Funtastic beats JWT in Nike race

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

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