Long or Short Capital

Pickup any newspaper and you’ll see stories about the rapidly growing Chinese economy. Most observers also know that the Chinese advertising sector has particularly strong prospects since advertising tends to comprise a much smaller part of developing economies relative to developed countries and this gap closes over time. But pundits have overlooked another key driver for the Chinese media and advertising sectors: the military host. These military hosts were a secret until Long or Short ventured onto the mainland in order to obtain shots directly from the CCTV feed. As you can see, military officials regularly appear on television, exhorting viewers to continue watching or risk imprisonment. This bodes well for advertising generally. Can you imagine the ratings “Good Morning America” would get if Rumsfeld hosted and those who didn’t watch were drafted into Iraq?

Recommendation: Long Chinese media and TV advertising plays. Long snappily dressed military announcers. Short Katie Couric.