Name: Allegravita is an award-winning, multi- disciplinary public relations and strategic communications agency focused on supporting international clients in the China region and taking Chinese clients to the world.

We were voted China's most entrepreneurial company by the Australian Chambers of ABOUT ALLEGRAVITA Commerce in China in 2008. Allegravita is a boutique global agency A PORTFOLIO OF SERVICES TO BORN IN CHINA, with personnel and offices in Beijing, HELP YOU SUCCEED IN CHINA EFFECTIVE WORLDWIDE , Kunming, Kong, Public Relations for proactive and Although our focus is on the China New York City and San Francisco. Since reactive messaging. region, our services are very effective 2003 we have provided high-quality Marketing and Communications in markets worldwide, with proven PR, marketing and corporate advisory Collateral to present your messages outcomes. Allegravita works within services with a special focus on achiev- with excellent credibility. a highly-accountable and disciplined ing excellent results for international Media Relations & Media Training Western management style, executing clients in the China region and in Chi- to insert your messages into Chinese the highest quality of work for our nese speaking markets worldwide, and and international media in the most clients, which we deliver with agility, international results for our Chinese compelling way possible. flexibility, creativity and cultural savvy. clients. Corporate Identity localization to Allegravita is an ethnically diverse, We incorporate expert public relations communicate your brand values and multi-cultural team of professionals abilities with a firm grasp of contempo- benefits to Chinese markets, and for of different cultural heritages. What rary China-region marketplaces to help Chinese clients, to international inves- we share in common is our passion for our clients communicate effectively, tors and influencers. China and Chinese business, and our generate leads, reduce the length of Event Design to deliver compelling relentless pursuit of maximal ROI for sales cycles, develop and maintain experiences to your markets. our clients. Our team’s diverse back- excellent reputations, and to man- Digital Marketing and Communica- grounds in multiple sectors deliver age crises, if they should occur. Our tions including Chinese and western superior analytical outcomes. corporate services division supports social media, content marketing and clients to incorporate companies in SEM. China and to efficiently comply with Market Intelligence research, reporting Chinese law. For our Chinese startup and analysis to support your strategic clients, we provide targeted corporate planning. services to streamline US regulatory and immigration compliance. Corporate Services to support your Chinese incorporations and regula- tory compliance, and for our Chinese clients, streamlined operations and HR solutions. A section of the Great Wall in Hebei Province which rarely sees tourists. Allegravita has brought clients and partners to this very section for team-building for over 16 years.

ACHIEVING HARMONY The ancient Chinese doctrine of Allegravita provides services which We seek always to find harmonious and “ ” (tian ren he yi, “humans are culturally informed and focused prosperous go-to-market strategies for 天人合一 being one with the universe”) encom- on supporting our clients to present our clients, and we invite you to learn passes the fundamental principles their brands, businesses, products more about our services in the pages of society, humanity and nature in and services as being highly desirable which follow. Chinese culture. amongst target market segments and demographics. The word “Allegravita” is Latin for “a joyful, happy way of life”, which is the Both our clients and their customers fundamental purpose of living a life and consumers enjoy positive out- according to ancient Chinese Buddhist comes. belief. Respect and good reputation is Allegravita’s corporate colors represent at the center of commercial success the green earth and the blue water, in China. paying respect to the ancient Chinese wisdom of (feng shui, or, “earth and water”).

Simon Cousins CEO & Founder 夏明 创办人 Allegravita (USA) LLC & Beijing Allegravita Marketing Co. Ltd.

北京乐微塔营销咨询有限公司 OUR DISCIPLINES

Our heartland is generating positive Chinese media coverage. PUBLIC RELATIONS Allegravita is expert in Chinese public PR is an extremely effective communi- In cases where companies or enterprises relations, with more than 16 years of cations tool for companies, government have erred, PR provides an effective superb client outcomes in Chinese enterprises, institutions and individuals method of apologizing and rectifying media and commercial marketplaces. to more broadly tell their story. matters.

Allegravita defines public relations as PR is especially valuable in daily com- PR in China is a powerful and sometimes the art and science of proactively and re- mercial marketing for goods, services misunderstood communications disci- actively managing the communications and ideas, empowering the client to pline. PR can equally be used for good between the client organization and its amplify news. In cases of inaccuracies or nefarious purposes. Choose your PR audience, stakeholders, regulators, the or misunderstandings, PR is a powerful practitioner only after ascertaining their media and the public. method of correcting those unhelpful integrity, honesty and professionalism. opinions.

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION COLLATERAL Beautiful and functional printed and Allegravita has maintained a full cre- digital marketing materials — media ative design studio, operating around kits, brochures, white papers, books and the clock from our Beijing and New booklets, exhibition materials, corporate York City offices. The excellence of our stationery, gifts — are a highly effective multi-lingual copywriting and design tool to enhance clients’ credibility and has been proven for more than 16 years. presence in the China market. We often Allegravita clients enjoy highly effective counsel our clients to think of China as a and persuasive marketing collateral, “more is more” market (“less is more” is produced inexpensively and accurately counter-productive and communicates in China, and other target unhelpful and unflattering values for markets, helping them to maximize foreign brands in China). their China return on investment.

Premium domain name industry leader Sedo hired us for a refreshed new look to their sales collateral. MEDIA RELATIONS AND MEDIA TRAINING A key element of public relations in all clients enjoy exceptionally positive and parts of the world is media relations. In targeted media coverage through the China, media relations occupies more China region. than half of the effort we exert across EXPERT CHINESE MEDIA all of our aggregated PR work. TRAINING Our corporate identity practice has created The Chinese media represents both Allegravita also provides short-form many dozens of compelling brands over our more than a decade of work. great risk and great opportunity. With and longer-form media training ser- deft strategic planning — made possible vices, delivered with our proprietary by deep understanding of the Chinese curriculum, to help client spokespeople state-run media sector’s daily imper- become effective communicators in atives, long and strong relationships the tricky China media landscape, and with hundreds of key media editors for Chinese executives and founders to and senior journalists, and 360° grasp communicate persuasively in interna- of the client’s objectives — Allegravita tional markets.

Our corporate identity work results in highly persuasive and conceptually sound CORPORATE IDENTITY brands that accurately communicate to CONCEPTUALISATION, LOCALIZATION, Chinese markets and audiences. EXECUTION, EXTENSION

A company’s corporate identity is their Allegravita’s corporate identity work face in the marketplace. Corporate exemplifies a conceptually sound ap- identities are the most powerful single proach to visual communications. The element to set positive first impressions. hundreds of corporate identities we have designed and localized for China and the Corporate identities — brandmarks, world have helped our clients to more visual elements and boilerplate copy accurately position their products and — which work well in Western countries services in the marketplace, reducing can have dramatically opposite effects their communications effort and cost in China, if not properly analyzed and and giving a sense of pride to their localized where necessary. The vice employees, partners and stakeholders. versa is also true: Chinese brands rarely communicate and sell effectively in international markets without expert naming and branding support.

Our mulit-disciplinary approach allows us to bring our brands to life.

Allegravita is enormously proud of our team's comprehensive work for Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website.

Namescon Exhibition Pop up.indd 2 2014-12-23 9:09:27 AM EVENT DESIGN Staging and hosting events is a key element of a sound PR or strategic communications campaign. Allegravita is skilled at the conceptual design and execution of events that enhance our clients’ messages.

Events range from intimate luncheons and mid-sized banquets through to multi-thousand attendee seminars and symposia. The key objective is that your audience’s experience is on-brand and leaves a lasting, positive impression. We often remind our clients that in China, an event is more like the first step rather than the last step in the communications program. DIGITAL MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

It goes without saying that online and digital communications are a key ele- ment in any strategic communications plan.

The Chinese internet is unlike any other. Consumers view the Chinese web as a place that they can feel freer and more empowered than in most other social situations. Sophisticated marketing and communications can be delivered to targeted audiences via online com- munities.

Allegravita is skilled at conceptualising and producing websites and microsites, electronic direct marketing (EDM), social media campaigns in diverse Chinese online communities, and custom soft- ware and database applications. MARKET INTELLIGENCE Regardless of two decades of “reform Allegravita's market intelligence unit and opening-up”, China remains a “black also produces regular explainers, in- ALLEGRAVITA’S CHINESE TAKEOUT ALLEGRAVITA’S CHINESE TAKEOUT ALLEGRAVITA’S CHINESE TAKEOUT ALLEGRAVITA’S CHINESE TAKEOUT box” in all but a few industry sectors. fographics and Slideshares for general

ENTER THE DRAGON: COLORS IN CHINA ENTER THE DRAGON: UNDERSTADING CHINESE ENTER THE DRAGON: A REALISTIC OVERVIEW OF CHINA A CHINA-ENTRY GUIDE • PART 3 OF 12 • AUGUST 2012 HOLIDAYS FOR BETTER BUSINESS OUTCOMES • A CHINA-ENTRY GUIDE • PART 1 OF 12 • JUNE 2012 • A CHINA-ENTRY GUIDE • PART 2 OF 12 • JULY 2012 As the Chinese government controls release. SIZE: WHAT TO USE, WHAT TO AVOID HEY,Ok..so WHERE where's IS EVERYONE?? everyone? 9.6 M KM (s26M2 MIs),2 23 PROVINCES, The ancient and complex Chinese culture is the big daddy of cultural symbolism. Highly resonant symbolic memes run old and deep. 5 AUTONOMOUS REGIONS, No Chinese cultural symbolism is as pervasive as color. The hidden meanings of colors are surprisingly different in China than in other world cultures, and in many 4 MUNICIPALITIES, 2 SPECIAL cases more powerful. practically all statistics on the economy Companies new to China should avoid confusing Chinese consumers and key opinion ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS. leaders by ensuring that localized brandmarks and marketing materials are sympathetic to and persuasive within local cultural biases. Understanding Chinese Holidays Many people are surprised to learn that China's landmass is slightly smaller than the USA's: 3.7M sq.mi vs. 3.85M sq.mi. Never underestimate the importance The People's Republic of China views as a province and it should be referred to as If you’re a company taking your first steps into the Chinese "Taiwan, China" in all dealings on the mainland. Similarly, refer to China's two SARs as marketplace, don’t experience disruption to your business Red • plans due to lack of planning around the Chinese "Hong Kong, China" and ", China". mainland’s unique holiday calendar. 红 For new entrants to the China market, it can be quite Many Chinese netizens say that the map of China resembles a chicken. Don’t confuse the red of China’s political system with disorienting to discover your entire in-market team away and consumer behaviour, useful data “the red of the common people”. The ancient roots of on holidays you’ve never heard of. And its really very irritating (and expensive) to arrive in Beijing or red didn't include revolution. Shanghai to find that none of the “big potatoes” you In ancient China, red gained positive meaning from fire. need to meet are available, due to an The saying, (hóng hóng hu hu , or literally incomprehensible slowdown caused by an impending “red, red, fire,红红火火 fire”) means that your life is growing, ! holiday (or one just passed!) crackling and rocketing like red flame. Due to religious differences, China doesn’t officially and power of accurate and independent (hu le, “caught fire”) describes something very celebrate Christmas, Easter, or any other Judeo-Christian holiday. Rather, China has a series of traditional holidays, popular.火了 (hu bào, “fire and explosion”) describes a 火爆 some derived from nationhood and others with ancient place jam-packed with people, or a book or movie packed agrarian roots. Holidays dedicated to China’s nationhood and with action and excitement. political system fall on the same date each year, while traditional holidays vary according to the lunar calendar. Red is the primary color for celebrations, especially the We encourage you to understand China’s holiday schedule and is difficult to find, let alone rely upon. Lunar New Year and wedding ceremonies, and other happy occasions. to take advantage of your new understanding: you have great However to overuse red out of context is poor marketing, analogous to Westerners opportunities to deepen your business and government guanxi relationships. using Christmas decorations in June. Year年 Our advice: It’s good to use some red to create “Chinese elements” in your marketing, but market intelligence. don’t abuse it. Jan Yuán Dàn (New Year’s Day) WARNING Don’t handwrite in red ink: it communicates that you’re ending your relationship with your correspondent! POLITICAL/SOCIAL SYSTEM: Before acting in China, Allegravita clients Yellow • International New Year’s Day is officially marked in China, and has a 1.3 BILLION 黄 three day vacation attached to it, however celebrations are pale and Population: US: 313 million China:1.3 billion minuscule compared to the Lunar New Year a month later. Due to the short vacation of only 3 days, few mainland Chinese travel much WARNING Mobile phone subscribers: US: 258 million China:1 billion distance during this holiday. Yellow can be dangerous to use in your marketing. If your copywriting refers to a product or service and that is connected to yellow, great care should be taken. The New Year isn’t at all disruptive to business. Internet users: US: 245 million China: 513 million Good phrases to use during the new year are “新年 When the term for yellow, “ ” (huáng) is used in 快乐”(x n nián kuài lè, “Happy New Year”) or “元旦快乐” (yuán dàn 黄 ī connection to any kind of publication or media, it kuài lè, “Happy Yuan Dan”). means the thing it describes is pornographic. For In summary, do take advantage of the new year, but keep your powder example, (huáng tú, “yellow picture”) means dry for the cacophonous glory of the Lunar New Year, which will soon benefit from comprehensive market pornographic黄图 pictures and graphics, (huáng be upon us… sh , “yellow book”) means pornographic黄书 writing, ^_^ (huáng pi n, “yellow clips”) means pornographic黄片 movies, and (huáng w ng, ^_^ “yellow web”) means pornographic黄网 websites. Date Duration Greetings Gifts ^_^ The other key cultural marker for yellow is that in 1st Jan 3 DAYS YES YES (Recommended) ancient times, pure, bright yellow was reserved for ^_^ use by emperors of several dynasties. To say

someone (huáng páo ji sh n, “to wear 258 million :) ^_^ 黄袍加身

the yellow robe”) means he has ascended to the :) throne, most likely by usurping. Anyone caught ^_^ using yellow in any way during the dynasty would :) evaluations, which help to clarify exactly

be put to death. :) ^_^ Our advice: Be very careful with yellow. Avoid large swathes of yellow, and avoid yellow in your key brandmarks and products. Judicious use of yellow is possible but seek advice of a qualified China-specialist partner. GENDER COMPOSITION: MORE MALES THAN FEMALES what parts of a commercial offering are 51.27% male, 48.73% female means that 34 million Chinese men probably won’t be able Gold • In China, the Lunar New Year is of equivalent importance as Christmas to find a wife. 金 and Hanukkah in the Judeo-Christian traditions. That is to say, its the main holiday in the annual schedule that is celebrated and observed with Due to the one child policy (or "Policy of Birth Planning"), a typical Chinese family is only al- Gold is a color which has long been used in China as a symbol of nobility and wealth. It is the greatest gusto by all Chinese people. lowed a single child. Chinese men and women have equal rights in all social aspects, but in closely related to the ancient emperors “bright, pure yellow” (see "Yellow", above). Feb The two weeks bookending the beginning and end of the Lunar New Year certain parts of China, particularly rural areas, people still value boys over girls because boys week is a terrible time to be doing business in China. Much like the can carry on the family name and can bear heavier agricultural work. “silly season” around the Christmas/New Year period in the west, this is a time of year during which few major decisions are made and few large Our advice: purchase orders are written. Its best to avoid time-consuming or It’s fine to use metallic gold and golden colors in expensive business development activities during this period. 48.73% your marketing materials. There are few, if any, Be sure to send greetings! “ !” (guò nián h o, “happy getting attractive to what market segments, and ǎ cultural faux pas to be watchful for. past the old year!”)“ 过年好” (gōng hè xīn chūn, “sincere Mar congratulations on the恭贺新春 new spring”), or more generic “ ” (xīn nián kuài lè, your typical “Happy New Year”). Avoid 新年快乐. 恭喜发财

Date Duration Greetings Gifts Jan-Feb 7 DAYS YES YES 51.27% WARNING Depending on (Recommended) Avoid over-use of gold: there was a time from the late '80s to '90s when lunar Calendar 48.73% practically every Chinese mainlander became crazy about gold ornaments and golden colored paints. This “gold rush” has caused over-use of the color to become the domain of the nouveau riche, and as such, can easily appear to make your why. Additionally, market intelligence Apr message gaudy and cheap-looking.

Since the taboo subject of death is involved, the whole business of Qing Ming is quite private and solemn. As a non-Chinese, don’t Purple • bother with special greetings or 紫 gifts. Best to leave this three day holiday alone. ETHNIC GROUPS: Unlike European and The Qing Ming period is only British cultures, purple has This phrase is always used in guides the localization of our clients’ minimally disruptive to business. deep religious meaning in connection to anything mortal Senior decision makers may be out 56 China. An ancient Taoist ascending to immortality. of the office for a day or two on symbol of divine presence In more recent times, purple has been either side of the holiday, so plan The overwhelming majority of Chinese citizens are of the Han ethnicity. However, “ethnic is canonized as “a purple borrowed from your business activities accordingly. minority groups” do exist in clusters. In certain regions, such minorities are actually the ma- cloud coming from Europe as a jority, such as the Uighur people in Xinjiang Province, and the Hui people in Gansu, Shaanxi, the east”. symbol of and Ningxia. romantic love. If you plan on doing business in such regions, it’s of critical importance that you study local Date Duration April 3 DAYS "ethnic minority" cultures and religions. brands, ensuring that they’re as effective

Greetings Gifts No No 55 ETHNIC MINORITIES Our advice: (Not necessary) (NOT Recommended) Get creative and consider using purple to your advantage. Purple can be a very effective symbolic method of connecting your brand with positive notions of nobility, immortality, and (amongst younger consumers) wholesome love. May as possible in what is a very different

Green • 1 ETHNIC MAJORITY 绿 (THE HAN PEOPLE) Green is a powerful symbol in the west, but can be confusing in China. While the western idea of “green” has some similarity in China, there are subtle but important differences. In China’s mainland, green means “clean” or “free of contaminants”. This is not the same definition of "green" that westerners might assume. Mostly when westerners talk about marketplace mindset. “green technology” or “green energy”, they mean “sustainable” or “eco-friendly”. However in China, “green” vegetables are free of pesticides, but may contribute to environmental degradation. “Green” milk is milk without toxic melamine. “Green” publications are without explicit or prohibited content. In some cases though, the Labor Day is marked with a three day conceptual mapping of western “eco” green to a similar “eco” meaning in China national vacation beginning on May 1st POLITICAL/SOCIAL SYSTEM: does exist. every year. The holiday was introduced by So you see, “green” is a widely-used adjective with much broader and different the post-1949 government of Chairman Date Duration meanings to “green” (eco) products or services, but sometimes, in the minds of some Mao. The holiday is a modern one: it May 1st 3 DAYS “MARXIST-LENINIST SOCIALISM urban audiences, actually does mean “eco green”! doesn’t have any traditional cultural importance. Like most Chinese holidays, you should assume that more senior WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS” WARNING decision makers will take a few extra days Symbolically, “getting a green hat” means a man has an unfaithful wife. When Greetings Gifts on either side of the holiday, so avoid China’s unique form of socialism diverged from that of North Korea or the former USSR since preparing gifts, green should be avoided at all costs if the gifts are intended to important business during the week No No Chairman Mao's successor Deng Xiaoping introduced economic reforms in 1979. be worn anywhere on or near people’s heads. leading up to and the week after the Labor (Not necessary) (Not necessary) Day period. The Chinese government formally defines its political/social system as "Marxist-Leninist So- cialism with Chinese characteristics". It features a partial market economy with key sectors Our advice: controlled by the government or state-owned enterprises. Go ahead and use green for just about any marketing purpose, but do not assume that your “green” product or service will be viewed as "eco". If you do intend an When you're working within the Chinese economy keep in mind that it’s still socialism, re- “eco” meaning for your China green, you must elaborate and give relevant obvious gardless that the few square miles around your fancy hotel look a lot like capitalism. context. And don’t give green hats away at your next trade fair unless you want to become a laughing stock! Originally a day to honor ancient poet Qu Yuan, this day turned into a holiday in recent times. This three day holiday is the time that Chinese mainland people will eat 粽子 (zòng zi), a glutinous rice package wrapped in bamboo leaves. Everyone in China eats zongzi, although White • few actually race dragon boats these 白 days. From a business timing perspective, you White is used in Chinese funerals. may find some locally engaged A (bái b o, “white staff-members or business collaborators 白包 !? envelope”) is an packet of money to be absent from work for a week during to show the sympathy to family of this period, especially if they are active !? the deceased, much opposed to participants in dragon boat teams, and are the (hóng báo, “red attending races in far-flung cities. envelope”)红包 given to newlywed couples and children.

Date Duration WARNING AugustMay 3 DAYS White is a color you must avoid for anything festive or celebratory (and that Depending on includes product launches) especially in the less westernized (that means lunar Calendar most) regions of China. When giving gifts of any kind never wrap in white. RELIGION: Greetings Gifts Jun Yes YES Our advice: (Recommended) MANY Be judicious with the use of white according to the context of the marketing material or activity. Seek expert advice before committing to white as a brand Jul All major world religions have some influence in China. Buddhism has traditionally been or marketing feature element. the most popular. Followers of Islam and Judaism are often related to specific ethnic Aug groups. Taoism has been falling out of favor. Christianity (especially Catholicism) has de- veloped substantial momentum in recent years since some "benign" forms of religious ob- servance were decriminalized.

Technically, the 60M members of the are now allowed to partic- Black • ipate in religious institutions, however only a small minority do (certainly the more pow- 黑 erful the bureaucrat, the less likely he or she will declare themselves religious). Black, when used in copywriting and text, has a wide array of symbolic meanings ! that include evil, morbid, corrupted, ! illegal, and/or greedy. As a color it has a hint of formality and solemness in the minds of the Chinese people. Never put black borders around photographs of people. This important and beloved festival marks the dead-center of autumn in the It means that they are dead and are being memorialized! Avoid presenting someone’s Lunar Calendar. The Mid-Autumn Festival is second only to the Lunar New Year portrait (a photo focused on the face) in black and white mode. This makes your in the year’s most important holidays. audience think of pictures on graves. 中秋 Sep The effect of the Mid-Autumn Festival on business availability is analogous to When giving gifts of any kind, never wrap them in black. that of the Lunar New Year. Its best to lower your expectations that decision LANGUAGE: makers will be of a mind to make major decisions for the fortnight leading up Our advice: to and after the holiday period. MANDARIN CHINESE, MOSTLY Take care not to over-use black. Its often safest to avoid black altogether. Be sure to plan well in advance to take full advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival with gifts of mooncakes and a party for your team, their spouses, Mandarin Chinese ("Putonghua") is the standardized form of Chinese speech and writing your best customers and allies. however only around 840M (of 1.3B) Chinese citizens can speak Mandarin! Hundreds of A good greeting is (zhōng qiū jiā jié kuài lè, “Have a happy distinctly different dialects and languages are used for verbal conversations in different re- time during the pleasant中秋佳节快乐 Mid-Autumn Festival”). gions.

In the southern province and Hong Kong, ("Yue") is has its own writ- Multi-color and Rainbow Spectra • Date Duration Greetings Gifts ten and spoken forms and claims 71M speakers/readers. Around Shanghai, hundreds of dif- 彩虹 August 3 DAYS Yes YES ferent Shanghainese ("Wu") dialects are mutually unintelligble by the language group's Depending on (Recommended) 77M speakers. "Min" is spoken by 60M; "Xiang" is spoken by 36M; "Hakka" is spoken by lunar Calendar 34M; "Gan" is spoken by 31M. Hundreds more non-Mandarin dialects and languages are Chinese people seldom use a rainbow spectrum. In spoken by tens of millions more. ?? ancient times, a rainbow across the sun would foretell that the emperor would soon die or be challenged. And Oct no, the Gay Pride rainbow is unknown in China. Guó Qìng Jié (China National Day) Use of spectra in Chinese marketing materials is likely to make your Chinese audience think that you’re 官话 (Mandarin) 粵語 (Yue Cantonese) 吴语 (Wu Shanghainese) 官话 (Some Mandarin) presenting the national flag of a minor country, or 闽语 (Min Hokkien) that you’ve used cheap, end-of-run colored materials in your production.

赣语 (Gan Jiangxinese) Our advice: 徽语 (Huizhou Anhuinese) 官话 (Mandarin) (a little Mandarin) If you must use a rainbow or a color spectrum, go right ahead, but any hope for 官话 cultural resonance will probably be lost on your audience. 客家话 (Hakka)

Qing • 青 PRIMARY FOREIGN LANGUAGE: (q ng, pronounced “ching") is an interesting color that 国庆节 青 doesn’t appear in the standard western set of colors ENGLISH STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR CHINA AND THE WORLD Fitting qing into the western spectrum, some Chinese say it’s a Every country has its day. October 1st is China’s day. This is the day that marks sort of blue, while others say it’s part of the green family. Chairman Mao Zedong standing on the rostrum at Tian’anmen Gate, in 1949, Culturally, qing is a color that sits anywhere in between blue declaring the People’s Republic of China. China National Day is the beginning Modern Chinese students are mandated to learn English starting in middle school, and a 公关传媒 专注中国 服务世界 and green. You can call it green, blue, green-ish blue or blue-ish of an annual seven day vacation. certain level of English is a requirement for all Bachelor’s degrees. However, that doesn’t green, and not be thought of as odd. mean all Chinese people are English-capable. Since it’s mandated on all students, a huge There will be a lot of fireworks exploding overhead, but people don’t number of Chinese people dislike the language with a passion. In China it is therefore im- Adding a little more interest to this unique Chinese-only color, celebrate it personally. There is no need or real opportunity to improve portant to conduct all business in Chinese if possible. For written communications, there allegravita.com qing may include some grey. So qing can also be described as personal business relationships during this seven day vacation — however is no question that beautifully written Chinese will be more effective than trying to com- Copyright 2013 ALLEGRAVITA Inc. All rights reserved greenish-grey blue, or bluish-green grey, or any other large businesses commonly take out full-page advertisements in major municate in English. combination of these shades. newspapers to congratulate China on her birthday each year. Qing is closely linked to historical buildings and clothing, like qing bricks, and qing pattern The most common Mandarin Chinese phrase used on National Day is porcelain. Also, there is a type of female character in Peking Opera called a (q ng y , (huān dù guó qìng, “Enjoy the National Day vacation”) 欢度国 “qing colored costume”) because they usually wear costumes of this interesting青衣 color. 庆

Our advice: Nov Date Duration Greetings Gifts Give qing consideration if you need to instill a feeling of history and traditional culture. Oct 1st 7 DAYS NO NO Dec (Not necessary) (Not necessary)

SUMMARY Summary The principle of making good use of Chinese holidays in your business development and ECONOMICS: corporate communications campaign can be summarized into three main points: China, as a modern country, has a lot of facets, and a full spectrum of colors. Stereotyping it with red is but a safe but boring practice. Free your creativity and experiment with different PER-CAPITA INCOME (2010) colors in a different cultural context. The pitfalls outlined in this article are easy to avoid. All • Be aware of all upcoming holidays, taking care to ascertain the will be fine as long as your campaign or design is backed by reliable market research and actual dates each year. cultural analysis. • Ensure good timing on your promotional activities and events.

• Be different from everyone else. Make your greetings, cards, gifts Per Capita $46k and events stand out from an ocean of mediocrity.

It can take some time to become accustomed to Chinese holiday timing, and a solid localization effort to distill a communications style and voice that fits the Chinese cultural context and your brand identity well. The easiest solution for a fast and successful program is to engage the services of a local expert. Your local partner will be your calendar, your alarm clock, your copywriter, your design team and your event manager. If you’re still without such a partner, Per Capita $5k please do consider Illuminant’s battle-proven services.

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR CHINA AND THE WORLD

公关传媒 专注中国 服务世界 STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR CHINA AND THE WORLD NUMBER OF MILLIONAIRES allegravita.com Copyright 2013 ALLEGRAVITA Inc. All rights reserved 公关传媒 专注中国 服务世界 (USD-DENOMINATED)

allegravita.com Copyright 2013 ALLEGRAVITA Inc. All rights reserved #1 5.2M 百 万 富 #3 1.1M 百 万 富 翁 翁

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR CHINA AND THE WORLD

公关传媒 专注中国 服务世界

allegravita.com Copyright 2013 ALLEGRAVITA Inc. All rights reserved CORPORATE SERVICES Many Allegravita clients enjoy such suc- Allegravita's corporate services also cess with their China market entry that provide full regulatory compliance they take the decision to incorporate services packages, corporate office in China or Hong Kong. searches and lease negotiations, IP protection strategies and tax planning. Allegravita's corporate services team has led dozens of successful incorpo- Of special interest to our Chinese cli- rations of Hong Kong limited liability ents, we provide targeted services to companies, Chinese registered offices, support streamlined regulatory and HR Chinese wholly-foreign owned enter- compliance for startups establishing prises (WFOEs) and even China-foreign their businesses in the United States. joint venture enterprises.

Our corporate services have been trust- ed to establish companies and back-of- fice operations by small exporters all the way up to publicly traded companies. Architecture & Civil R.M. Williams China Gatorade and Regional Development Engineering True Religion Jeans Horman’s Best Pickles NSW Food Authority ARUP Engineering China Milk Producers Organisation PRIMEX NSW Asia Project Link Consumer Electronics of South Africa (MPOSA) ADX Labs Safe Food NSW BVN Bligh Voller Neild Musashi Performance Slovenian Tourism Board CCDI ILIFE Robotics Nutrition Samsung Sydney Beijing Olympic Cox Group New York Pickle Authority Secretariat (SBOS) Diane Bernstein Design Construction OBE Organic Beef Sydney Olympic Park Dickson Rothschild Bovis Lend Lease OBE Organic Authority Design Landscapes Project and Development Ouzo of Plomari Tieling City Government Hyder Consulting Hong Kong Mayor’s Office & China Services Allegravita isPapa pround John’s to Pizza have China served a multitude of clients in various Tourism Austria Parsons Brinckerhoff Education sectors in theSanyuan China region Dairy and worldwide. We’ve provided services to PTW Architects Admissionado the following:Sydney Royal Healthcare UAI (United Architects American Montessori Food Safety American Century Medical International) Group Woods Bagot Society Beijing Food Authority Australian International NSW Food Authority China Association of Sports Medicine Arts & Entertainment School of Beijing Safe Food NSW 798 Art Zone Beijing British School of Beijing Healthe Art Plus LIC NYC China National Institute for Furniture & Fittings Hospitality Green Office Alliance Beijing Playhouse Education Research (CNIER) Cafe Europa Beijing Haworth Carlo Aspri Dalton International Capital Club Beijing Interface Flor Hayoon Jay Lee Eton Kids China Langham Hotels LIC ARTS OPEN Festival NYC Kinstar International Owens Corning International Bilingual School Beijing Orestes Gonzalez Philips Lighting Marriott China Need4Reading Reis Studios NYC Government The Royal Exchange of Pan Pacific Training Sydney Abu Dhabi Tourism Automobile Queens Paideia School NYC Authority Industrial & Scientific Manheim China Southbank Institute of Australian Capital Territory Data Acquisition Networks Technology Government Banking, Finance, & Global Bionic Optics (GBO) Yew Chung Int’l School of Australian Department of Beijing (YCIS) InfinityOptix ACComplish Accountancy Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Magnetic Automation AIMS Home Loans Energy Warp Optics ING Power Australian Department AON Asia of Industry, Tourism and Association of BTA Bank and North West Shelf Australian Resources Internet & Domain LNG Names Astana Finance Kazakhstan Australian International (ABBA) Event Management & Sporting Events Secretariat .ART Registry Australian Private Capital Services (AISES) Aruba S.p.A. Investment Group 8+1 International Australian Trade Australian Internet Industry Bank of China Association(IIA) The Capital Group Commission (Austrade) China UnionPay CentralNic Contemporary International Beijing Organising GPR Asia Committee for the Games of .BIZ Registry The Corporate Butterfly the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) Harvest Capital Partners .CEO Registry David Atkins Enterprises Beijing Food Authority Lowes Wealth Management .CLOUD Registry Eco Expo International BTV Beijing Television National Australia Bank .CLUB Domains The Electric Canvas CCTV China Central New Wave Capital .CO Registry FCT Flames Television SAI Asia DOMAINfest.Asia Looksport China Association of Sports UBS The Domain Name Maxxam International Medicine Valet Tax Services Association (The DNA) M-Tix China National Institute for Zurich Education Research (CNIER) Dumpling Domains Planet Event Services EachNic Building Materials Greek National Tourism Sportaccord Organisation .FANS Registry Alcan Composites / Stadia China Alucobond Greenwich London Council Famous Four Media Diamond Wood China FMCG Kunshan City Government .GLOBAL Registry Mayor’s Office Knauf Plasterboard Mars China GMO Internet Group Senator Kate Lundy Locker Group HostingCon China Food & Beverage NSW Department of Solahart Aurora Gourmet Produce Industry & Investment Clothing & Footwear Dairy UK NSW Department Högl Shoes Donuts to Go of State Juicy Couture Elders Fine Foods China Real Australia Sheepskin Boots ICANNWiki Real Brand & Business Software SBS (Special Broadcasting ICM Registry Rice Communications ADX Labs Services) Australia KNET The Campos Agency Alelo Seven Network Australia Kurt Pritz Consulting Walker Sands Conductiv Software Toys & Premiums .LA Registry Publishing OnTheGo Systems / WPML Creata .Luxury PeopleBrowsr The Australian Tourism MMX (formerly known as Beijing This Month SmartTrans Minds + Machines) Abu Dhabi Tourism BREITTS Inc. Vinops Authority NamesCon Business Beijing Greek National Tourism Neustar Sport China Connections Anti-Wave Organisation .NYC Construction Economy Athletics Australia Helen Wong’s Tours Radix Dymocks Booksellers Australian International Tourism Austria Rightside News Corporation Sporting Events Secretariat Slovenian Tourism Board Sedo (AISES) Sydney Morning Herald .SHOP Registry Australian Olympic Transportation Daily Telegraph TLD Registry (Dot Chinese Committee AUSTRICS Online & Dot Chinese The Times of India Australian Weightlifting China Transportation Website) Real Estate Federation Development Corporation Top Level Design (CTDC) Almara Condominium Beijing Organising UK Creative Concepts Committee for the Games of SmartTrans Beijing State-Owned Asset the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) ZDNS Management Corporation Wine Producers and China Association of Sports Marketing Mining, Minerals & Best Chain Retail Medicine Development and Ascella Pure Wines Resources Grand Slam International Management Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard China Mining Expo Steve Hooker Fashion City Beijing Belgravia Wines Shenhua Group Development Corporation Ian Thorpe Brokenwood Wines Sino Gold Gateway Plaza Beijing Ballong Lee Calais Estate Wines GTC Kardan Melbourne International Non-Governmental Cameron Hughes Wines Organisations Jones Lang Lasalle China Tennis School Chalkers Crossing Australian Chamber of Renovera Physics Skateboarding NYC Cranswick Wines Commerce Beijing & RREEF Deutsche Bank Rowing Australia Shanghai Property Trust Speedo Cumulus Wines Canberra Business Council Tsinghua Science Park Stadia China Keith Tulloch Wine China Exploration & Sydney Beijing Olympic Mayfield Vineyard Research Society Retail Secretariat (SBOS) Mudgee Wines Royal Agricultural Society of Global Mart Sydney World Masters Printhie Wines NSW (Australia) Quickprint Beijing Games Organising Robert Stein Wines Committee Petcare Recruitment Ross Hill Wines Triathlon Australia APFE / Nature’s Gift Bayside Group Thistle Hill Vineyard Pedigree HRD Consultants Telecommunications Union Bank Wine Bar & Whiskas Alcatel China Wine Store Research Services Cisco Systems China Windowrie Wines Public Relations, The Freedonia Group Advertising and Telstra Marketing Services Security Warp Group GT Alarm Acquity Group Television Inocon Group Blue Planet Public Relations BTV Beijing Television LAF Group Chinese Languages CCTV China Central Management Group MicroLatch Television Glue Singapore SecureNet Monitoring LEWIS PR Security Expo China Mindshare CLIENT LIST SECTOR LIST BEIJING BEIJING ALLEGRAVITA MARKETING CO. LTD.

Suite 01-A509 3/F, 55北京乐微塔营销咨询有限公司 Suzhou Jie, Haidian District, Beijing 100080, China

+86北京市海淀区苏州街55号3层01-A509 010 6253-0450 | [email protected]

NEW YORK CITY ALLEGRAVITA LLC. 67 West Street Suite 318B, Brooklyn, NY 11222 USA +1 347-850-7101 | Email: [email protected]

GUANGZHOU, CHINA HONG KONG SAR, CHINA [email protected] [email protected]

KUNMING, CHINA SAN FRANCISCO, USA [email protected] [email protected]

Web: allegravita.com Weibo: @allegravita Twitter: @AllegravitaLLC朔光