Solution to China brand problem lies in the details

On Aug 1, 2014, the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C. held its annual reception commemorating the 87th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army. As always, the event was meticulously managed. But what struck me the most was an assortment of flyers on display at the registration desk. The flyers, produced by the Bureau of International Publicity of the Chinese Department of Defense, looked like something one may find on the bulletin board in a Chinese government building, rather than professional public relations kits carrying Beijing's message to the world.

This is a branding problem. PR or marketing professionals familiar with global and cross-cultural communications would easily point out a list of things on the flyers that may be improved in order to communicate the message - and by extension, the "China brand" - with more effectiveness and grace.

Chinese leaders and academics have feverishly advocated the idea of public diplomacy, but on many occasions, the enthusiasm fails to translate into effective implementation, which would greatly benefit from design elements more empathetic to the recipient culture and less stiff in lexicon.