國(guó)際商務(wù)英語(yǔ)

BusinessEnglishWordsorphasespecialorprofessionalExpressmanneroralandwrittenTranslateintoEnglishorChineseskillThefirstisfirstPersonresumeWhatisthatWhatisthefeatureWhatisthecharactersHowtolearnWhatbookbeselectedWhatisthebusiness(science)English1EverylanguagestudyinginChinacanbedividedintothreerespectsGrammatical—TestApplied2ThelayoutofsuchEnglishisakindofcommunicationtool,involvingoralorwrittenrespectivelyOral–TelcommunicationorinterviewbyfacetofaceWritten-variousreportsorothersfeatureItisdifferentfromscienceEnglishorcultureEnglish

Ithasdefinitionexpressionorvividdescriptionaswellinsometime,soitisneededtobeoverlappedKissCoolCharacterNewwordsandexpressionL/CatsightbiddingAbbreviationCIF/FOBUR-urethanerubberRCommercialnamesofchemicalsSpan60naproxenZincwhite

HowtolearnItisveryimportanttostudytheappliedEnglishwithfivecapabilitybeingimprovedtogetherinhearing,speaking,reading,writing,andtranslatingReading—lookatandbeabletounderstandsomethingwrittenorprintedReadoriginals

HowtolearnSpeaking—saywords,makeuseoflanguageinaordinaryMakeaconversationwithyourclassmateinandoutofclass,anywhereoranytimeFindanyopportunitytospeakwithothersSpeakingordescribingsomethingbyyour-selfHowtolearnHearing—receivethesoundorwordsthroughtheearsListentoradioorTVFirstlisten,thanwritefinallytranslateThisisthetourofNewyorkFormostofChinesestudents,theystarttolearnEnglishfromread(words),translate,thangrammaticalorderHowtolearnWriting—maketheletters,symbols,representingwordsonthesurfaceFirstwritesomereport,noteorothermaterialseverydayWriteornotesomethingintermsofsomeregulationWritesomethingwithidiomaticwayofEnglishoftenHowtolearnTranslatingchangefromonelanguageintoanother.ItistargetofstudyingEnglishanditismostdifficultMakeittrue,smoothandproperWestlake—papertiger—longtimenoseeOnecoinwithtwoside–it’sapieceofcake–IwanttogosomewheretranslatingImportquotassystemFinally,afewwordsaboutus,theShellcompanyisWeoffercomputerizinglightplanningforlargeprojectstranslatingAdvertisingalsocanbeusedtocreateimagesandsymbolicappearsforproductsandservicesOneviewofJapan’sfuturetradeandeconomicstrategieshasbeengraphicalexpressedbyMrMoritaandMrIsiharain“theJapanthatcansayNo”translatingMarlborocigarettesisanexampleofaproductthatbecomeamarketleaderasaresultofanadvertisingcampaignthattookalacklusterbrandtargetedtowardwomenandrepositioneditbycreatingamasculineimageforthebrandtranslatingYouaresopoorasachurchmouseYouaresorichasachurchmouseindentedparagraphsFullblockstyle

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ModifiedblockstyleGeneralstyleofenvelop&faxheadingAbusinessletteriscomposedofseveralpartsheadingInsideaddressandsalutationCaption,bodyofletterClosingsentence,complimentarycloseSignatureandenclosureCustomerrelationsCustomerrelationsdescribestheresourcesofacompany—beitastore，manufacturerorserviceindustry—thataredevotedtodiscerningandthenserving,theneedsofcustomers．Inearliertimes，thiswasknownasthecomplaintdepartment，thepartoftheoperationthatdealtwithnegativecustomercomments，returns，andotherconcerns

Renamingthisfunctioncustomerrelationsismorethanawordgame．Itreflectstheproactivenatureofthedepartmentinmodernindustryandretailing,Customerserviceextendsbeyondsalesandadvertising,toensurethatthecompanyunderstandsitscustomerbaseandwhatitscustomersreallywant．

Customerrelationsworkswithinthebusinesstodirectthequalityoftheproductorservice，itsdelivery,andadvertising,strategytomeetthatneed．Thispartofabusinessoperationrespondstocustomerinquiriesandcomplaintsandresolvesproblemssoasnottolosecustomers；

atthesametime，customerrelationsworkswiththemarketing,departmenttoattractnewcustomers．Theshortanswertowhysomuchattentionshouldbepaidtocustomerneedsanddissatisfiedcustomersisthatsuchattentionhasbeenfoundtosupportlong,一termSuccess

Someoftheearliestsuchendeavorsbeganwithconcernorerproductreputation——asfarbackastheearlydaysoftheindustrialrevolutioninthe1890s．Placingone’snameonaproductwasconsideredtobeabondoftiebetweenthecustomerandthemerchantand／orthemanufacturers．Overtheyears，manyfirmsdevelopedapolicyof”thecustomerisalwaysright，”findingthatitwasmoreprofitabletotakeasmalllossandkeepacustomerthantoarguewithcustomersaboutallegeddefectiveproductsorproblemsthatoccurredwithstaff．

Firmsdevelopedcomplaintdepartmentstodealwithcustomerswhohadbadexperienceswithproductsorservices．Asconsumerconsciousnessgrewinthelatetwentiethcenturythefocusoftheindustryshiftedfromdealingwithdissatisfiedcustomersastheycomplainedtoamoreactiveapproachofreachingouttodiscoverwhythecomplaintwasmade，

toensurethatthedissatisfiedcustomersremaincustomersandtostudyeachcaseandimprovetheproductorserviceandthewayinwhich．itwasdeliveredtocustomersInthe1960sthecomplaintdepartmentbegantobeknownasthecustomerrelationsdepartment．Customerrelationsdepartmentsstilltake0ncomplaints．

Theadventoftoll-freenumbersmakesiteasierforpeopletoregistercomplaints-andpraise．Customerswhophoneinpraisefororcomplaintaboutaproductareoftenofferedfreecouponsandrecipesforthatproduct．Studiesofthecustomerrelationsmovementshowthattheshifttoanaggressivepolicyofcustomerstudyismorethan”nice”；itisprofitableforbusiness．Resourcesexpendedinthecustomerserviceareaaremorethanoffsetbysavingsfromcustomersnotlost．Goodwilltowardallcustomersreapstangiblerewardsintheformofincreasedprofitsforbusiness．Inastudyofserviceindustries．RonZemkecitedtwostudiesbyTechnicalAssistanceResearchInstitute(TARP)inWashingtonDConconsumercomplaints．TARPfoundthatoneinfourcustomerswasupsetenoughaboutaproductorserviceorbothtoseekanalternativebusinessforthatproductorservice．

Ofthoseunhappycustomers，however，onlyfivepercenthadbotheredtocomplain．Theother95percentjustvotedwiththeircashbyswitching．Toreducethelossofcustomersinthefuture，customerrelationstriestoanalyzethefivepercentwhocomplainedinordertounderstandtheninety—fivepercentwhodidnotcomplainyetwereunhappy．

Customerrelationsmustanticipatetheneedsofeachindividualcustomer，upanddownthesocialscale，acrosstheracialandculturallinesthatmakeuptheAmericanmeltingpot．ZemkeandothersoffermanystrategiesforbuildingagoodcustomerrelationsdepartmentThebeststrategiesinvolvelearningasmuchaspossibleaboutthecustomerbaseandtrainingstaffwellastowhatthecustomerswantandthewaytheywantit．

ZemkeandothersshowthatacompanywithexcellentservicetowardcustomersisonethatunderstandsthetiebetweenemployeerelationsandcustomerrelationsAwell—trainedsatisfiedemployeeisbetterabletosatisfytheneedsofthecustomerAnacknowledgedleaderincustomerserviceintheretailingfieldisNordstrom’sdepartmentstore．Nordstrom’sstressesqualityineveryaspectofitsserviceandmerchandisedowntothelastdetail.A1994WashingtonPostarticleaboutasurveyofthequalityofwomen’srestroomsinmetro—DC．

storesandmallsreportedthatthebestoverallwasNordstrom’s．Nordstrom’swasnotseekingtohighlightthisarea．Wheninterviewed，theNordstromlocalofficialsseemednottounderstandthefussMaintainingtheirstorerestroomsasonewouldmaintainone’shomebathroomforexpectedguestsisjustonesmallpartofNordstrom’stotalcommitmenttocustomerserviceNordstromassociatesareencouragedtolearnabouttheircustomers．

tosendthank-younotes，tosendpostcardreminderstocustomerswhenproductstheymightlikearriveandtogiveregularcustomersadvancenotificationofNordstrom’sinfrequentsales．Theconversionofcomplaintdepartmentstocustomerrelationsdepartmentsbecamesowidespreadthatin1973theSocietyofConsumerAffairsProfessionalsinBusinesswasfounded．Consisting,ofmorethan3，000memberswhoareinvolvedwiththemanagementofconsumeraffairsdivisionsofbusiness，thesocietytakesthecauseofcustomerrelationstoanationallevel，promotingharmoniousrelationshipsbetweenbusiness，government，andconsumerThesocietyworksonwaystohelpbusinessesassessandcomparetheirsuccessesandfailuresinconsumerrelationsandmaintainsalibraryandbookstoreofmaterialsoncustomerrelationsaswellaspublishingmagazineMobiusQuarterlyStewLeonard's：TheWorld'sLargestDairyStoreStewLeonard’sisthetop—grossing，highest—volumefoodstoreintheworldBuiltonthephilosophythatthecustomerisalwaysright，StewLeonard’soffersfoodshopperslowprices，highproductquality，excellentcustomerservice，andafestive，Disney—likeatmosphere．

TheNorwalk，Connecticutstoredraws100．000shoppersaweek，somefromasfarawayasMassachusetts，RhodeIsland，Pennsylvania，andNewYork．Annualsalestotal$100million．A106，000一square—footcomplexbuiltaroundahighlyautomatedmilk-processingoperation，

StewLeonard’spresentsanarrowproductmix—about750items，ascomparedtothe15。000itemsconventionalsupermarketsstock．Nevertheless，thestoresellsinsuchvolumethatitspersquarefootsalesof$2，700recentlyearnedthebusinessaplaceintheGuinnessBookofWorldRecords．CustomerorientationStewLeonard’slowprices——about10to20percentlowerthanpricesatstoresinafive—mileradius—arepartlyresponsibleforthestorespopularty、一butevenmoreimportantisthestore’sresponsivenesstocustomers．Indeed，thestoreopenedinresponsetorequestsfromLeonard’sformermilkroutecustomers．

Today，customerdemandcontinuestodictatewhatproductsthestorecarriesAlthoughStewLeonard’smaytest—marketasmanyas10，000differentproductsinayear，anitemmustsell1，000unitsweeklytoremainininventoryThusthestorecarriesonlythebest—sellingbrandsofsuchitemsascereal，yogurt，andpeanutbutter．

StewLeonard’salsoemphasizesproductquality．Becauseofitsenormoussalesvolume，thestorecanbuybythetruckloaddirectlyfromproducers，passingalongthesavingsandfreshnesstocustomers．StewLeonard’salsohastheleveragetoorderhousebrandsmadetoitsownspecifications．StewLeonard’sstrongcustomerorientationisreflectedinthetworulescarvedinahuge，three—tongranitebouldergustoutsidethedoor．Rule1statesthat“thecustomerisalwaysright”．Rule2says，“l(fā)fthecustomeriseverwrong，rereadRule1”CustomerserviceisthetoppriorityatStewLeonard’s

Toeliminatelongcheck-outlines，theLeonardshaveequippedthestorewithtwenty—fivecashregisters．Shouldanylinebackuptomorethanthreecustomers，astoreemployeeimmediatelypassesoutfreeicecreamorsnackstowaitingcustomers．TheLeonardsalsoactivelysolicitideasfromtheircustomers，bothtokeepupwithtrendsandtoimproveservice．

Aboutonceamonth，focusgroupsofcustomersareinvitedtocriticizethestore’sproductsandpolicies—andmanagementlistens(StewLeonard’spays10customers$20eachingiftcertificatestoparticipateinthefocusgroups)．Forexample，atthefocusgroupssuggestion，StewLeonard’sbegantosellstrawberriesloose，insteadofpackaged．

0riginallythestore’sprofitmarginonstrawberriesdecreased，butsalesincreasedtenfold；thestorewasabletogetabetterdealfromthesupplier，andultimatelyprofitsonstrawberrieswerehigher．StewLeonard’salsoactspromptlyonthehundred—oddmessagesdroppedintothestore’ssuggestionboxeachday．

WhentheLeonardsfollowedonecustomer’ssuggestionthatEnglishmuffinsbedisplayednearbaconandeggs，muffinsalesincreased50percent．AnothercustomerreportedthathewouldhaveboughtdellroastbeefonspecialifthehardrollshadnotbeenlocatedcIearacrossthestoreatthebakery．LeonardmovedsomerollsnearthedelicountersalesofbothrollsanddeliroastbeefdoubledAlStewLeonard’snothingistoogoodforacustomerWhenawomancomplainedtoleonardthedayafterThanksgivingthatherturkeyhadbeentoodry,heimmediatelyhandedhera$20turkeyfreeofcharge，knowingthatherweek-in，week-outbusinessmeantmuchmoretothestorethanthepriceofasingleturkey．

Leonardalsohadhighpraiseforthenewcourtesyboothemployeewhosurprisedadistraughtcustomerwith$50ingiftcertificatesafterthecustomerwasunabletofindhermissingsterlingsilverpen．Leonard’soft—repeatedslogangetsthepointacrosstoallemployees：”Satisfythecustomer；Teamworkgetsitdone；Excellencemakesitbetter．”BuildingcustomerloyaltyTheLeonardsalsoenhancetheappealoftheirproductsbybringingstorefunctionsoutfront，wherecustomerscanwatch．Themilk-processingplant(sohighlyautomatedthatatanktruck’sloadofrawmilkcanbepasteurizedandpackagedinonedaybyjustfouremployees)isenclosedinglass；

customerssee150hall-galloncartonsofmilkperminutemovingalongaconveyorbeltAplasticcow’sheadaffixedtothefrontwallofthedairyplantmooswhencustomerspressabutton．Butchersandfishcutterssliceandpackageinfullviewofshoppers，andinthedelldepartmentanemployeeusesaspecialin—storedemonstrationoventomakepizza

Throughoutthestore，employeeshandoutsamplesofeverythingfromgazpachotocupcakes，inaccordancewiththeLeonards’observationthatsalesquadruplewhensamplesareavailable．Becauseofallthis．StewLeonard’ssatisfiedcustomersoftentakeitonthemselvestotellothersaboutthestore．

TheLeonardsarefondofremindingtheirstaff”Lowertheprice；sellthebest；wordofmouthwilldotherest．’’SeveralyearsagoacustomerpresentedLeonardwithasnapshotofherselfstandinginfrontoftheKremlininMoscow,holdingaStewLeonard’splasticshoppingbag．WhenLeonardpostedthepictureonthestore’sbulletinboard，othercustomersbeganfollowingsuit．

Today．a(chǎn)nentirewallinthestoreiscoveredwithmorethanseventhousandphotosofcustomersatlocationsaroundtheworld—theMatterhorn，theGreatWallofChina，theEgyptianpyramids，theNorthPole，andthefloorofthePacificOcean—

eachcustomerholdingoneofthe250，000bagsStewLeonard’sgivesawayeachyear．Suchpracticesbuildcustomerloyalty，saytheLeonards，andinspirecustomerstopassthewordtofriendsPublicrelationsPublicrelationsisdefinedasafirm’scommunicationsandrelationshipswithvariouspublics, includingcustomers,employees,stockholders,suppliers,governmentandthesocietyin whichitoperates.Publicrelationseffortsdatebackto1889,whenGeorgeWestinghousehired twopeopletopublicizetheadvantagesofalternatingcurrenttorefuteargumentsfordirectcurrentelectricity. Publicrelationsisanefficientindirectcommunicationchannelforpromotingproducts,although itsobjectivesarebroaderthanthoseofothercomponentsofpromotionalstrategy.Itisconcerned withtheprestigeandimageofallpartsoftheorganization.Amajorobjectiveistobuildgoodwill betweenthefirmanditsvariouspublics.

Throughamassivecommunicationeffort,PacificGas andElectricstrengtheneditsgoodwillwithemployees,customers,shareholders,thecommunity, andthepressfollowingtheSanFranciscoearthquakein1989.Theearthquake’disruptedgasandelectricsuppliesto1.4millioncustomers,

butPG&Enotonlyrestoredservicetomostcustomers within48hours,italsoranadsin60dailynewspapersand160weeklypublicationstopublicize itseffortsandsentpersonallettersofassurancet0106,000shareholders.Itsetupahotlinefor employees,sotheycouldgetcurrentinformationonthesituation.

Itpublishedaspecial editionofthestaffnewspaper.CEODickClarkecontactedlocalandnationalpoliticians andbecamepersonallyinvolvedintherestorationeffortbyassessingdamagefirst-hand andtalkingtoemployeeworkcrewsandcustomers.

ThecommunityapplaudedPG&E’s handling0fthecrisisbyhanging“ThankyouPG&E”signsinwindowsandsendinglettersofgratitudetotheutilityOtherexamplesofnonmarketing-orientedpublicrelationsobjectivesincludeacompany’sattempt togainfavorablepublicopinionduringalongstrikeandanopenlettertoCongresspublishedin anewspaperduringcongressionaldebateonabillaffectingaparticularindustry.

Althoughthe publicrelationsdepartmentsofsomecompaniesarenotpartofthemarketingdivisions,theiractivitiesinvariablyhaveanimportantimpactonpromotionalstrategy.Approximately160,000peopleareemployedinpublicrelationsinbothnonprofitandprofit orientedsectors.Somel,800publicrelationsfirmscurrentlyoperateintheUnitedStates.

The largestareHill&Knowlton,Burson-Marsteller,OgilvyPublicRelationsGroup,andFleishman-Hillard.Inaddition,therearethousandsofsmallerfirmsandone-personoperations.Publicrelationsisinaperiodofmajorgrowthasaresultofincreasedpublicpressureonindustryregardingcorporateethicalconduct,environmentalism,andinternationalism

internationallypublicrelationsisgrowingmorerapidlythanadvertisingandsalespromotion.Worldwide,publicrelationsaccountsfor33percentofmarketingserviceexpenditures,butitisgrowing at20Percentayearandinsomecountries,morethantwiceasfastasadvertisingandsales promotion.Manytopexecutivesarebecomingmoreinvolvedinpublicrelations,asillustratedbyLeelacocca’seffortsto publicizetheneedforincreasedcompetitivenessonthepartofU.S.firms.Thepublicexpectstopmanagerstotakegreaterresponsibilityforcompanyactions.Thosewhodonotarewidelycriticized.

Theaspectofpublicrelationsthatismost directlyrelatedtopromotingafirm’sproductispublicity.Publicitycanbedefinedasthenonpersonalstimulationofdemandforagood,service,place,idea,person,ororganizationbyplacingsignificantnewsaboutitinaprintorbroadcastmedium withouthavingtopayforthetimeorspace.

Firmsgeneratepublicitybycreatingspecialevents, holdingpressconferences,andpreparingnewsreleasesandmediakits. Sincepublicityisdesignedtofamiliarizethegeneralpublicwiththecharacteristicsandadvantages ofagood,service,place,idea,person,ororganization,

itisaninformationalactivityofpublicrelations.Whileitsassociatedcostsareminimalcomparedtothoseofotherformsofpromotion, publicityisnotentirelycost-free.Publicity-relatedexpensesincludethecostsofemploying marketingpersonnelassignedtocreateandsubmitpublicityreleases,printingandmailingcosts, andotherrelatedexpenseitems.Somepublicityisusedtopromoteacompany’simageorviewpoint.Otherpublicityinvolvescorporateactivitiessuchasplantexpansions,mergersandacquisitions,managementchanges,andresearch anddevelopment.Asignificantamountofpublicity,however,providesinformationaboutgoods andservices,particularlynewones.Forexample,DowneyCommunityHospitalinsouthern California

launchedapublicrelationscampaignthroughitsadvertisingandpublicrelations agency,Ripley-Woodbury,topublicizetheopening0fthe.Hospital’snew$6millionheart-carecenter.Toattractattentiontothecentermonthsbeforeitopened,abillboardadfeatureda 6-foothighinflatableheartthatvisiblypulsedatarateof60beatsperminute.

Thecompany invitedjournalistsandcameramenfromLosAngelestelevisionstations,majornewspapers, andbusinessandtrademagazinestoattendapressconferenceonthedayofthecenter’s opening.Aftertheopeningitmailedphotosoftheeventandpressreleasesto45additionalPublications.

Theseeffortsresultedinextensivelocalandnationalpublicity,withcoverageon televisionandradionewsprogramsandarticlesinmagazinesandnewspapersincludingUSA Today. BecausemanyconsumersacceptinformationInanewsstorymorereadilythantheydoinanadvertisement,publicityreleasesareoftensenttomediaeditorsforpossibleinclusion

Innews stories.Insomecases,theinformationinapublicityreleaseaboutanewgoodorserviceprovides valuableassistanceforatelevision,newspaper,ormagazinewriterandeventuallyisbroadcastor published.Publicityreleasesaresometimesusedtofillvoidsinapublicationandatothertimesare usedinregularfeatures.Ineithercase,theyareavaluablesupplementtoadvertising. Todaypublicrelationsmustbeconsideredanintegralpartofpromotionalstrategyeventhoughitsbasicobjectivesextendfarbeyondtheattempttoinfluencethepurchaseofaparticulargoodor service.Publicrelationsprogramsespeciallypublicitymakeasignificantcontributiontothe achievementofpromotionalgoals. ThepowerofsocialnetworkingRapidadvancesintechnologyhavecausedaseachangeoverthepastfewyearsintheway thatbrandsconnectandcommunicatewiththeircustomers.Youngconsumerstodayaremorelikelytoblog,chat,post,andsurfSocialNetworkingSites(SNS)ratherthantowatchnewsandread magazines,andadspending0ndigitalmediaplatformsisfollowingintheirwake. InChinaespecially,acompany’sdigitalmediastrategynowmustbeaboutmorethanjust buildingawebsiteorbuyingbanneradsonthemostpopularportals.Chinahasalivelyblogging andsocialmediaenvironment,andcompaniesandbrandsthatignorewhat’sbeingsaidabout themonlinedosoattheirownperil.

Theenormouspopularityofsocialmediaplatformshaseven ledtothecreationofanewmarketingpractice–Internetword-of-mouth(IWOM). IngeneralBBSandblogsareimportantbecauseofmassivevolumeofbloggersinChina, saysChrisReitermann,presidentofOgilvyOneChina,Ogilvy&MatherGroup’s-digitalandone-to- onemarketingnetwork. Infact,over182millionChinesehaveblogs,accordingtoa2009reportbytheChinaInterne NetworkInformationCenter(CNNIC),andover102millionregularlycommentonforumsorBBS-onlinebulletinboardswhereusersposttheirideasaboutlife,politicsand,ofcourse,products AccordingtotheCNNICreport,56.1%ofChina’s384millionInternetuserssaytheyoftenexpress theiropinionsonline. whileatelevisioncommercialcanbecarefullycalibratedanddesigned,thenplacedata particulartimeslotwhereaproductismostlikelytogainfavoramongviewers,thenewsocialmediaisnot aseasilymanaged.Nestle’srecentpublicrelationsnightmareoffersagoodexampleofthepitfalls ofignoringyour customersonline.NestlewasaccusedbyGreenpeaceofdoingbusinesswithpalmoilvendorsin IndonesiaandMalaysiathatweredestroyingthehabitatoftheendangeredorangutan.

ANestle- brandKitKatcommercialpostedonYouTubeportrayedanofficeworkerbitingintoachocolate baronlytofindanorangutanfinger.LittlemorethanI,000peoplehadseenthecommercialwhenNestledecidedtouselegal resourcestoremoveitfromYouTube.

Thisinflamedtheonlinecommunity,whofloodedthe company’sFacebookpage,postingmodifiedNestlebrandsbearingtheword“killer andleavingnegativecommentsaboutthecompany’sperceivedcensorship.Nestledugafurtherholeforitselfwhenitbegantocounter-attackitsaccusersand I“un-friend’fans ofitsproductswhoexpressedhostileviews,thenkindlyaskeduserstostopofferingnegativecomments. Thecompany’sclumsyuseofsocialmediaresultedinafull-blownpublicrelationsdisaster. Whileeverythingfrominternationalnamebrandstopopularstreetfoodvendorshavebeentargeted byInternetbloggers,fewcompanieshavemanagedtodigthemselvesoutofaholeToyotaisanexampleofacompanythat,whileunabletofullyextraditeitselffrombadinternetPRwasabletosalvagesomedignitybyatleastbeinghonestandupfrontwithitsconsumersregardingfaultyacceleratorsonitscars.

Whilethecompany’sinternetPReffortswerenotassavvyastheycouldhavebeen.ToyotaPresidentAkioToyodafollowedthe“honestyisthebestpolicy”approachandtreated onlinecriticismasvalidinaspeechtotheChinesepeopleinMarchofthisyear.“Firstofall,IWOMisnotaboughtmedia,”saysVioletFu,marketingdirectoratCIC,thefirst companytoofferIWOMservicesinChina.“Simplysending0utfakemessagesinsocialmedia willbealosingstrategyandcanresultinacredibilitycrisis.

“Shesaysthatitismuchmore importantforpotentialadvertisersto listenandunderstandonlinecommunitiesbeforethey attempttoparticipateandpromoteawarenessoftheirbrand.Andsheadds,“TheIWOM environmentinChinaismoredevelopedthanintheWest.ArecentpollbyCICofconsumersfromfirst-tierChinesecitiesrevealsthegrowingimportanceof theonlinesocialmediainhelpingconsumersmakeinformedpurchasingdecisions.Accordingto theCICsurvey,81%ofBBS/bloguserscheckInternetword-of-mouthbeforemakingpurchasingdecisions.

Ogilvy’sReitermannsaysthat‘Word-of-mouthisthemosttrustedsourceofbrand informationinChina,”adding，Chinaisoneoftheonlymarketswhererecommendationsfromonlinefriendsorcontactsismuchhigherthanface-to-facerecommendations.Reitermannagreesthatthesocialmediaplatformisnotaone-waycommunicationstreet. Throughsocialmarketingweaimtomakeourbrandspartofaconversationwedothisacrosschannelsbyprovidingcontentforrelevantopinionleadersandthenacceleratingthedistribution ofthiscontentthroughsearch,socialmedia,etc.Harnessingthepowerofthisenvironmenttowin overconsumersrequiresthatbrandfindtherelevantonlinenichetheyshouldbelisteningto.Publicrelationscompanieshaveresponded byofferingbuzzmonitoringtohelpcompaniesmonitorconsumeratt