JP Morgan charges Equinox to boost brand awareness in China

The financial industry powerhouse is a global client of ZenithOptimedia, but its previous advertising campaigns in China were planned through its in-house team. Under the new contract, Equinox will be asked to strengthen JP Morgan's brand awareness and promote its global view in order to achieve rapid growth in China.

Equinox won this one-year media account, including all the media planning and buying,  without a pitch. The agency cited that the 2010 monitoring ad expenditure of JP Morgan was approximately US$985,000 (RMB 6.29 million) in China.

The investment bank has also chosen Dentsu as its creative agency partner in China.

Although JP Morgan has been in operation in China for 90 years, mainly through corporate business, its brand awareness in the mass market in China is comparatively low, competing for attention with host of other international players including HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Citibank, Barclay’s Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Credit Suisse.

The brand has just launched its 90th anniversary China campaign in August, and will follow with a new global corporate ad campaign in China.

“Winning JP Morgan’s media account not only adds one more leading international brand into Equinox’s client portfolios,” Manfred Tsang, Equinox’s deputy general manager asserted.  "But it also reinforces our capabilities in the finance category.”

Steven Chang, CEO of ZenithOptimedia Greater China added that China's rapid development, coupled with the gradual opening up of its financial markets, is helping to attract more global financial institutions to come into the local market. “How to strengthen awareness to win the trust of Chinese consumers is the primary issue for clients in finance market,” he said.



Equinox is a brand for ZenithOptimedia Group. It serves several global and local clients including Royal Caribbean Cruises International, China Merchant Bank, Puma, and Swarovski.