Winning the
Race in Europe
BY SARAH LAFFERTY

Hoffman Europe’s managing director provides a look at the challenges many companies face when embarking on PR in the region

Former UK Prime Minister Edward Heath famously said, “Ocean racing is like standing under a cold shower tearing up £5 notes.” As an ocean racer, I can really relate to this sentiment, which is why I would never buy a yacht of my own.

I can relate to this on another level as well. In my role as a European communications consultant, I know that launching an ill-conceived PR programme in Europe is only slightly less lucrative and sensible than

 

“Rocktober”
in Hong Kong

BY EMILY HEMMELGARN

One Denverite shares her experiences as part of Hoffman’s Building Bridges program

Putting your ear to the tram track in Central, Hong Kong won’t allow you to hear your hometown baseball team roaring toward the World Series. In all actuality, it is a very unsafe thing to do. Not that I would know.

Hi, my name is Emily (raising my hand), and I’m a Colorado Rockies fan in Hong Kong.

As part of the Agency’s Building Bridges program, I was sent on assignment from Denver, Colorado to China. Four months in a fast-paced, high-energy Asian environment is much different from snow-capped mountainous, flag-waving, all-American Denver. With this program, I stepped away from what I knew and stepped into something (very, very) new.




Major Japanese Newspaper
Spotlights Hoffman Japan

Hoffman Japan and its General Manager Shingo Nomura were highlighted in a recent issue of Fuji Sankei Business i. As one of the four major dailies in Japan, the newspaper reaches 160,000 readers. Unlike in the United States where daily newspaper readership has steadily declined for years, this form of media continues to be a staple of information for the Japanese business community.

Thought Leadership Campaign Lands Fenwick & West in BusinessWeek – Four Times
Hoffman successfully raises the profile of a Silicon Valley law firm

Investor’s Business Daily: 10 Secrets to Success
Piece highlights the Agency’s insights on global business

Inc.: Deskside Story
Hoffman Agency featured in an article about the merits of deskside media briefings

It’s Been 20 Years, But Who’s Counting
Lou Hoffman reflects on the Agency’s 20th anniversary

’Tis the Season for Gift Guides
The Hoffman Agency jingles all the way to high-impact holiday coverage for our clients

Entrepreneur Magazine: Brain Drain
The Agency is featured in this November 2007 article

Council of Public Relations Firms Announces 2008 Board of Directors
The Agency’s Lou Hoffman is elected to the board

The “Wild West” of Web 2.0
PR Newswire’s Michael Prantikoff recently visited the Agency to discuss this new frontier

Friendster Heads East
Hoffman helps the social networking giant take its PR program to Greater China

Inc.: Six Ways To Open an Overseas Office
Article takes readers behind the scenes of the Agency’s global expansion

O’Dwyer’s PR Report: Hoffman Wins Broadcast Award
B-Roll for client Sony nets honors

PRWeek: ‘Americanitis’ Impeding Global PR
Lou Hoffman discusses the globalization of public relations

Axis Communications Selects Hoffman
Hoffman Europe provides unique regional management support

Managing Product Reviews to Build Positive Mindshare for SonicWALL
SonicWALL’s award-winning product reviews program wins again with 5 out of 5 stars from SC Magazine

USA Today: Want To Do Business with China? Read Kafka
Article recounts how The Hoffman Agency started in China



WORLDWIDE
70 North Second Street
San Jose, CA 95113
+1 (408) 286-2611
 
ASIA PACIFIC
The Workst@tion
16th Floor
43 Lyndhurst Terrace
Central, Hong Kong
+852 2581-9380
 
EUROPE
Garden Studios
11-15 Betterton Street
London
WC2H 9BP
+44 (0)20 7470 8762



Ten Pitfalls of International PR

No. 1 “Americanitis”

Some U.S. executives think that having a high profile in the domestic market guarantees a hero’s welcome when they land on foreign shores. After all, why shouldn’t the image they’ve spent years building in the U.S. magically cross the Atlantic and Pacific, conform to local societies, adapt to local market nuances and reach out to their targeted constituencies?