Taobao's B2C portal Tmall calls creative pitch for new projects in 2012

Sources close to the account said the pitch is for a thematic campaign and some upcoming marketing events and projects including  the 2012 London Olympics as well as the 'Bachelor Day' on 11 November.

The projects also include opportunity for brands to do exclusive sales on Tmall.com before the official product launch in their physical retail stores.

An insider said that Euro RSCG Beijing stands a good chance of scooping the pitch.

Online retail generated $121 billion in sales in China last year, up 66 per cent from 2010, according to Barclays Capital. 

In 2011, Tmall.com was the significant market leader, capturing 40 per cent of the B2C market share, followed by second players like 360Buy.com, which has 15 per cent market share.

Last year, as part of its US$30 million advertising campaign to raise brand awareness among consumers, Taobao Mall rolled out a large-scale ad campaign, including a TVC spot, OOH and online elements, which aimed to break the norm of conventional shopping habits based around restricted shopping hours.

The campaign was created by Lowe China, which won the creative account in 2010, together with Zenith Media China. However, Zenith's spokesperson confirmed that the agency no longer works with Taobao and the client does not currently have a media AOR.