The assignment is to rebrand the eponymously-named brand, founded by one
of China's best-known gymnast from the 1980s, Li-Ning.
Burnett outgunned Bates, Ogilvy & Mather and incumbent Dentsu's RiHai.
In a separate media pitch, Starcom outgunned Dentsu, MindShare and Zenith to win the media planning and buying assignment.
Burnett Beijing general manager, Kelvin Cheng, said the pitch focused on
agencies' ability to develop a television campaign and upgrade Li-Ning's
positioning. Cheng said the key task would be modernising the brand's
image. "The new TVC will roll out at the end of May to coincide with the
World Cup kick-off,
he added.
Starcom's Greater China and North Asia chief executive, Blase D'Sylva, credited the agency's win to its strategic and creative recommendations in areas such as sponsorship.
"The brand is looking for unique ways to hit its target because it knows it is facing big-name competitors like Nike and adidas, who are in a position to spend significant amounts of money if they choose to," D'Sylva said.
