"We Buy American"

It's not surprising to see ads in the U.S. for products "Made in Taiwan." But now, amidst rising protectionism in the U.S. and problems of diplomatic isolation worldwide, the government of the ROC has decided to "sell" something new: the ROC's image.

The ROC campaign began with the placing of an ad in this year's April 27th issue of Time magazine. The design of the ad showed a check from the Bank of Taiwan for the amount of US$8.1 billion being deposited into a piggy bank in the shape of the U.S. The point is to make clear that the ROC's special purchasing missions to the U.S. have been spending and spending big. The ad also stresses that it is the firm policy of the ROC, and not just an expression of friendship, to actively "Buy American."

After the ad first appeared, the New York office of the Government Information Office was inundated by phone calls and letters. Among the many were ones from a magazine boasting a large Congressional readership which wanted to run the ad, another from a trading company wanting to know what things the ROC was in the market for, and one from an AT&T market researcher who wanted a detailed list of purchases from years past. Also received were letters from the Governors of New York and New Jersey.

Why advertise? Because, like any product on the market which suffers from lack of name recognition and is therefore neglected, the ROC needed to put both its name and its policies in the public eye.

While other, big countries are the subject of endless news reporting, Taiwan is forced to seek access to the media in some other way--so why not advertising? At least in advertising, unlike news reporting, one can get out the information that he wants to get out. Besides, it reaches a much larger audience than the usual "person to person" diplomacy, and all you need to participate is money.

All this is important because, since the beginning of last year, protectionism has been on the rise in the U.S., and the ROC's US$10-billion-a-year trade surplus makes a convenient target for retaliation. For example, Taiwan has already appeared on a so-called "unfair traders blacklist," widely disseminated in the U.S. by Representative Gephardt, who is making protectionist trade legislation the centerpiece of a presidential bid.

In fact, the ROC has continually agreed in bilateral negotiations to further open its markets and reduce tariffs. Yet misunderstanding persists. A delegation of U.S. Congressional legislative aides accused Taiwan of maintaining unfairly high tariffs on textile products, when in fact tariffs on ready-made clothes have fallen from sixty to fifteen percent in the last year--a figure lower than the U.S.

After deciding to use advertising to help improve the ROC's image, it was next necessary to settle on a theme for the campaign. Several important points about Taiwan's efforts to increase U.S. imports, lower tariffs, open markets, and improve the investment climate were considered. The overriding central theme was to be: Regardless of current problems, the ROC is committed to improving the Sino-American trading relationship.

Taiwan's most creative advertising specialist, Nancy Wang, was called in to head the project. She felt that special emphasis had to be placed on the fact that the ROC is a developing country, and that in the process of building a modern China, there are bound to be some shortcomings.

It is perhaps strange that, in view of the greater experience of foreign advertising firms, the ROC should have given the project to domestic experts. But it was important that the advertising team be committed to and believe in the project.

The project drew on the talents of many. Nancy Wang agreed to lend her talents without compensation, and was the creative leader. David Lightle, a foreign adviser to the Government Information Office, Su Tsung-hung of the Lemon Yellow Design Company of Taipei, and Pochi Wu, executive vice president of China Venture Management Inc. all made important contributions, too.

There were also naturally some disputes over questions of style and form. After much deliberation, the team finally narrowed down the number of acceptable drafts to six. These were then copied and circulated among Taiwan's foreign community. The ad featuring the ROC's buying missions to the U.S. got the most enthusiastic response.

After reworking the basic concepts over and over, it was decided to make the ads brief and direct, but vivid enough to try to bring to life and express in concrete terms the otherwise abstract policies set by the ROC to improve bilateral trade. The work was often exasperating. But as Su Tsung-hung mused, "For the sake of the country's image, there is no other way ."

And then, suddenly, there was the finished product in Time for all to see.

Although the ad got good reviews, improving a country's image takes a lot more than just attractive advertising. As Pochi Wu correctly pointed out, the impact of only a single ad in the U.S. is fleeting. To have a lasting impact on American opinion, it is necessary to persist in the campaign. Nevertheless, from the positive feedback generated from this first ad, it seems that the campaign is off to a good start. And in making an image for oneself, it's often the first impression that makes the difference between failure and success.

[Picture Caption]

The ROC advertisements have left many Americans impressed. (photo by Vincent Chang)

There's now something new being promoted in the U.S.: The image of the R .O.C.

This ad expresses the ROC's commitment to a mutually beneficial trade relationship.

The Lemon Yellow Company looked all over Taipei to find just the right Chinese-style door, and finally found it at the Martyrs' Shrine.

Invest in Taiwan and you may find that money really can grow on trees!

There's now something new being promoted in the U.S.: The image of the R .O.C.

This ad expresses the ROC's commitment to a mutually beneficial trade relationship.

The Lemon Yellow Company looked all over Taipei to find just the right Chinese-style door, and finally found it at the Martyrs' Shrine.

Invest in Taiwan and you may find that money really can grow on trees!