Goodyear China grants Weber Shandwick best supplier award

The Goodyear Blimp floated over the Bund in Shanghai

Weber Shandwick was named 2007 Goodyear China Best Supplier by the world’s largest tire company during a ceremony in Shanghai.

Weber Shandwick has serviced Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s accounts in the important Chinese auto markets of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou for two years. The firm’s success in securing media attention around the Goodyear Blimp’s aerial “road show” to 11 Chinese cities already garnered a gold award at the bi-annual Shanghai PR Awards last November.

“This is outstanding, and further proof that we are making significant progress in our efforts to utilize PR as a positive branding tool in the Asia Pacific region,” said Chuck Sinclair, senior vice president for global communications at Goodyear.

“The 2007 Goodyear China Best Supplier award recognizes Weber Shandwick’s tremendous efforts to make media coverage ‘take off’ in China,” said Daniel Zhang, Goodyear’s PR manager in China, referring to the company’s paramount publicity growth of 84.4 percent over last year.

“Weber Shandwick’s highly recognized communications campaign for Goodyear is a reflection of the strong spirit of cooperation between the client and our professional team in China,” said Darren Burns, managing director of Weber Shandwick in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

In addition to the Goodyear Blimp road show, Weber Shandwick has partnered with Goodyear on a number of high-profile campaigns in China including the “Women with Drive” initiative, communications for “Camp Jeep China” and with the recent launch of Goodyear’s Eagle Vector EV2+, an all-season tire with the unique ability to adapt to changes in driving and weather conditions all year long.

Weber Shandwick adds to the team

Weber Shandwick teams in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing have welcomed aboard new members.

Rocky Wang, recently appointed account manager in the Guangzhou office for client services and business development in South China, began his career at Weber Shandwick in Beijing in 2002. From then until 2005, he served a broad portfolio of clients including Agilent Technologies, Crest, SK-II, International Flower Bulb Center, Changan Ford and Ericsson. Before rejoining the company this year, Rocky worked at P&G China as SK-II China PR Manager, where he was in charge of overall PR strategy planning and implementation for SK-II.

The Shanghai team has brought on Nicholas Chew as an account manager. Nicholas is a seasoned communications practitioner with experience playing multiple roles in both in-house and agency environments—including Weber Shandwick. In the past eight years, his work has focused on pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumer health industries.

Before first joining Weber Shandwick in 2005, Nicholas spent five years sharpening his skills as a marketer at AstraZeneca Plc. and Novartis Corp. in Malaysia and Singapore. Over the past three years, he has provided strategic counsel to Baxter Healthcare, Boston Scientific, Monsanto, Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Roche, Pfizer and Schering Plough in Greater China as well as within the network.

In Beijing, the consumer practice welcomed Michelle Liao as account manager, specializing on branding as well as PR and marketing related trainings, including spokesperson training and crisis management training. During over five years of work experience in both international and local PR firms, Michelle has served a number of clients in consumer, corporate and healthcare practices, including Johnson & Johnson, P&G, Pond’s, ZESPRI New Zealand Kiwifruit, Novartis, Wyeth, ABN AMRO, etc.

Also in Beijing, the firm has appointed Judy Guo as account manager in technology practice, further expanding the team and strengthening its tech offering. Guo has more than six years of technology PR experience in China. Previously at Text 100, Guo worked on multinational accounts including IBM, Cisco, Samsung, Motorola and Dell.

Rocky Wang,
accoun t manager
in Guangzhou

Nicholas Chew,
account manager
in Shanghai

Michelle Liao,
account manager
in Beijing

Judy Guo,
account manager
in Beijing