It's Official: Nokia Holds Global Contest

NEW YORK Nokia confirmed that it has called a review of its global mobile phones account, and a client executive said the company intends to look at roster and non-roster agencies in its search.Jo Harlow, svp of marketing, said requests for information would start going out to agencies in the next two weeks.She stressed that the review affects only the mobile phones business handled by lead agency Grey in North America and Europe, and Bates in Asia. Those shops and others are on Nokia's marketing services roster for mobile phones, which are also part of the review, she said. MediaCom handles the bulk of Nokia's media planning and buying, but those duties are unaffected. All three shops are owned by WPP Group.Omnicom Group's DDB handles Nokia phones in most of Latin America, she said.Grey also handles Nokia's enterprise solutions account, and Interpublic Group's Lowe handles Nokia's multimedia account. Harlow said those businesses are unaffected."We're in a competitive environment," Harlow said. "And we've been looking at our go-to-market strategy. We're simply looking for the best approach that meets our business needs."Harlow said certain aspects of the search have yet to be determined. While the company admittedly wants to trim its ad roster, she said it hadn't been decided if the account would be consolidated at one entity with advertising and below-the-line capabilities, or whether duties would be split among two or more shops.She did not know how many agencies would be contacted and could not provide a timeline for the process. The assignment is for a 2008 global marketing strategy for Nokia's mobile phones."It will take as long as it takes," she said of the search, adding that because the mobile phone market has matured in so many regions of the world, Nokia wants to "create a more emotional connection with the consumer."No consultant is involved, she said. Harlow and Nokia's vp of marketing for mobile phones in North America, Craig Coffey, are leading the search, she said.Nokia is based in Espoo, Finland, and Harlow splits her time between the headquarters there and its London hub. Coffey is based at Nokia's office in Irving, Texas. He joined the company in April 2006 from PepsiCo, where he had worked for 20 years.Grey has been on the Nokia roster since 1986.The company spent about $40 million-plus in U.S. media last year, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus, and at least twice that globally on its mobile phones business, sources said.Harlow would not comment on billings.Independent Wieden + Kennedy joined the Nokia roster late last year, winning the assignment to market the client's flagship stores in 12 cities around the world. Sources said the agency was interested in pursuing the account, as were Grey, Lowe, OgilvyOne and independent Nitro.Executives at the agencies either could not be reached or referred calls to the client. "We've had a long, prosperous relationship with Grey and Bates," Harlow said. "They're looking at this review as a new challenge."According to its annual report, Nokia had about $25 billion in worldwide mobile phone sales in 2004, an increase of 12 percent. The company is No. 1 in that market, followed by Motorola and Samsung.This story updates an item posted on Jan. 22 with client confirmation and other details.

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It's Official: Nokia Holds Global Contest

Kathleen Sampey

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Kathleen Sampey