Establishing a global profile, for the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies

From East to West: achieving bilingual media coverage for China academics

Brief

As a relative newcomer to the study of China, the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies (SCCS), led by its Head, Professor Shujie Yao, engaged Bulletin Academic to build its reputation and profile. Professor Yao saw media impact as a key method of differentiating the SCCS’s focus on the China of today from other institutions’ focus on the China of the past. Acutely aware of the benefits of fostering research collaborations and attracting postgraduate students, he was also keen to raise the SCCS’s standing not just in the UK but in China itself.

Strategy

Bulletin Academic recognised Professor Yao’s strength as a potential spokesperson and developed a media strategy around his ability to comment on topical issues, so reinforcing the SSCS’s contemporary expertise. Led by Chris O’Brien, our resident Sinologist, who worked as a journalist in Beijing for three years, we also nurtured strong relationships with the media in China and South East Asia, quickly establishing Professor Yao as an acknowledged and in-demand commentator both here and in his homeland.

Impact

In May 2009 the Daily Telegraph was seeking expert comment on the respective investment prospects of China and Japan. We put forward Professor Yao, whose article was such a success that further media requests for his insight immediately followed. As a result, in one month alone the SCCS enjoyed coverage in the likes of the Telegraph, The Independent, the Financial Times, parliamentary magazine The House, the Washington Times and China Daily, as well as mainstream media across China, South East Asia and Australasia. With much of the material ghost-written by the Bulletin Academic team, this exposure came at little cost to Professor Yao’s personal time. The SCCS now has excellent recruitment levels and receives significant funding from research collaborators in China.