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 …
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, …
An insight by Michael MacRitchie 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 …
An insight by Michael MacRitchie 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 …
Our strategic partner, the Mailman Group offers brands and organizations a way forward in setting up ecommerce platforms in China. 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 …
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 …
An insight by Michael MacRitchie When working with international Celebs in China stick to some basic principals and you will be right on track. Tip 1 Understand the spokesperson’s point of view: Many clients will mention to me that a celebrity is a fan of their company’s brand or product. So they assume that the celebrity will want to work …
I picked up this article form the Mailman Group web site by CEO Andrew Collins. The article makes a very simple point, do you have a strategy to connect with the Chinese? The article can be found here Whether your a sporting team, a rock star a fortune 500 company, a brand manager or some one just interested in China, …
I picked up this article from Frances Wang a freelance journalist based in Shanghai. The complete article can be found here and also below…. SHANGHAI, China – The Chinese market – with China surpassing Japan as the world’s second largest economic power in August – has become an important Asian market for big foreign companies. Cosmetics makers, for example, are …
An insight by Michael MacRitchie Celebrity endorsement of luxury fashion is hardly a new phenomenon, as it has been around for several centuries. Charles Worth, the man who invented haute couture in Paris in the nineteenth century, understood the importance of linking celebrities to brands, even before this was recognized as an important marketing communications tool. To promote his fashion house …
An insight by Michael MacRitchie I’ve been a fan of the HBO show ‘Entourage’ since it debuted more than 5 years ago. It’s a quick fix instant gratification show which offers a view into how things might be in Hollywood…. There are thirteen episodes per year and next year is the last season and there apparently will only be 6 …
Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. A. Einstein (Picked up this article from the Mailmangroup where CEO Andrew Collins talks about international sports who are successfully breaking into China market and the game plan for doing so) Someone had it right very early – the digital age is now living proof of how a …
An insight by Michael MacRitchie CHINA’S UGLY BETTY “UGLY WUDI” China — A raft of new Chinese television advertising restrictions have made sponsorship and product placement a strong alternative route to reaching a ballooning consumer market, according to an independent analysts’ report released recently. The series of new TV ad rules put in place in the first quarter of 2010 …
An insight by Michael MacRitchie Tip 1 Understand the spokesperson’s point of view: Many clients will mention to me that a celebrity is a fan of their company’s brand or product. So they assume that the celebrity will want to work with them at a discounted rate (or even free!). It’s important to be savvy in the entertainment industry, as …
An insight by Andrew Howie PEPSI & MICHAEL JACKSON The 80’s were amazing. They were a time of great prosperity and growth. It saw the birth of multinational businesses and it also sadly saw the divide between first and third world countries expand. One of the greatest things about the 80’s was the definition of style and culture. Fashion became …
An insight by Andrew Howie This hugely successful campaign was the brain child of Rawson Marshall Thurber, who also played a huge role in the writing and directing of ‘Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story’. The ‘Terry Tate – Office Line Backer’ series was first produced in 2002 and aired during half time of the 2003 NFL Super Bowl. The main …
Found an interesting article on Little Red Book by Rand Han which discusses the most powerful celebrity in China is actually a “digital blogger” the complete article can be found here Here’s an eye opener: China’s most famous digital blogger is more popular than China’s top movie and sports star celebrities combined… by a pretty wide margin. This is crazy, …
By Andrew Howie There are brands around the world that as an Ad Guy you just want to work with. Guinness is one. They always do interesting and cool advertising. There are numerous other brands such as Nike and Coke that are on that list too. My most recent addition is Honda. Having worked with Toyota and Kia before, I …
This article is by Courtney Cozad from Octagon Celebrity consulting. The full article can be found here The traditional cycle of fame and fortune dictates that the most active, successful celebrities are also the most marketable, generally inking the most deals. Every now and then, however, we’ve seen a campaign re-launch the career of someone whose marketability had dimmed. This …
An insight by Andrew Howie Since the birth of sport, players have been complaining about the referees. It seems there is rarely a match where teams are happy with the decisions. In some cases, both teams are fiercely unhappy. As technology has improved, most sports have adopted it in some form or other. Cricket first brought in a 3rd umpire …
