Summary
Chinese brands must understand their consumers in deeply nuanced ways in a similar fashion to campaign strategists for the US Presidential elections. The reporting of Chinese official support during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake showed what was possible if spokespeople were portrayed in a positive light. Since then, the role of public relations has risen on the back of food contamination scares, the SARS outbreak and trying to reverse the perceptions that 'Made in China' on a product automatically means cheap. As more Chinese brands aim to compete in international markets, they are embracing PR so that they can speak to potential customers in an authentic way.

Summary
Bollywood movie stars continue to be the darlings of Indian marketers and account for the majority of endorsements. Traditionally, Bollywood films were an escape for their audiences, with the heroes and heroines becoming untouchable gods. But the turn of a new century brought a new order in the production and consumption of celebrity in India and, with it, the death of distance. A series of macro-features have influenced this shift, including: reality TV, celebrity talk shows, multiplexes, younger audiences, the internet and the enthusiasm with which celebrities took to social media. As a result, brands are no longer putting celebrities on pedestals and they are no longer allowing them to talk down to consumers. Those that are, are failing. This piece takes a look at some of the Effie-winning case studies from the last five years and shows the change in how India views celebrities and how brands now use them.

Summary
An event report from ad:tech San Francisco, focusing on a presentation from FMCG firm Clorox, owner of the Brita water filter brand. Brita was successfully revived via earned media, with Clorox launching a save-the-environment-one-bottle-at-a-time pledge program that gained PR support. Further activity included a sponsorship partnership with a weight-loss reality TV show and a series of music festivals. Clorox sees earned media – as opposed to an ATL ad campaign – as a crucial way for building a brand's authenticity.

Summary
The redundancy of PR in a cynical user-generated content world has become a favourite industry theme. Thanks to the new world of information sharing and audience fragmentation, PR's role as the guardian of the corporate message has been somewhat dissolved. But did it ever own the public message in the first place, or just that of a small, high-profile selection of media targets? Many PR agencies have reacted to this threat by trying to own a piece of the consumer word-of-mouth space, but the agencies and individuals that thrive are those that still believe in the value of the specialist work that they do but are also willing to work with the new.

Summary
This paper discusses how marketers can most effectively use PR. Earned media in general, and PR in particular, has often been seen as the poor relation as far as marketing communications is concerned. But, with the digital revolution, PR should now be afforded a more important role by almost all companies. This is because word of mouth and viral marketing are playing an increasingly important role in brand's overall communications strategies. Marketers are advised to integrate their PR activity with other touchpoints, take a long-term view, and target carefully. The paper includes a list of related articles and case studies available on Warc.

Summary
This article describes Nissan's new focus on 'kotozukuri' – Japanese for the art of storytelling – through the creation of The Nissan Global Media Center. It comprises a team of professional journalists and content creators who practice 'brand journalism' – the production and distribution of engaging editorial content. The article is based on the address of Simon Sproule, Nissan's corporate VP of global marketing communications, to the ThinkTank Live conference in Singapore. He explains that the initiative is a response by the automaker to an overall decline in interest in Japanese businesses, caused by the country's ongoing economic problems and competition from fast-growth Asian economies. Equally, it's an attempt to counter the general cultural resistance among individuals and corporations in Japan to standing out ("tall poppy syndrome").

Summary
A report from a workshop given by PR firm Golin Harris at the 2011 Cannes Lions festival. The firm offers an 11-step programme for companies to make themselves seem more authentic to consumers. Tips include: "unleash the CEO" to answer difficult questions from the public, make sure CSR programmes align with what the company sells, and keep the brand promise simple and easy-to-understand.

Summary
A report from the 2011 IEG Sponsorship Conference, focusing on UPS' sponsorship strategy. The firm has a highly visible NASCAR presence for its U.S. audience, along with a variety of global initiatives. These are informed by four marketing "pillars": direct revenue, indirect revenues, PR and employee recognition.

Summary
A list of five best practices for digital media use in public relations. PRs are advised to "listen more than you speak" - using social media to capture the general mood, rather than broadcasting; PRs should also "be authentic" and humble when things go wrong; they should "bring the content to the consumers", creating accounts on existing social media platforms rather than just directing traffic to their official site or proprietary microsites; they should "think visually" and diversify away from the traditional press release; finally, they should not forget their own employees - with a brand's communications keeping workers in touch with executives.

Summary
In his Admap column, Richard Pinder argues that the best advertising sparks conversations and that brands that change and influence consumer conversations have much in common with the best politicians who are able to sway national debates. He argues that influential brands and politicans share a number of characteristics: 1) They are good listeners; 2) They have a point of view; 3) They choose the right moment to speak; 4) Their stories are rich in talking points; 5) They carry on a dialogue. As a result, he predicts that advertising will become increasingly akin to PR, generating stories and conversations with agencies operating more like a quasi-news organisations.