Textbook Chapter 13

In this chapter, I learnt about how different Asian nations have different public relations ideologies. As different countries have different cultures, their public relations ideologies would not be the same. Thus, it would be difficult to classify all aspects of Asian public relations into one theoretical model.

As a result, communications have to be framed within the boundaries of cultural, religious and social norms of each community and public. I feel that this is especially important for practitioners dealing with international campaigns within Asia. If a public relations practitioner has little understanding of a nation’s culture, he or she may end up offending the community unintentionally.

For instance, a public relations campaign for an international refugee resettlement programme involved encouraging Vietnamese boat people to take up aided pig farming as a livelihood. While this programme was feasible and could benefit the refugees in the long run, it did not go down well with Malaysia and Indonesia. The promotional videos on pig farming had offended the Muslim-majority communities in these nations.

Public relations practitioners have also tweaked the same campaign into different versions to suit varying tastes in different countries. South Korea’s tourism campaign in 2009 had different promotional videos for broadcasting in different countries. The public relations team had strategically used the celebrities’ varying popularity in different countries to maximise the campaign’s potential. For instance, the Japanese version of the promotional video made use of a pop group which had a steady foothold in the Japanese music market, while the Chinese version featured celebrities who have a strong fan base in China.

Thus, I feel that a public relations practitioner has to be sensitive to foreign culture and social norms and trends when handling international campaigns, especially in Asia. I also think that practitioners should do extensive research on a country’s background and demographics when planning an international public relations campaign.