Leading market entry to Myanmar with CSR

As companies move to enter Myanmar following the country’s decades of isolation, there is a growing consensus about the benefits of leveraging Corporate Social Responsibility as a component of market entry. The thinking is that entering Myanmar with a strong CSR campaign helps companies meet key local stakeholders in the public and private sectors, build infrastructure, and collect insights about the business environment and mind-set of the local people. Add to this the fact that Myanmar’s needs for support are huge, and the concept of CSR as a market entry tool makes good sense. In Myanmar, CSR is not a mandate – as it is in India, where companies are required to set aside two percent of profits. But CSR in Myanmar does offer a unique opportunity to make a big impact. “There is a good case to be made for leading with CSR to enter Myanmar,” said Abhijit Dutta, Head of Government Relations & Public Policy (ASEAN), and Singapore Community Relations (Asia HQ) at Procter & Gamble, noting that P&G has supported clean water projects in Myanmar far before sanctions ceased and the country re-opened for business. “In Myanmar, every contribution goes a long way. There is a pull from the government to do CSR. In any other market you would have to go through a deep process to find opportunity. But in Myanmar, there is a real request from the government to do more.” Ooredoo, one of the two foreign telecom operators to set up business in Myanmar has coordinated a range of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities since the announcement of its bid win in June last year. The company views CSR as an important part of integrating into the local community. Ooredoo has put special emphasis around support for building capacity in technology and human resources. The company has also stepped in at times of crisis – such as offering support to regions impacted by flooding in the southern parts of Myanmar last year. “CSR is an important part of the Ooredoo culture and is evident across all of the markets in which we operate. Launching a company in Myanmar is a great opportunity and we are fortunate to be in a position to enrich people’s lives,” said Ooredoo Myanmar CEO Ross Cormack. “On the one hand we are working to develop a strong communications ecosystem, foster and incubate entrepreneurial talent and offer opportunities for local business. On the other, we are actively collaborating and developing initiatives in the areas of health and education that will make a sustainable difference.” Myanmar’s political leaders also publicly voice support for responsible business practices. Myanmar President U Thein Sein has talked about his desire to see responsible business practices which can contribute to the country’s growth and sustainable development. He also said foreign investors must consider CSR strategies. P&G’s Dutta supports this notion, saying: “The current administration in Myanmar really wants to see corporate social responsibility as a priority. In conversations with officials, the first question investors usually receive is about investment levels. The second question is almost always about CSR investments. This is unique.” At the very first EU-Myanmar Task Force held in Yangon last November, Chair of the National League for Democracy Daw Aung San SuuKyi was direct in her comments about responsible business practices. She said, “I want good, hard-headed businessmen who are intent on making a good profit for themselves, but in a responsible way so that we also may benefit from your presence. That means that when you talk about responsibility, it’s not just CSR, it’s not just social responsibility. It’s political responsibility, legal responsibility. It’s responsibility in a very broad sense of the word.” CSR in Myanmar is not just about social responsibility Myanmar already has a culture of established private and corporate philanthropy, which is strongly associated with the Buddhist culture of giving and attaining merit. All the business activities to be carried out in Myanmar should be made to sync with the basic social requirements and values of the local communities – and with a long-term mindset. For example, building a primary school as part of a CSR program might seem simple and direct to the foreign investors – but business decision makers should keep in mind that schools will surely require more support and further assistance in the future. All in all, doing CSR programs in Myanmar, a country with many needy areas, is not difficult. But, what is important is implementing CSR activities so as to fulfill the real requirements of local communities without harming the social, cultural and religious values established by ancient ancestors.

PR Agency of the Year in Southeast Asia - Nomination 2013

For the second year in a row, the Holmes Report has nominated Vero Public Relations as PR Agency of the Year in Southeast Asia. It's wonderful to be recognized in this way along with other leading PR agencies, including some of the worlds largest firms. Since our nomination in 2012 - our company has progressed nicely, from opening an office in Yangon to growing our businesses in Vietnam and Thailand with great clients that allow our talented team to do great work. As I write this from our office in Myanmar, our people are working on some of the most exciting communications challenges in Asia, including the budding telecommunications sector in Myanmar. At this time, there may be no place in the world more exciting than Southeast Asia for the PR industry. We are thankful to the Holmes Report for this 2013 nomination as PR Agency of the Year. And we look forward to a great second half of 2013.

Licenses granted to five more daily newsapers in Myanmar

Myanmar's media landscape has gained five more entrants in the daily newspaper competition, bringing the total number of dispensed privately-owned daily newspaper licenses to 31.

The five newly approved dailies are People Net Daily, Myanmar Thawon Daily, Myanmarwady Daily, Myanmar Daily and Victory Daily.  They all received licenses July 1.

Since the initial round of daily newspaper licenses were granted on April 1, nine privately-owned dailies commenced publication.

Vero Public Relations announces new office in Myanmar

Vero Public Relations is pleased to announce the opening of a new office in Yangon, Myanmar. This is our third office in Asia Pacific - and we could not be more excited about the opportunities that this office will bring. For the last year, we have studied this new market and made our best effort to learn about the media and policy environment. We have sought the expertise of veteran journalists, NGO leaders, local marketing experts and other stakeholders. We have also hired a small, but experienced team of communications professionals - and we are confident that this team will serve our clients well. The new office is located in the center of Yangon: 99 Building 1st Floor, Room 2A Dhamazedi Road, Kamaryut Township, Tel: + 95 1 512017 Fax: + 95 1 512017

Nominated for PR Industry Award

Vero Public Relations is proud of our recent nomination as Public Relations Consultancy of the Year in Southeast Asia. We thank the Holmes Report for this honor. For 20 years the Holmes report has advanced analysis and evaluations in the PR industry. Now, in our sixth year of business, our teams in Thailand and Vietnam could not be more pleased with this recognition of our hard work. We owe it to our clients and partners for giving us a platform to do good work. We are also appreciative of the opportunities in Southeast Asia, a region that is truly coming into its own as a world leader in business and trade. We are thankful to be part of this exciting time and to be part of this industry. To learn more about the consultancy of the year nominations, visit the Holmes report's analysis here .

Vietnam News Media Networking Event

Vero Public Relations proudly presents the first news media networking event in HCMC. Journalists are cordially invited to mix and mingle. This is the first and leading event where media gather for connections, sharing ideas and experiences about journalism. We expect to have more than 300 media partici

pants in HCMC from general, business, ICT to entertainment sections. We hope you can come and enjoy great moments after work with us. We are excited to host our media networking event this time at Ly Club restaurant – a restaurant that takes its name from the 11th century Lý Dynasty and is a unique villa in ancient French architecture. The classic French colonial-era Lý Club Saigon villa is located in Ho Chi Minh’s central District 3. This promises to be a unique opportunity to socialize; we think that you would enjoy this event and enjoy the opportunity to network and socialize. *Details: The party will be held as followed: Time: Friday, may 11 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm Venue: Ly Club - 143 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Dist. 3, HCMC. Comments and RSVP, please contact: Ms. Jessica M: +84 9 8924 8595 Email: jessica.le@veropr.com

Reputation for ethics and engineering excellence put German companies in the Southeast Asia spotlight

For evidence of the success of German companies in Southeast Asia, one needs to look no further than the local media where German business is consistently creating positive news coverage about its growth and ambition in ASEAN’s emerging markets.

And now, with Germany’s dominance of European economic affairs through the euro zone crisis, the country’s global and regional reach continue to grow.

In Thailand and Vietnam, where we counsel several leading German companies, millions of consumers and businesses benefit daily from German technology and expertise.

Almost as soon as they can talk, the people of Southeast Asia are introduced to German consumer products, with global brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Porsche having enormous aspirational traction. Puma, Adidas, Braun, the list goes on.

Building on this awareness, German businesses have for decades sought to integrate themselves in the development of the communities they serve in the region, providing massive infrastructure investment, capital for enormous industrial developments and also intellectual property used in education and social upliftment.

One of the main drivers of the success of German companies in key markets in the region such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia has been the careful management of their reputations.

German companies are highly proactive in building and constantly enhancing their reputations in all walks of life, giving a consistent, ethical character to their communications and corporate messaging.

In one never publicized instance in Thailand a huge German company declined to invest in an energy project because of ethical concerns. Faced with sometimes violent opposition from the local community and fears that the local environment would be seriously impaired by the development, the company took a decision to forgo the very tempting cash windfall it would have enjoyed by going through with the project, and quietly withdrew.

For professional communicators the challenge in managing brand reputation for major German companies is to balance exposure and profile with the commitment to protect the brand from unnecessary scrutiny or even controversy.

One of the most compelling platforms contributing to the growing reputation of German businesses in the region is their focus on education and training of their workforces. Thousands of Asian students and employees have benefited from college, university and in-house training courses in Germany through exchange programs and scholarship opportunities.

However, while German companies are proudly German, they also largely seek to portray an international brand character that builds on the attributes of their home country yet is flexible enough to adapt rapidly and effectively to local business and social conditions.

Germany’s ties to the region are by no means limited to business and investment. For more than a century cultural ties have burgeoned between Germany and the countries of Southeast Asia. Right across the spectrum of the arts and entertainment and even cuisine, Germany is centre-stage in the capitals of the region.

These firmly established ties offer a unique opportunity for German corporations to further engage in their host communities and communicate their commitment to the long-term prosperity and sustainability of their ventures, not to mention promote the power of their brands to an avid and increasingly affluent target audience.