August 5-11, 2003

Hoffman Uses High-Tech To Escape Fatal Disease

PR firm aligns infrastructure to support biz
By Wang Yu, China Business Weekly Staff

Foresight and high-technology helped Whitney Small escape the disastrous effects of SARS that befell most other bosses of major public relations (PR) firms.

"With advanced high-tech measures, such as online interviewing and e-conferencing, we found our business was less vulnerable to SARS," Small, managing director of the Hoffman Agency's Asia-Pacific operations, told China Business Weekly.

"We will keep this competitive edge in the future, to counter other crises such as SARS."

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a deadly flu-like virus, ravaged much of the world for several weeks earlier this year. In China, the disease claimed hundreds of lives, hospitalized thousands and affected businesses in numerous sectors.

Cancellations of business trips and conferences left many PR firms scrambling, especially those conducting market promotions and/or business communications for various enterprises.

Hoffman, a high-tech PR firm, was also affected, just not as much as most of its competitors.

Various high-tech measures helped buffer the firm from SARS.

"Yes, some business was suspended, but there were very few cancellations because we are truly 'high-tech,'" Small joked.

Hoffman continually reassesses and aligns its technology infrastructure to support its business objectives, Small said.

That ensures account professionals have access to everything they need to deliver high-quality services - 24 hours a day, seven days a week - regardless of their locations.

Small keeps an open mind when discussing current difficulties within the IT (information technology) industry.

There are always fat times and lean times in every industry, and, fortunately, a revival is on the horizon, Small said.

A single market force or technology, however, is not enough to lead the industry out of recession. But with advances - such as 3G (third-generation) mobile telecommunications, or even 4G, WI-FI technology and less expensive hardware - an IT revival is possible, Small said.

"What we are seeking is long-term, win-win partnerships with IT-related firms, but not one-time business opportunities," Small said.

"That is why we persuaded our customers not to issue press releases during the dotcom fever, because we knew they were blind acts. But if we are sure a revival really is coming, we will not let business opportunities slip by."

Hoffman, founded in 1987, is the fourth-largest independent high-tech PR firm in the Silicon Valley.
Most of its clients are IT giants, such as 3Com, Xilinx and Google.

Hoffman not only helps promote international giants in China, but also works with Chinese firms trying to expand overseas.

"We have started working with China-based IT firms intending to do business abroad," Small said.

"We have confidence in the local market's potential, because, although China lags behind its international counterparts in terms of software designing, it has its own sparkling points, such as hardware manufacturing."

Hoffman is also planning a "drive-news-home" campaign to publicize - in English media worldwide - multinationals' business activities in China.

Hoffman Agency is the only Silicon Valley-based PR firm with a regional presence in Asia-Pacific.

Back to top