I learnt about how business is really being done in China this week, questioning the validity of bringing more western theory to local entrepreneurs, enjoyed watching the Chinese hopefuls dance for a place in the World Salsa Championship, and chatted about mixed culture relationships with Hard Candy. It is normal for a client to ask all agencies to pitch in one afternoon, but not normally in front of one another. 800hr.com has recently secured investment from Softbank and Qi and his team at Gridsum appeared to have the inside track on the integrated marketing campaign 800hr.com wants in order to differentiate itself from the 1000 or so job sites in China. In the aircon-less brown walled room of the former Agriculture Ministry, anxious looking agency executives shouted their way through 80+ slides in the allotted 25 minutes, punctuated by the odd question and numerous handphone calls. As the token and sole westerner I was not called on to speak, and so made a point to pass my name card and introduce myself in my best Mandarin to the 800hr committee. Ben and I excused ourselves after Mr Qi, Mr Li and Mr Zheng (although all in their early 20’s they refer to one another formally) had hurtled through 85 slides. I anxiously wondered what I was being committed to. “The client likes our presentation,” Mr Qi told me on the phone, “but they want you can guarantee the coverage.” I replied, “I have a problem with a guarantee of coverage,” slightly exasperated, “No PR agency can promise coverage; that is advertising, not PR.” Qi, older than his 22 years, assured me that the other agencies all promised coverage, one of them some 10,000 Chinese characters per month. I was in a mind to walk away as this was beginning to all be too murky, but I was determined not to abandon Qi who had serious face involved by now, and I was also intrigued to learn how this machinery really works. I called the ever patient Clara. She called a friend, who had a friend in an agency that could guarantee 12,000 characters of coverage per month for RMB40,000 (US$5000). Local PR agencies have a ‘media manager’ who negotiates coverage. Wanting to win this mainland business not least for the intrigue, I submitted a revised plan to 800hr and for the first time in my PR career have guaranteed coverage, an arrangement not taught in MBA schools. As part of my involvement in the China Entrepreneurs I have been working on the CE-MBA series, and we had a major breakthrough this week. Eric Schmidt, John Mathis and I met with Walter Czarnecki of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Their Dean and Professor Anil Gupta will give our inaugural seminar on the 14th September, the first of nine that we intend to give entrepreneurs access to international thought leaders, although I may recommend a Guangxi (connections) course be added when we speak with Rutgers and CEIBs. My current experience with 800hr raises interesting questions about the logic of learning theoretical western models when in practice business in China operates according to its own rules. In the execution of the Olympics, the Government seems to want to rule even the Gods. This week marked the two year count down, with the headline ‘Bright day forecast for Olympics.’ (China Daily, Page 1, Wednesday August 9th) I think that we were given this reassurance because it has been hot, close and stormy for the last ten days, the wettest summer in nine years. The weather has stopped me running outside as I prepare for the Singapore marathon in December, and contemplate entering the Beijing half marathon on October 10th. “We will allow reporters the same freedom they have enjoyed at previous games,” declared Jiang Xiaoyu, and as part of the new spirit of openness the COG Secretary General Wang Wei said, “Chinese people will have more opportunities to have exchanges with the rest of the world.” 
Exchanges of ideas, of rhythm and sweat were well in evidence at the China Salsa Championships this week, organized by Albert Torres. My previous theory about creativity applies equally to dance, and on display at El Caribe was the syncopation of dancers from Africa, Europe, America, Latin America and China united by the love of Salsa dancing. An eight year old girl danced in front of the 400 or so enraptured audience, joined by her young mother for the final steps. At the end, Torres invited the pair to Seattle at another championship to represent the spirit of Salsa in China – a real dream come true judging by the astonished grin of the young girl. The dance floor was then cleared, and reclaimed by the dashing young men dancing with girls dressed as eye candy in skimpy, sweaty outfits. 
Over a quiet lunch I asked Amanda, a Chinese who writes under the nom de plume ‘Hard Candy’, what she thought was happening. “Chinese girls want a western man because the lifestyle is better, but then these foreigners want to become like Chinese, to live in the hutong, to talk Chinese, and meet our families. It really makes it difficult sometimes,” she said. To confirm Amanda’s theory, and to be honest a fairly commonly held one, I went to Thatsbj.com and trawled through the ‘personal classifieds.’ Rose (picture on the right) vindicates Hard Candy when she advertises “I hope my boyfriend should be from nice country, white, young, handsome, rich and like me. Pics is a must. (WxfanRose@yahoo.com.cn)” With women as focused as Rose it is perhaps no wonder then that Chinese men in Shanghai enjoyed “Mens Day” last week, organized by the editor in chief of a male magazine. The initial idea was apparently to raise social concern for men who are exhausted by work and life pressures and ‘have few occasions to refresh themselves.’ I wonder if I should send the editor some hard candy. NOTES China Daily, Page 1, Wednesday August 9th. China Daily Page 5, Thursday August 10th
Exchanges of ideas, of rhythm and sweat were well in evidence at the China Salsa Championships this week, organized by Albert Torres. My previous theory about creativity applies equally to dance, and on display at El Caribe was the syncopation of dancers from Africa, Europe, America, Latin America and China united by the love of Salsa dancing. An eight year old girl danced in front of the 400 or so enraptured audience, joined by her young mother for the final steps. At the end, Torres invited the pair to Seattle at another championship to represent the spirit of Salsa in China – a real dream come true judging by the astonished grin of the young girl. The dance floor was then cleared, and reclaimed by the dashing young men dancing with girls dressed as eye candy in skimpy, sweaty outfits. Over a quiet lunch I asked Amanda, a Chinese who writes under the nom de plume ‘Hard Candy’, what she thought was happening. “Chinese girls want a western man because the lifestyle is better, but then these foreigners want to become like Chinese, to live in the hutong, to talk Chinese, and meet our families. It really makes it difficult sometimes,” she said. To confirm Amanda’s theory, and to be honest a fairly commonly held one, I went to Thatsbj.com and trawled through the ‘personal classifieds.’ Rose (picture on the right) vindicates Hard Candy when she advertises “I hope my boyfriend should be from nice country, white, young, handsome, rich and like me. Pics is a must. (WxfanRose@yahoo.com.cn)” With women as focused as Rose it is perhaps no wonder then that Chinese men in Shanghai enjoyed “Mens Day” last week, organized by the editor in chief of a male magazine. The initial idea was apparently to raise social concern for men who are exhausted by work and life pressures and ‘have few occasions to refresh themselves.’ I wonder if I should send the editor some hard candy. NOTES China Daily, Page 1, Wednesday August 9th. China Daily Page 5, Thursday August 10th