What says "We're a country of 1.3 billion and even though we hold $900 billion in U.S. debt—actually, $1 trillion, if you count Hong Kong's holdings—don't be afraid!" better than TV ads and a massive outdoor campaign in Times Square?! The Chinese government has embarked on a massive publicity push timed with President Hu Jintao's visit to U.S. that involves 60-second video, "Experience China" (Shanghaiist tells us, "the Chinese title is a less catchy 'Chinese National Image Film - People Chapter', 中国国家形象片——人物篇") that will play 15 times an hour through February 14 on a Times Square billboard. And a 30-second version of "Experience China" will be airing on CNN.
The Wall Street Journal explains, "The ad is part of China's broader push in recent years to use its culture and people to ease international fears about its rise. That use of 'soft power'—as scholars describe it, in contrast to the hard power afforded by economic, geopolitical and military clout—will also be highlighted during Mr. Hu's trip by his visit to a Chinese government-sponsored language-learning center at a Chicago high school—part of a vast global network of so-called Confucius Institutes designed to spread the use of Mandarin." And then Forbes' Gady Epstein offers:
This is a bold move for a government better known for selling its propaganda at home, where the consumers are at least accustomed to it, than abroad. From a public relations standpoint, an old-fashioned television ad campaign would seem to have a risk of backfiring: American viewers will bring their own fixed notions about China to these ads, and may prove a tough audience. Then again, the ads may just fall flat or seem altogether harmless — which in this day and age could be construed as a PR victory.
There is no question China has to work on its public relations. But this raises the larger philosophical question, especially in the case of human rights, of whether China has an image problem with the West, or a reality problem.
Among the various notables in the ad, the celebrities Lang Lang, John Woo, Yao Ming and Jackie Chan. Watch it here:
