When I first heard of the Playmaker system at the PRSSA conference 2010, I was immediately attracted tothis system of influence strategies. I find it particularly useful because it embraces all different types of strategies for organizations or individuals to make effective influences on their reputation or brand constructions. Being a native Chinese, I was always wondering how those strategies could be applied to Chinese culture. Luckily, I found one of the Playmaker Systems’ blogs titled “Playmaker China,” which offers their experiences applying some of the strategies in the Chinese market. I am honored to write a guest post on this topic, and I would like to focus on one type of playmaker strategy—Peacock, and talk a little bit about how this influence stratagem fits in Chinese culture.

Peacock, at first sight, is somewhat incompatible with Chinese culture. As a country rooted in Confucianism, China places high value on conformity and modesty. Openly speaking out may seem crazy and awkward. However, there is an exception, “Sister Furong,” a grass-root class Chinese woman with whom many American people may not be familiar.

Sister Furong was original named Shi Hengxi. She was an ordinary woman from a farmer family in a small town in China. In 2005, by showing her narcissistic pictures of misplaced self-confidence on the Internet, this Chinese version of Lady Gaga had gained nationwide popularity. Although majority people take a negative attitude towards Sister Furong’s exaggerated behaviors, she successfully made herself famous and even is considered as an Internet celebrity in China. So far, the Peacock seems to be working well. However, the Chinese authorities eventually banned Sister Furong and her related activities in the late 2005, as they thought her behaviors contained unhealthy message. The Peacock collapsed.

The story of Sister Furong may give caution to those doing business in China: Although Peacock is easy to use to stand out and attract public attention, you should always be mindful of the power of censorship. If you want to run the Peacock play in China, you may have to create a thoroughly and sophisticated plan so as to maintain the harmony with Chinese censorship. Otherwise, stick with the Confucianism values and being modest may be a better choice.

Posted by: Jing Qiu (Cathy) cathyqiujing@gmail.com
Masters Candidate, Journalism & Mass Communication, Kansas State University

Photo Credit: yun158.com