Underdog Chado Advertising & Design scores a knock-out punch in Hong Kong

PORTLAND, OR: Chad Brown of Chado Advertising & Design has fought Saddam Hussein’s army in Iraq and trudged across Antarctica, but a call asking him to pitch a branding campaign for a large Hong Kong apparel manufacturer got him a bit nervous. We caught up with Chad to ask him about his personal “David and Goliath” story.

How did you, as a small Portland agency, find yourself in Hong Kong pitching to a massive apparel manufacturer?
My good friend and colleague, Christiaan Samuels, works as Executive Director of Marketing & Design for Epic and even though he was considering Grey Advertising and Ogilvy for the campaign, thought I might have something to offer. When he called me and told me Grey and Ogilvy were pitching, and in the same breath invited me to Hong Kong, all expenses paid, to go up against them, you could say that my adrenaline got going! So I figured I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, and I jumped in.

How did you approach it?
No matter if you’re the biggest agency in the world or just a small operation, it all boils down to the fundamentals – providing an original and compelling message, being transparent and honest, demonstrating how I’ll fulfill on the contract, and doing what it takes to make the client happy. I’ve always believed in what Chado Advertising & Design brings to the table – solid ideas and strong vertical partnerships.

What do you mean by “vertical partnerships?”
Vertical partnerships are solid relationships with other professionals on whom I can rely. For the Epic pitch, I brought in video director Tim Diens and copywriter Al Polito, two seasoned professionals who can run just as fast as I can, and whose strengths compliment mine.

How did you prepare the pitch?
One week and no sleep (laughs). As soon as the game was on, I connected with Al to work out some concepts and messaging
"agency-style" just like the days when I was a big-agency guy, and then I brought in Tim to develop a high-impact messaging multimedia video that shows and integrates Epic Group’s current look, and presents compelling case and a bold new direction where we wanted to take them. I worked around the clock everyday to make the deadline, which in this case was my flight to Hong Kong. I worked as if I was already getting paid and committed to the client’s satisfaction.

So with the multimedia presentation on my laptop as well as trade show design, DVD packaging, collateral, website mock-up and two 11x17 spread advertisements, I got on the plane. I went in with no expectations, knowing that all there was to do was focus on what we could provide and confidently portray that. I arrived in Hong Kong on October 21 and got back to Portland on November 10, 2008.

So how was Hong Kong?
I lived in New York for nine years and would have never believed that a city could move 10 times faster than the Big Apple. But when I found my mind moving faster than my body, I knew I was really someplace new. I was a bit nervous and suffering jet lag. I had just one hour at the hotel before I was whisked of to the Epic Group offices for the first meeting to get acquainted. The next day I was to make my pitch at Epic Group.

What was the pitch like?
The president started out the conversation by asking me to tell him about myself. Since Epic had already heard from two large agencies, I knew that there was no room to posture and brag, just get down to it – time, cost, and quality – the things that matter to any good businessman. I put my best foot forward, showed him what I could do, and although it was a pretty tough sell, in the end the president granted me this opportunity to take it to the next level with a handshake and a contract.

What’s next?
We’re moving forward to develop the identity and company brand for Epic Group. We will be working closely with Christiaan Samuels at Epic and getting down to the business of creating the messaging, identity, internal and external collateral and company profiles for the first phase.

Any other thoughts?
It’s exciting to be working for an international company and to know that it is not about how big you are, so much as it’s about what you can do, how well you can do it, and keeping the right people in your corner who help you get there. I am looking forward to building a great brand for Epic Group.