China has banned the F-word from the country’s biggest social networking sites, reports the Times. Yep, that’s right: censors responsible for upholding the Great Firewall have moved to block mentions of the word “Ferrari” on a range of websites.
(Find out why at China hopes to drive traffic away from Ferrari users | Media Monkey | Media | guardian.co.uk: .)
I have been following The Fox is Black for about a year now and every week they post amazing articles on all kinds of art and design. They also hold freelance competitions from time to time, ‘Recover-ed’, with a huge amount of people participating. This week they have decided to look into CHINA and all they creative goodness it offers. It should be a good one… www.thefoxisblack.com/Chinaweek
(**People of a emotional disposition may want to look away.**)
“Chinese New Year is always a time for reunion. Whatever differences we may have as a family, there’s always a way to overcome them. So let’s come together as one family during reunion dinner. After all, family is forever.”
From Malaysian rice provider Bernas via Ogilvy & Mather, This Chinese New Year-themed spot, which fits bowls of rice into its story line, packs more punch than most of the bikini- and effects-driven Super Bowl commercials that have been teased so far.
What do you think of the ad’s message?
Social Media agency Fresh Networks has some advice for anyone wanting to engage audiences in China using online tools (Facebook and Twitter aren’t freely available over there, and the equivalent of eBay is very different).
Social media competition in China is beginning to heat up. Facebook and Groupon are looking at engaging the Chinese market as soon as possible and it looks like 2011 will be the pivotal year for Chinese social media.
As Chinese networks emerge and develop, it’s crucial to protect your brand and develop your presence among Chinese ‘netizens’
Their advice boils down to six points:
Visit the Fresh Networks page for the detail behind each of these steps – the advice applies anywhere in the world, of course, but never assume that what works in the west will translate to China without some localisation…
(My poor Chinese translates the image above literally as “not give strength” (bu gei li) becoming “give strength”)
