Por Ernie Tadla

Ésta es la historia de un empresario que construye un negocio provechoso batiendo a todos los individuos grandes globales.
 
Dan Mintz nació y fue educado en Brooklyn, y era la persona más joven que se aceptará en la academia de Nueva York de realizar artes. Él comenzó en el negocio de la película como suplemento del estudiante en la fama de la película. Él fue a Los Ángeles en donde él fomentó su educación y experiencia en la producción de la película y creó buenas conexiones con algunos de los estudios principales de la película.

En los años 90 tempranos, él fue a China a instalar empresa a riesgo compartido para un estudio importante de la película. Esto estaba poco después el fiasco cuadrado de Tiananmen y el clima para las sociedades con las firmas americanas era frío, si no congelado, particularmente con el ministerio de la cultura, que tendría que estar implicado.

Él observó que las agencias de publicidad globales 4A que hacían las campañas para los E.E.U.U. las multinacionales enviaron la producción de la película para los anuncios de la TV a Hong Kong, a Taiwán y a Singapur porque la calidad del trabajo en las casas chinas de la producción era inferior al nivel normal. Filme la producción, como muchos negocios, consiste en el hardware (el equipo) y el software (las habilidades para utilizar el equipo). Dan vio una oportunidad. Él era el software - y es fácil emplear de sus contactos de la red del LA - y él podría conseguir el hardware. En marzo de 1993, él comenzó los cuadros del Pacesetter internacionales (PPI) en su apartamento que cenaba la tabla del sitio en Beijing.

Trece años más adelante - con 450 personas en Beijing, Shangai, Guangzhou, Los Ángeles, y Nueva York - de PPI se habían convertido DMG, an international, independent full-service advertising and communications agency specializing in the greater China region generating more than $100 million US a year.

The big boys — Microsoft, McDonald’s, Boeing, GM, and Dell — were all there. They had deep pockets, global operations, pricey lawyers, accounting firms, and consulting firms behind them.

He developed DMG into China’s hottest creative, independent agency. He then added an events and public relations firm, ICN, and nailed international global accounts along with a portfolio of high-profile Chinese companies wanting to keep pace with the advertising expertise of their American competitors.

He’s a charismatic, creative genius in tune with the Chinese culture. He has never worked for a Western agency, didn’t attend college, but with street smarts, talent, an uncanny ability to handle diverse personalities and cultures, earned the respect of the domestic and international advertising world.

How did he beat the global 4A agencies to capture the creative account for Volkswagen-Germany’s first Chinese brand campaign in addition to a four-year Olympic marketing assignment for VW, a national sponsor of the 2008 Games in Beijing?

He did it the Chinese Way.

The others, the global hotshot 4A agencies, do business in China the way they do successful business in other countries. They are successful all over the world, but not in China.

Let’s break that down.

Mintz began with two Chinese partners. DMG chairman Peter Xiao had a deep and wide financial background and connections, tons of guanxi at high levels of the central government and the banking system.

Wu Bing, VP of DMG, has drive, determination and the operational savvy to get things done quickly in a society of bureaucracy and censorship. She was born in Beijing and at an early age was selected by the government to be trained as a gymnast for international competitions. When she was six, she was sent away to training facilities for grueling national competitive training, and eventually became a coach for international team competition.

While in Hong Kong, she met martial arts and action movie star Jackie Chan and appeared in movies with him. Dan was doing film production scouting in Hong Kong and met Jackie and Wu Bing.
 
Using the guanxi of Peter and Wu Bing, DMG targeted First Automotive Works (FAW) as the company they wanted to do business with. They made many trips to Changchun, delivering gifts liberally and personally, hosting banquets, developing deep friendships and cultivating relationships with the many Chinese managers, many of who ascended to high positions of authority and decision-making power over the years.

The three partners were unyielding in their demands on their staff to provide the highest levels of customer service and to exceed customer expectations. Their demands and expectations caused high turnover, but resulted in corporate relationships that were cemented to last. The true Chinese business objective — mutual benefit, win-win, and long-term relationships — was met with dedicated, committed staff.

Ernie Tadla, www.odysseychina.net

Excerpts from How to Live and Do Business in China: Eight Lessons I Learned from the Communists.

Next Week: Another Case History
An outstanding successful executive in North America, but not in China.