Funtastic beats JWT in Nike race

<p>TAIPEI: Local creative boutique, Funtastic, has trounced incumbent </p><p>J. Walter Thompson, and multinational rivals Ogilvy & Mather and D'Arcy </p><p>for the Taiwan portion of Nike's Greater China business. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Funtastic vice-president, Shirley Chow, said: "We thought it would be </p><p>difficult to win. We were the only local agency. We didn't have the </p><p>outside resources the others had." The sporting goods giant, however </p><p>said the "passion" displayed by Funtastic was a deciding factor. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"They share our passion for sports," said Carol Chen, brand marketing </p><p>manager for BRS Nike Taiwan. Nike hopes to have Funtastic on board by </p><p>May 1. Chen would not reveal the budget for the account. Under JWT, it </p><p>is believed the account last year was worth NTdollars 120 million (about </p><p>USdollars 3.7 million). JWT handled Nike in Taiwan for the past six </p><p>years as part of Greater China, which includes China and Hong Kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Funtastic's chief advisor, David Sun, who led the six-person pitch team, </p><p>said Funtastic offered creative ways to communicate the "deeper" meaning </p><p>of sports as experienced by enthusiasts and the broader public. </p><p>Interestingly, Funtastic will market Nike in the post-Michael Jordan </p><p>era. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"A spokesperson isn't the only way to help us deliver the value of the </p><p>brand," said Nike's Chen. "Locally we have a lot of different ways to do </p><p>this." Among them is participation in baseball and other sport </p><p>leagues. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In all local marketing, Nike communicates "how much it loves sports, and </p><p>how much it understands others love for sports", she added. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Funtastic is Taiwan's 15th ranked agency, with billings last year of </p><p>NTdollars 902 million, according to Brain Magazine. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Originally an event firm, Funtastic evolved into a creative boutique </p><p>after Sun came on board in the mid-1990s. Sun was formerly executive </p><p>creative director at O&M. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>