Two years ago, Internet firm Spike was on a high. Modelled on a Hollywood studio, the Australian firm set out to be a one-stop Internet consultant, investor and content provider. such as Spike Radio and Spike Cyberworks across Asia-Pacific. The good times could not last. But surprisingly for a dotcom with such big ambitions, Spike survived. Now owned by Hong Kong's Techpacific, Spike has re-emerged as a regional marketing agency and is participating in a series of activities intended to demonstrate its commitment to Hong Kong. These include sponsoring the upcoming 26th Hong Kong International Film Festival with its marketing activities and production of a CD-Rom for festival audiences. Spike's general manager Khalida Arain said: 'We are involved in these community activities which are popular in Hong Kong.' She said the company had performed well during the past year. Spike's Australian parent reported revenue in the first quarter of last year was US$1.2 million, rising to US$2.1 million in the third quarter, from its operations in Sydney, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong. The firm said its second-half figures were double those for the first half, indicating strong growth. Since arriving in Hong Kong in February 2000, Spike has gone through changes and tumultuous times. The Australian parent sold 30 per cent of its shares to Pacific Century CyberWorks (PCCW) in June that year, which saw PCCW become its sole Hong Kong client. PCCW transferred its stake to Techpacific in January last year. Techpacific then acquired an additional 21 per cent, making Spike a subsidiary. Ms Arain said the firm had survived the economic downturn by offering a wider range of online and offline solutions, from marketing and multimedia strategies to Web consultancy. 'We are now trying to educate people to get more cognitive about doing business online. We are showing companies all the benefits of doing business online and how to maximise your return on investment from your online presence,' she said. 'I believe we are in the foreground of getting people's perceptions changed.' A year after Techpacific's acquisition, Spike enlarged its customer base with clients including HSBC, Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering, PC Matrix, MSN, TelecomAsia and Santa Fe. The company has won several contracts outside Hong Kong. It teamed up with New York-based toy and figures manufacturer Art Asylum, beating rivals from the United States and Britain. Ms Arain said Art Asylum had approached Spike to build its Web presence, because Spike was a Hong Kong-based company that could offer a unique mixture of cultures. In Hong Kong, the company is also targeting small and medium-sized enterprises. Although Spike no longer sees itself as the Internet equivalent of a Hollywood studio, the company still tries to distinguish itself by a broad range of services. 'There are a lot of companies doing Web development and providing individual services, but not one is providing everything, plus a creative design team,' Ms Arain said.
