Grey wins US$17m in HK, China dotcom accounts

<p>Grey has revealed that it has won a slew of dotcom accounts in Hong </p><p>Kong and China worth about HK$130 million (about US$17 </p><p>million) over the past six months. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The figure, it claimed, represented between 10 and 20 per cent of its </p><p>total billings in the SAR and the mainland. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The wins included CTI's CTInets and Hong Kong broadband, Sunevision's </p><p>propertystreet.net, New World Cyberspacce's ehongkong.com, Hutchison's </p><p>bigboxx.com and mingpao.com. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, Grey Hong Kong and China MD Andrew Lee denied that the agency </p><p>was putting too much focus on the Internet. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We have maintained our traditional client base and we have added a few </p><p>as well; Castrol Hong Kong and China, which we won from Saatchis, and </p><p>Founder Computers, the second-largest computer brand in China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"But the fact is that the dotcom sector is the fastest-growing industry </p><p>right now and we have to tap into it because even our traditional </p><p>clients are moving into the Internet," he told MEDIA. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ms Viveca Chan, Grey's Hong Kong CEO and China chairman, agreed that a </p><p>consolidation was looming in the dotcom sector; however, she pointed out </p><p>that steps have been taken to ensure payment. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"For dotcoms with traditional businesses behind them such as Sun Hung </p><p>Kai and Hutchison, which are our traditional clients, we don't take any </p><p>special measures, but for pure start-ups with no bricks and mortar </p><p>support, we ask for bank guarantees or pre-payment." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, she stressed that a consolidation didn't mean that the Internet </p><p>would go away, but it would become part of the traditional media mix of </p><p>print and TV. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The development of the Internet has been rapid, and while there might </p><p>be a consolidation, we can see what's coming up ahead - convergence," Ms </p><p>Chan said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This is why, she added, Grey had established Grey Interactive and, more </p><p>recently, Beyond Interactive, to keep its competitive edge sharp. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>