A recent article in BusinessWeek details a new cadre of PR firms turning up in China in the business of battling online blogs. It turns out that several multinational brands have hired firms specializing in monitoring China’s online blogs and responding to negative information on the web that can bring reputational damage. Why the need? Apparently several companies – including McDonald’s, KFC and Nokia – have recently been tarred by online bloggers for allegations of stingyness related to the recent Sichuan earthquake. Daqi.com, a firm based in Beijing, charges its clients between $500 and $25,000 per month for the service. One job posting reads: “Send at least 50 propaganda emails per day. Workers offered 1.5ยข per post.”
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