The PR Challenges Facing Chinese Companies Trying to Expand Overseas

In the current climate of globalization, many Chinese companies are trying to gain ground in Western markets. However, differences in corporate culture and misunderstandings of one another’s culture can severely hinder any efforts by Chinese and other Asian corporations to penetrate western markets. In this article, we’re going to touch on some of the biggest challenges facing Chinese enterprises when it comes to PR.

The Importance of PR Assistance

PR assistance is capital for any Chinese company trying to connect with a Western audience. This is equally important of American companies trying to expand overseas. It is imperative for Chinese companies to build effective campaigns that will connect with their audience.

However, their people on the ground don’t understand Western culture enough. This can be an issue when hiring PR ghost writers. In this paper about ghost writers by Kent University’s online PR program, a competent PR writer should be able to capture and disseminate their client’s message honestly, and in a way that connects to their core audience.

But without cultural fact checking, it can be difficult to do so. This is why it is essential to have Western employees with a certified online PR degree under his or her belt that can work as consultants on culturally sensitive content or locals who are well-versed in western culture to do the fact checking.

Building Trust

Another issue facing Chinese companies is building trust within the western audience. Many Chinese companies have to deal with protectionist hysteria promulgated by Western media and accusations of poorly made goods. Many Chinese companies don’t have a thorough knowledge of how local politics, rules and regulations operate and might have an obscure idea of how they are perceived by Western customers.

One of the issues Chinese companies have to deal with is called “Brand China”. Because of several bad appearances in local media, with accusations of abuse of basic human rights and several reports on the trade deficit and counterfeit culture associated with the country, many Westerners have made a bad connection with the country when it comes to trade. Chinese companies need to learn how to gain the trust of the Western public, which can be difficult without access to local media.

Building Transparency

Another area where Chinese companies will have to improve is transparency. Chinese companies aren’t seen as the most transparent, and transparency is increasingly valued by Westerners who want to know more about how and where their products are being manufactured. Also, they have to understand that Western governments don’t have the same paternalistic attitude towards enterprise and that public opinion, not governmental support, is the best and only way to gain public acceptance.

Chinese companies still have lots to do to win over western audiences. They will first need to learn how to connect to the average westerner and build campaigns that fits their needs and aspirations. Furthermore, they will have to shed some of the negative press associated with their country and learn how to be more transparent in their actions.