Leo Burnett Shanghai nets Jack & Jones' creative in China

The agency received the confirmation on 21 Feburary after a three-way pitch with undisclosed agencies took place after Chinese New Year.

Jack & Jones was founded in 1898 and is part of Bestseller, a family-owned clothing company founded in Denmark in 1975. The menswear brand has had a retail presence in China since 2000 and now has more than 1,500 stores in tier one and two cities, as well as an online store in Taobao Mall.

Jack & Jones is a well-known brand in China, as it is one of the earlier foreign menswear brands to enter the China market, Alvin Yim, operations director of Leo Burnett Shanghai, told Campaign. However, other international counterparts including H&M, Zara, Gap, and Uniqlo, tend to operate as flagship stores.

Although those competitors are latecomers, they are more aggressive in terms of advertising with celebrities and well-known fashion models. They also execute crossover design campaigns with other fashion designers, bringing lots of freshness and excitement to the market. Examples include David Beckham and Madonna, cross-over design with Karl Largerfeld and Versace for H&M, Jolin Tsai and Usher for Gap, Orlando Bloom and Charlize Theron for Uniqlo.

Hence the agency's challenges in its upcoming major rebranding campaign, including online and above-the-line, which will be launching in late 2012, is to inject a new breath of freshness to the brand.

Last December, the brand rolled out a gothic-themed 'Gothicise Your Wardrobe 2011, Jack & Jones brand experience show' in Shanghai, Beijing, Dalian, and Jinan. The show lured attendees with stickers of a human skeleton, virtual fitting rooms, free installation of Jack & Jones smartphone applications, and interactive games.

Jack & Jones is owned by BestSeller Fashion Group China, which operates more than 5,100 stores in 300 cities throughout China and also owns women's fashion brands Vero Moda and Only, as well as another menswear brand, Selected.