Title: Symbolic Repertoires and Macau City Branding
Speaker: Prof. Wu Mei, Adjunct Professor, Centre of Macau Studies, University of Macau
Time & Date: 15:00 PM., 19 November 2020
Venue: T2-102
Language: English

 Abstract

The study applies the Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT) and Fantasy Theme Analysis (FTA) in the exploration of Macau city branding beyond casinos. It identifies the symbolic artifacts shared by Chinese and English media in regard to cultural and historical representations of Macau. The symbolic realities in three media types, namely earned media, shared media and owned media are examined and compared.  Altogether, 11 fantasy themes that have non-gaming elements are identified.  The rhetoric of the themes just flows on the surface of the senses, and hardly ignites a deeper and enduring emotion for brand recognition.

About the guest

Prof. Wu Mei joined University of Macau in August 2000 and retired on Feb 1, 2020 as Associate Professor of Communication in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Macau. After obtaining her MA in Media Studies and a Ph.D. in Communication at Concordia University, Canada, she helped found the MA program in Communication and New Media, the first graduate program in Communication in Macau and later the Department of Communication at the University of Macau. As one of the first generation who pioneered e-journalism in the global Chinese Internet in the 1990s, she has specialized in media technology and communication studies. Her monograph “Internet Mercenaries and Viral Marketing: The Case of Chinese Social Media”, which is the first inquiry on Internet “pushing hands” and social media marketing in China, is Indexed by Scopus, the largest citation database of peer-reviewed literature including scientific journals, books, and conference proceedings of 22,000 titles only from 5,000 international publishers. Her research papers appear in major refereed journals and books by reputable publishers including Routledge, IGI Global, World Scientific Publishing Company, Javnost-The Public, Media Studies Journal, Global Media and Communication, International Journal of Sociotechnology and Knowledge Development and China Computer-Mediated Communication Studies.