KMT ad takes a swipe at DPP

In a bizarre alliance between business and politics, the KMT has rented advertising space to a sporting goods manufacturer that seems to suggest the party is still fuming over its recent election loss.

The three-story-tall ad features the image of a swimmer next to the Nike logo and the "Just do it" slogan. Below, in big, bold Chinese characters, it reads: "The real winners and losers [come around] every four years (真正的勝負, 四年一次)."

While Nike Taiwan insisted the month-long ad campaign was "created to instill the Olympic spirit in the people of Taiwan," the ad -- which directly faces the DPP-held Presidential Office -- carries the obvious insinuation that in the next election four years from now, there could be a new "winner" in the nation's top office.

The KMT suffered a bitter defeat in the March presidential election and has done little to hide its displeasure at having lost power to the opposition.

The controversial ad -- and the political connotations it carries -- comes at a time when the freshman Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) administration is struggling to deal with a myriad of difficult political and economic headaches, many of which are remnants from the KMT era.

Speaking with the Taipei Times by phone, KMT spokesperson Jason Hu denied knowledge of the ad being paid for, but did indicate the ad -- while "controversial and clever," was not designed to provoke the DPP or the Presidential Office.

"I will never deny the fact that others may read the [advertisement's] meaning differently ... but the meaning and purpose of the ad was to show support for our Olympic athletes in Sydney," Hu said.

But the DPP didn't seem to interpret the political poke in the eye quite the same way.

"While parties can do what they want, they don't have to make tit-for-tat attacks [on each other] over every issue," said DPP secretary-general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁).

With the often stale KMT line-up in desperate need of new blood, Hu called Nike "an ideal partner from an advertising point of view," as the alliance helps bolster the "out of touch with today's youth" image of the KMT.

"We lost the election" and are dealing with that fact. We have to learn from the experience and move on," Hu said.

"It certainly is good for our image [to align with Nike and the Olympics] ... we needed to find new ways to appeal to the nation's youth."

Nike Taiwan agreed, saying the ad was part of a unique "win-win" collaboration between the KMT and the company. ?n"The KMT will benefit from being associated with the youthful, exciting image of Nike and the Olympics, and Nike [gets access to] one of the most creative outdoor ad locations in Tawan," said Nike public relations manager Jeanne Huang (黃湘燕).