China's image more than just advertising
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Sponsored by the Information Office of the State Council and made by a Shanghai advertising company, China's "National Image Promotional Film" will be released before October 1.
The film consists of two parts: One is a 15-minute TV special that will be used in foreign affairs to display contemporary Chinese society from multiple perspectives.
The other is a 30-second TV commercial introducing Chinese celebrities that can best represent China and help build a positive national image. It will be broadcast worldwide through media agencies, including the BBC and CNN.
An article on Shanghai-based eastday.com says that for a long time in the past, China had attempted to build up its image by asking domestic media to promote the achievements of the government while overlooking its wrongdoings. However, the result was usually the opposite of that intention.
As China becomes more open, the government has changed its methods of self-promotion, adopting international news standards in the domestic media and using press spokespeople to address public relations problems. It has also worked with PR companies on boosting its image.
The commentator praises the progress China has made in national image promotion and says the new film to be broadcast on CNN is likely to help in this respect.
However, the article suggests the government and the public not overestimate the impact of the commercial given that most of CNN's coverage focuses on the negative. Reports on China will not be exceptions. For Western audiences, the achievements of the celebrities in the commercial can't make up for the misfortunes of a Chinese kid.
The article points out that a country's positive image cannot depend on a TV commercial. Instead, it is built only on the wellbeing of all its people.
