or produce any entertainment you require sponsorship money. And where will the money come from? It comes mostly from brands and corporate who are interested in aligning with the entertainment property.

Importance of sponsorship

• We all know that sponsorship is integral for the launch of any event. In China preparing for a large scale event means that Sponsorship revenue is of paramount importance because there is still a gap between the numbers of people purchasing tickets vs people ‘receiving’ the tickets as a form of gaunxi (relationship building) therefore loosing out on potential profits/additional ticket revenue.
• Without the marketing dollars it is often challenging to get the event off the ground or there is not enough revenue to execute a memorable event.

Plan accordingly

• In order to plan effectively it is therefore very important to give brands time to ‘activate’ the sponsorship. It is very importance to give the brands at least 6months preparation time. Internally the brands or organizations need a few rounds of clearance to get internal approvals and clearances. Please note, brands and multinationals receive at least 15 proposals per week from promoters, producers looking for secondary funding through sponsorship. In China there is also a lot of pressure from Chinese government owned agencies for brands to sponsor government ‘run’ events.( The brands feel pressure to comply because it is the Chinese government).

• The only exception is if the event is truly spectacular then the brands will scramble to be invoked but the more time you give the brands, the better your chances are in securing larger sponsorship dollars.

First step in the Planning process

•  Engage in a discussion with a sponsorship agency which has a good reputation. Treat the sponsorship agency as an investment, with a ROI rather then a cost. Realizing that without the sponsorship revenue the event is in jeopardy is a clear indicator of the crucial role this agency will play.

Negotiate with agency

• When negotiating with the agency try to strike a deal where the retainer agreement is an offset against commissions earned.  I often get asked to work on projects and if I bring in a client then my agency will be rewarded commission. What the organizer or promoter does not realize is that sponsorship agencies get presented with at least 4 opportunities per week. The projects which are considered as a serious opportunities are a serious commitment are the projects that have been engaged with a retainer agreement.

PREPARING MATERIALS

How can you make your pitch more attractive and lucrative to the person evaluating your presentation? How can you get him to shell out cash happily?

You can manage to get cash easily if you spend some time thinking and preparing over the following points. I have drawn this list from my personal experience of evaluating more than a hundred such proposals. The sponsor wants to know the following things:

1. Why should I sponsor this event? (benefit)
2. Who is going to come for the event? (audience)
3. Why will they come?
4. How do I target the audience?
5. What is the credential of the organizer?
6. Who else is sponsoring the event?
7. What is the cost? Does it justify the benefit?

Take cognizance of these before you start making your presentation slides.

1. What is the benefit?
A company sponsors an event for either brand awareness (also called brand building), lead generation or as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. You have to pitch on which of these objectives get fulfilled by sponsoring the event. If you are organizing a college rock event and want Pepsi to sponsor it, you have to show how your event will create ‘brand awareness’.

2. Who is the audience?
This is perhaps the most important ingredient for a potential sponsor. Tell your potential partner who is going to come, how many will come, what is their demographic profile (age, education, profession, income group).

3. Why will the audience come for the event?
You are promising Pepsi that 20,000 young adults will come for your event. Why should Pepsi believe it on face value? Show them how you market to the audience. How are you planning to promote the event? What is your media plan? How many ads are you giving, is the event being televised?

4. How do I target the audience?
After you have assured Pepsi that 20,000 students you need to come up with options of doing brand building. Most of the proposals talk vaguely on what can be done at the venue. Be specific. Generate good ideas and put it up in the presentation. If you have 10 good ideas, share 7 and keep 3 to be used during negotiations stage. When tying to lower the price, present some additional ideas.

If you are offering to brand the stage, T-shirts and tickets with the logo of Pepsi, why not have a call to action marketing campaign?
5. What are the credentials of the organizer?
After getting convinced about the benefit and the audience, one question will still remain in the sponsor’s mind. Will the event get executed the way it is being promised? What is the experience of the organizer? To build credibility, you can share press releases, videos and artist confirmation letters. The brand has to understand how successful it was and why, who were the sponsors last time and how many people came. If you are a first time organizer, it will be a little more challenging. Be prepared.

6. Who are the other sponsors?
The sponsor would definitely want to know who else is going to sponsor the event. As a good practice, do not have two companies from the same industry.  It would be a nightmare situation if “Coke” and “Pepsi” wanted to sponsor the same event. It seems like common sense..But you would be surprised.

7. What is the cost?
If your value proposition is not very strong, then you should be ready to justify the cost. Do your numbers before you go for the pitch. If you are asking a sponsor to spend Rs. 500,000 to target 500 people with the objective of lead generation, then realize that the cost of a lead works out to Rs. 1000. The marketing manager will evaluate your proposal on this number and you need to justify the value you are offering in return.

Once you have addressed the aforementioned questions, you will be in a very good position to get the cash. In addition to the 7 points, you should also consider the following 3 points:

8. Know your competition
You are not the only promoter/organizer in town which is organizing an event. Observe what benefits other organizers are providing to their sponsors. How are they marketing their event? You should be in a position to convince that your offer is better than others.

9. Generate ideas to help the sponsor

You know more about your event than your sponsor. Hence, come up with innovative ideas to genuinely help your sponsor get the maximum bang for their investment. What places can be branded, what activities can be done at the venue, and so on. It would be a good idea, to spend some time understanding the business needs of the sponsor before you present to him. You can call the marketing manager and understand what his needs in the current markets are. You only receive cash once you address/resolve a problem.

10. Get Creative

The best ideas are often not the most expensive but are simple. Whatever you do, make sure it is done with flair and it engages participation. Some simple concepts including call to action Social media campaigns are often very effective and also combining all marketing elements to create “sizzle” and “brand lust”. As I have just eluded to, once you solve the problem within the company, only then will be able to receive the cash.

11. Market your event/ After sales service

You genuinely thought that Pepsi should have sponsored your event in 2010. But they did not. So what do you do other than waiting for 2011 to approach Pepsi again?

You send a CD full of images, videos, and highlights of how successful your event actually was with some research on the effectiveness of the event. What were the ways the sponsor companies benefited from the event. Add a few testimonials. Add some PR clippings (if you got any) and press releases.

Michael MacRitchie , BA, Media, Hons , is Vice President of  MGI Entertainment, which offers event planning, entertainment marketing, sponsorship and brand partnership services.  Michael has over 15 years of experience with large scale events like London Olympic Bid, European Football Cup and managing  concerts with artists like: Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, Jon Legend, Maroon 5, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and sporting events: Oakley Air & Style & USA Basketball pre-Olympic games team. Michael has also experience in  luxury branding, and film product placement.

It is not uncommon to switch on the television and be confronted by celebrity after celebrity propounding the virtues of some brand or other. Celebrity advertising has always been popular and a fast growing economy attracts celebrities by the dozen in this space.

People are easily influenced and impressed by celebrities, and consider it a status symbol to sport brands endorsed by them in an effort to aspire to the same status. (A brand associates itself with a celebrity to enhance its attractiveness to the consumer. But it is important to choose the right celebrity for a product as scandals relating to them can be disastrous in a milieu where attitudes are conservative.)

Here is a quick look at some;

In America, Swimmer Michael Phelps (a picture of him smoking marijuana did the rounds not too long ago) endorsing Subway, Speedo and Kellogg’s; rapper Chris Brown (who physically abused Rihanna) endorsing Wrigley’s; and in Asia actor/musician/model Edison Chen (whose sexually explicit pictures were all over the Internet) endorsing Manhattan Titanium Credit Card, Levi’s and Pepsi are examples of endorsements gone wrong. These ended with the celebrities losing some endorsements and the brands losing some of their sheen.

So does having a celebrity endorsing a brand really give the brand sex appeal in the eyes of the consumer? It does, provided some factors are kept in mind:

Likeability – The use of popular and likeable celebrities always works since people look up to them and they are less likely to get into trouble. Controversial celebrities might well shoot themselves in the foot with something they say or do. Dior took a chance with actor Sharon Stone, but did not anticipate her philosophizing about bad karma and the Chinese people. She soon saw a lucrative deal vanish and did untold damage to the Dior brand image in China.

A Believable Connect – Actress Zhang Ziyi, who endorses Platinum Guild International (whose tagline is “Precious as you are”), is an example of a strong brand-celebrity connect. She lives her description of a precious woman – one who has a perfect family and a job she enjoys (her topless pictures did scandalise the Chinese public, but did not affect her endorsements since they were taken without her permission).

Liu Xiang, the star Chinese hurdler endorsing Nike proved to be a good fit. But Liu speaking for Visa, Cadillac and Yili (a Chinese milk producer) created confusion about which brands here presented.

Tiger Woods representing Nike was good, but do people really believe he would drive a Buick? This definitely seemed hard to believe for someone of his social stature, since consumers would be better able to imagine him

behind the wheel of a BMW. To a fan, a Buick was way too low on the scale to credibly interest someone like Woods.

Using a fictional character – James Bond endorsing Omega, whether Bond played by Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig, is a particularly successful association, because James Bond brings to mind an image – that of a slick, stylish, minimalist, performance-oriented, precision focused professional.The Omega, with its functional attitude, style and weight, would be what Bond wants – not attracting too much attention or making a loud statement.

Increasing involvement of celebrity with brand – An example of this is when Nike created a brand around NBA star, Michael Jordan. Celebrities whose names are attached to a brand are likely to take their responsibility seriously and value their own image as much as the brand’s.

Investing in emerging celebrities in their formative years – Companies can save costs by promoting promising new celebrities and nurture their emerging social image so that the brand image grows in stature as the celebrities become famous.

Being creative with a rising star: Rising Chinese artist Wanting pictured above uploaded her song “You Exist In My Song” on Youku.com, a video hosting service in China much like YouTube.  The track was recently featured in a Mercedes Benz commercial and compilation album that was widely distributed and promoted throughout China.

In only one week, the video post has received over 1 million views and counting from all over the world Check it out by clicking HERE.

Wanting is managed by Nettwerk who have successfully managed the careers of Avril Lavigne, Sarah Mclachlan and have a a clear vision for Asia and are prepared to do out of the box thinking and development when it comes to their artists.

So for the brands out there, if the artist is responsible for creating something so beautiful could beautiful music be linked with a beauty brands? ( I am not going to join the dots for you here you people…… )

Stick to some  basic principals, be creative, execute with flair and choose the right spokesperson for your next campaign.

MGI specialties is  in celebrity consulting,  talent acquisition, & branded partnerships.

In order to get the match right why speak to us right now…

Coming from a family of talented actors, it is little surprise that Charlie Sheen has managed to forge such a successful career for himself. Charlie, born Carlos Irwin Estevez in 1965, has Platoon, Wall Street and Major League to his credit as well as several movies of varying success. His most recently Academy Award nomination was for his role in Being John Malkovich in 1999. The award went to American Beauty. On the small screen, in 2000 he was cast to replace Michael J Fox in Spin City and currently is the lead in the hit sit-com Two and a Half Men, which has aired since 2003. He was reportedly earning around $1 million per episode, with the recent contract extension rumoured to be worth $1.88 million (USD) per show.

His father Martin Sheen is well known for his roles in Apocalypse Now and the television series The West Wing, amongst others. His older brother Emilio Estevez has featured in films such as The Breakfast Club and Mighty Ducks. He also played a lead role in Young Guns and its sequel.

Early on, Sheen was expelled from school weeks before he was due to graduate due to poor attendance and poor grades. His troubles were only just beginning. Since then, he has managed to marry and separate or divorce three times. He has also shot his once fiancée Kelly Preston in the arm. As a result she broke up with him and went on to marry John Travolta.

His first marriage broke down when it was revealed he was a frequent visitor to brothels and he then went on to date several porn star actresses. This was revealed in the memoirs of a high profile madam.

He then began to run into trouble with drug and alcohol abuse. He has been to rehab several times for his addictions with varying levels of success.

His marriage to Denise Richards, the mother to three of his children, eventually broke down as a result of his abuse of both her and varying substances.

As recently as October last year, Sheen has had further brushes with the law. He reportedly did more than $7000 damage to a hotel room and admitted to further alcohol and cocaine use. He is also rumoured to have had a bender weekend recently, spending more than $35,000 on high class escorts and various accompaniments.

Sheen has most recently announced a desire to quit the small screen in a bid to head back to making movies. With the track record he has for making great films, both drama and comedy, one can only hope that he delivers another gem.

Sheen and his penchant for partying was the focus of a joke by Ricky Gervais during his recent Golden Globe address. Giving his reputation for partying, perhaps there is a chance for a brand like Revivol to take him on as a spokesperson?

Tackling China’s online eccomerce market can be a daunting experience.  It’s our job at Mailman to ensure this transition is smooth and ultimately successful.  Our recent experience tells us the immediate opportunities available through major Chinese online malls such as TaoBao have never been more promising.The following outlines a guide as to the Mailman 3 step process for a successful online eccomerce integration.

1.  Identify your market.

- We complete a review of the audience you are wishing to sell
- We list all associated social networks housing your desired customers
- We decide on the appropriate online mall or stand alone eccomerce store alternatives

2.  Build your store.

- We build out a complete online store as per your branding guidelines
- We ensure all products are adequately featured, with key products in the prominent positions
- Ensure you have completed all relevant licensing requirements to open store

3.  Establish your voice.

- We invite the key online influencers (bloggers) for your industry to try and review your product
- We ensure positive reception of products and subsequent positive online material
- We establish your presence across key Chinese social networks (globally)
- We create content based on your products brand / story to be featured across forums and social networks
- We notify any press to gather mainstream support

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Mailman Sales Management

To continue to build on the 3 Step process mailman offers a service of complete online customer service management.  This will include:

- Online customer support

- Selling of products

- Complete online reporting

For a deeper conversation about how we continue to manage our current online eccomerce stores contact Mailman.

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Following the Mailman 3 step process we begin to closely review and report all data associated with the deliverables.  Data is a great tool to gather feedback and review the current strategy.  Traffic is directed to your eccomerce store and it’s our responsibility to understand how/why they may it there.

Navigating through China’s 1000+ social networks is a task that can only be performed effectively by an experienced team.  With Mailman‘s unique consumer insight, together with successful online delivery we guarantee your product will be given the best possible outcome available.

Mailman has worked with over 500 brands in China.  More recently Mailman has built out successful online eccomerce strategies for multi-national companies looking to grow a Chinese customer base.

Contact Mailman to discuss how your brand can capitalize on the growing Chinese consumer.

The 68th annual Golden Globes veered into Cluedo territory last night as the event’s host went missing for nearly an hour. Ricky Gervais‘s absence from the stage, following an opening monologue that drew more gasps than laughs, led excited observers to speculate that the British comic may have been collared backstage and fired … or worse.

Gervais opened the live telecast by poking exuberant fun at the likes of Tim Allen, Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. He claimed to have had to help Philip Berk, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, off the toilet and “put his teeth back in”. He introduced Bruce Willis as “Ashton Kutcher’s dad” and explained that Johnny Depp’s critically panned caper movie The Tourist had only been nominated because the voters of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association “accepted bribes”. Neither Willis nor Depp appeared especially amused.

Then Gervais went missing, sparking lurid speculation on blogs and Twitter. Where had Gervais gone? Had the host been killed or merely given his marching orders? “Others have joked but I think it’s getting to the point where it may be true,” wrote Hollywood publicist Lewis Kay. “Did [the Hollywood Foreign Press Association] fire Gervais midway through the show?”

Others, however, attempted to reassure the conspiracy theorists. “Hosts always get trimmed in the second half of awards shows,” wrote HitFix’s Daniel Fienberg. “Ricky Gervais hasn’t been killed. Or has he?”

Even when Gervais eventually returned, observers noted that he seemed subdued, leading to suggestions that he had been asked to tone down his routine. According to CNN host Piers Morgan, Gervais looked “haunted”. He vowed to ask the comedian: “What the hell did they do to you backstage?”

Following the ceremony, Tim Allen, Tom Hanks and Robert Downey Jr all appeared to be at least mildly uncomfortable with Gervais’s performance. “It’s one thing if it’s just the people in the room, but on a broadcast it makes you feel bad for some of the people,” said Richard D Zanuck, producer of the Globe-nominated Alice in Wonderland. “I know it’s what some people want, but I still feel bad.”

Elsewhere, the reaction to Gervais’s second stint as Globes host has been evenly split. “Mr Gervais’s jibes at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association divided the room,” claimed the New York Times. “It was Mr Gervais’s second chance to host the Golden Globes; he may not get a third.”