Three years ago, Jimmy Lam, chief editor of Longyin Review, and 4As agency veteran John Fu founded a site called AdKungFu.com in China. As well as hosting news and forums for the industry, the portal rapidly developed into a database for major Greater China award shows. The founders, however, thought such sites had already been ‘over-killed’ in China.
So AdKungFu took a different path and began hosting virtual briefs for young talent in China to pitch their ideas. Soon marketers and companies, including Alibaba and China Mobile, began using it as a resource for creative solutions.
The website currently has 7,772 creatives on its books. A recent young talent contest recorded 1,832 proposals for a China Mobile brief and 1,363 for Alibaba, with Alibaba paying a fee for the service.
In mid-2009 AdKungFu adopted Witkey, a point-earning system by which people can exchange and purchase information and services in return for money. The system is increasingly popular in China, where it has grown 500 per cent in the past three years. Fu says a creative idea could cost as little as US$146 on AdKungFu while a design idea could amount to triple as much.
A bigger pool of ideas for clients to choose from is a good start, but both Jennifer Tang, deputy MD at Ogilvy Taiwan, and Mike Curtis, group CEO at Start, say that such ‘tactical ideas’ can only go so far.
Furthermore, certain clients note drawbacks to the portal, as agencies exist to build relationships and provide strategic planning for clients in the long-term.
However, according to Tang, “having more sites like AdKungFu increases the pressure on ad agencies to deliver great ideas.”
Fu points out that AdKungFu is a hunting ground for both clients and agencies. During a recent young talent contest for Yahoo Taiwan, an undergraduate from the rural Chongqing Three Gorges University won the brief and earned himself an internship at Ogilvy Beijing.
Curtis suggests these portals can also give leads for ‘unhappy’ clients looking for new agencies.
While there is no risk yet of such sites replacing traditional ad agencies, Curtis says that rather than competing against each other, ad agencies and sites like AdKungFu should look for opportunities to collaborate.
He adds that "now is the time" for sites like AdKungFu to really take off and become a mainstream tool for the creative industry.
Got a view?
Email [email protected]
This article was originally published in the 28 January 2010 issue of Media.
So AdKungFu took a different path and began hosting virtual briefs for young talent in China to pitch their ideas. Soon marketers and companies, including Alibaba and China Mobile, began using it as a resource for creative solutions.
The website currently has 7,772 creatives on its books. A recent young talent contest recorded 1,832 proposals for a China Mobile brief and 1,363 for Alibaba, with Alibaba paying a fee for the service.
In mid-2009 AdKungFu adopted Witkey, a point-earning system by which people can exchange and purchase information and services in return for money. The system is increasingly popular in China, where it has grown 500 per cent in the past three years. Fu says a creative idea could cost as little as US$146 on AdKungFu while a design idea could amount to triple as much.
A bigger pool of ideas for clients to choose from is a good start, but both Jennifer Tang, deputy MD at Ogilvy Taiwan, and Mike Curtis, group CEO at Start, say that such ‘tactical ideas’ can only go so far.
Furthermore, certain clients note drawbacks to the portal, as agencies exist to build relationships and provide strategic planning for clients in the long-term.
However, according to Tang, “having more sites like AdKungFu increases the pressure on ad agencies to deliver great ideas.”
Fu points out that AdKungFu is a hunting ground for both clients and agencies. During a recent young talent contest for Yahoo Taiwan, an undergraduate from the rural Chongqing Three Gorges University won the brief and earned himself an internship at Ogilvy Beijing.
Curtis suggests these portals can also give leads for ‘unhappy’ clients looking for new agencies.
While there is no risk yet of such sites replacing traditional ad agencies, Curtis says that rather than competing against each other, ad agencies and sites like AdKungFu should look for opportunities to collaborate.
He adds that "now is the time" for sites like AdKungFu to really take off and become a mainstream tool for the creative industry.
Got a view?
Email [email protected]
This article was originally published in the 28 January 2010 issue of Media.
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