Touchmedia boss’s mission persuading public to give blood
Print Edition
TOUCHMEDIA founder and executive chairman Micky Fung spoke to Shanghai Daily about his taxi advertising company and his commitment to persuading the public to give blood.
Q: How did you get the idea of putting interactive screens in taxis in China? And what made you leave the United States for China?
The story dates back to 1998, when I was in a taxi with my daughter in Las Vegas. She was really interested in the DVD player behind the front seat and kept touching the screen. But it went black and was unstable. Then, the idea of creating interactive screens in taxis to grab people’s attention occurred to me. Later, as an angel investor, I received five business proposals of interactive screens. The reason I chose China to start my company is I found the taxi market in New York too fragmented to develop, since most cabs are privately-owned. In addition, China represents the future. I think Shanghai at that time was like New York in the late 1970s — full of opportunities. So I decided to come here to launch Touchmedia after the stock market crash in America in 2000.
Q: What problems did you encounter setting up Touchmedia? How did you solve them?
The major problem was technology. The environment for the interactive screen proved very complicated. It must overcome vibrations, heat and other factors of the driving environment. The products we invented in America just didn’t work in China and we spent over four years investing in and developing new technology. This has now becomes our core competence.
Q: Could you share with us the recent developments of your company and the major challenges it faces now?
We’ve been moving forward to explore new markets. Smartphones are the biggest challenge we face now. People tend to be glued to their cellphone screens all the time. We need to grab their attention by creating more interesting contents and dual-screen interactions.
Q: What makes you dedicated to charity work? Why did Touchmedia decide to launch the campaign “Touch Your Heart”?
First of all, giving is a way of sharing — the fragrance always stays in the hand that gives others the rose. And the feeling of helping those in need and making people smile really makes a huge difference which will make you happy from the bottom of your heart. The reason for us promoting the idea of donating blood and saving lives is because there is a shortage of blood donors in China, according to the country’s blood centers. And what’s worse, there’s a lack of public understanding. There are misunderstandings about the blood-donating process — such as that “it’s harmful to your health and there’s a danger of getting AIDS.”
Q: How will Touchmedia make use of its position to further promote giving blood?
As a media company, our media reach over 70 million passengers a month, which provides us with a cutting edge to educate people that donating blood is good for the donor, both physically, such as improving blood circulation, and spiritually. What’s more, our campaign is not one-off event, it’s a long-term project — we plan to do it forever! We are inviting groups of celebrities, including myself, to set an example of voluntary and unpaid blood donations. You can’t ask people do anything unless you are willing to do it yourself. The public can only be convinced of the benefits of donating blood after witnessing key opinion leaders. These include doctors, who have access to supplies of blood, but still donate their own voluntarily.
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