Looking to us for leadership

Posted by Tony Bradley, CIPR President 2006

I'm getting used to being well looked after when I travel overseas representing the CIPR, but have to admit the reception when I arrived in China for the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Shanghai Public Relations Association took me a little by surprise.

I walked through customs into the arrivals hall of Pudong International Airport to be met by about 200 screaming teenage girls holding up a 15 metre long banner and placards carrying messages such as 'Welcome wonderful Tony' and 'China loves you beautiful Tony'. Sorry to say the 'Tony' they were waiting for was the good-looking Korean pop star Tony An who, it turned out, was just behind me coming through immigration.

My taxi driver explained that Tony An is the Justin Timberlake of the Far East and has been tipped by pundits as the first Korean act destined to conquer the Western music charts. But, the adulation was nice for the fleeting moment it lasted!

PR in China is centred on the major cities of Shanghai and Beijing and with over 3000 members, the SPRA is an influential player in the booming Chinese public relations scene. My host Professor Mao is chairman of the association, an acclaimed educator and practitioner - and, judging by the number of people trying to shake his hand or grab a minute of his time, is hugely respected.

He has visited us in London and was keen to catch up on developments since we achieved Charter and moved to the Public Relations Centre in St James's Square. Professor Mao and his colleagues are also interested in offering CIPR Diploma and Advanced Certificate courses in China. After the celebrations were over, he had a series of meetings lined up with CIPR Head of Qualifications James Petre and our chief examiner Sue Wolstenholme to look at the opportunities for our two organisations to work in partnership.

It was an excellent conference, where once again it was apparent that many of these foreign PR associations look to the CIPR for leadership. That said, we could learn a thing or two from the Chinese about organising a party.

The closing celebrations of the event took place before an audience of about 800 and I got to make a speech on behalf of our membership as well as passing on best wishes from the Global Alliance. I also presented a gift and a letter of congratulations from the Lord Mayor of Newcastle - first citizen of my home city and a great supporter of the growing education and business links between China and North East England.

We had been warned to expect some kind of musical entertainment, but the show was an extravaganza of song, music, dance, magic and acrobatics which left us all stunned. What with the frequent exchanges of gifts, and the twelve course banquets on both nights of the conference my visit was over in a flash.

An amazing country with thousands of young people learning our craft - and no doubt a force to be reckoned with in years to come. It can only be a matter of time before China has the biggest PR industry in the world - but hopefully one which will adopt the ethics and business practices of its western counterparts.

Comments

[Joey]

Mr Bradley,
I’m from China and I’m currently studying for my MA degree in Strategic Communication. I’m also a member of CIPR. Prior to my study in UK I used to work as a marketing manager in an advertising company and my duty involved PR related works. After reading your post I’d say I can’t agree more with your opinion on the current Chinese PR industry.

As China’s economy grows, it created great demand for PR professionals. Economically advanced cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have large numbers of PR practitioners. Sadly, they are sometimes being assigned tasks which are not within their area of expertise. In my opinion, both Chinese PR practitioners and their superior need to clarify the concept of PR before a PR playground can be established. Given ample time, Chinese PR practitioners will definitely understand their trade better. Most Chinese PR practitioners are still in a learning stage, and orientations and guidance from their western peers are needed. Undoubtedly, offering CIPR Diploma and Advanced Certificate courses in China will accelerate this process. Furthermore, hopefully as more laws and regulations relating to PR industry are being made in China, western PR industry’s ethics and business practices will be gradually adopted by its Chinese counterpart and put to good use. I have much faith in Chinese PR industry just as you do.