Nike loses chief to BBDO Group

Nike has lost its European media manager Jorg Tappe in the middle of the World Cup, the most critical part of the year for it.

Tappe, who left Nike yesterday, will join the Omnicom-owned BBDO Group as the new business director of its German media shop, New Directions.

As the sportswear company’s most senior media manager in Europe, he reported to Nike’s US-based global director of media, Jo Pollard.

Tappe says: “My role will be to drive the business forward and to link up with other parts of the Omnicom network.”

Nike is looking for his replacement, but no one is expected to fill the post until the end of summer.

Tappe denies his departure will damage the company’s media strategy. “Our plans have been set for some time and we are looking forward to seeing our sales figures after the World Cup. We think they should be good.”

Tappe joined Nike in 1996 from CIA, where he worked for three years across a range of pan-European clients, including Honda, Dunhill, and Nike.

Previously he worked at German media shop Mediahaus, part of the CIA network, which he joined in 1990.