If it were me, I probably would try to put images of US and China working side by side, such as issues on terrorism, some peacekeeping missions, pandas, some photos of athletes from both sides shaking hands at the Olympics
Exactly, it should have been about how the US and China can get along. Though nothing military-based, an economic focus. Talking about Chinese investment in the US, thanking the US for previous investment in China/charity work, or something.
China is not the only nation that launches PR campaign in foreign nations.
The next time a thread like this comes up, feel free to criticise a campaign that tries to reach out to Chinese people if it's bad.
PR and marketing campaigns are propaganda. Period.
Cheesy propaganda isn't good. It needs to be more slick and relevent to the target audience.
It is not in your place to say what the Chinese people around the world would react to these ads.
It's my place as much as it is anyone's on this forum. Are you suggesting they wouldn't like it?
However, I see it as a greeting/introduction, in the sense of: "Hello Americans, we are the Chinese, and this is what the Chinese people are like."
It's not about "selling China".
Americans,
as far as I understand, are aware that there are famous Chinese actors and athletes. They'll assume that there are farmers, supermodels, academics and businessmen who wear tailored suits. There have been countless news articles on TV and in the print media over the last decade about how China has been moving forward.
As I see it, this was an ad trying to sell China as a country that Americans should feel good about/friendly towards. I can't see how it will have been successful even on the level it could reasonably have been expected to be successful.
Perhaps we'll just have to agree to disagree.
