Hotlines: Late-Breaking Industry News

Nokia Expected to Make Choice This Week in Network PitchNEW YORK Nokia this week is expected to select an agency network to adapt and distribute ads for the company's mobile phones business. The contenders are Omnicom's DDB and WPP units JWT and Grey—the lead incumbent—which is partnering with sister shop Bates in Asia. In early July, Nokia awarded lead strategic and creative duties to independent Wieden + Kennedy in London. The winning network is expected to run the business out of London because Nokia is based in Europe. Globally, Nokia spends about $120 million annually in major measured media.Small Shops Join Holding Co.'s In Computer Manufacturer PitchNEW YORK Five holding companies have put forth agency teams to handle global marketing services duties for Dell in what sources describe as a pitch that revolves around credentials and capabilities. Leaders from WPP, IPG, Omnicom, Publicis and Havas have been meeting with top executives at the Round Rock, Texas-based Dell. Dell is said to be looking to consolidate its consumer and business-to-business directed efforts within a single holding company. As such, Dell needs partners in advertising, direct marketing, interactive marketing and media planning and buying, among other disciplines. That said, Dell also has taken meetings with smaller ad agencies such as Mother, perhaps to keep its options open, said sources. Total revenue on the global account is estimated at $100 million. The search follows the April arrival of Mark Jarvis as global CMO and amid Dell's July split with Omnicom's BBDO. BBDO handled U.S consumer duties on the account. Dell's latest consumer effort came from independent shop Mother here. DDB handles b-to-b duties in the U.S.SAP Consolidates Web, Offline Media Account at MindShareNEW YORK Business software giant SAP has consolidated its online and offline global media account at WPP's MindShare after a review, the client has confirmed. MindShare has been the incumbent on the client's traditional offline planning and buying account since 1999. It retains that business while picking up the digital and direct response portions of the account. The winning pitch was led by MindShare Interaction, which likely signals that the client will spend more on digital media as part of its future marketing efforts, sources said. The new agreement takes effect in the first quarter of 2008. Other incumbents included Neo@Ogilvy and Acronym. SAP spent about $40 million in U.S. measured media in 2006, per TNS Media Intelligence. Global spending could not be determined. AKQA Wins Current TV Online Media AccountNEW YORK Independent AKQA has won online media planning and buying duties for Current TV, the cable channel co-founded by Al Gore in 2005 to combine broadcasting with consumer-generated content. The digital shop will handle campaigns to attract 18-34-year-olds to both tune into Current and create some of the channel's content. AKQA earlier this summer ran an initial campaign for Current around its sponsorship of the Bonnaroo Music Festival. Placements ran on music sites like All Music, JamBase, MySpace Music and Pitchfork. The account includes U.K. campaigns because Current has deals with Virgin Media and BSkyB to carry Current programming. MediaCom USA Gets New CEO, Callas Shifts to Global Creative NEW YORK Doug Checkeris has been named the new CEO of WPP's MediaCom USA, the agency said last week. His appointment is effective Oct. 1. Previously, Checkeris was CEO of MediaCom Canada. He succeeds Dene Callas, who is moving into the newly created role of global director of creative. Checkeris reports to MediaCom worldwide chairman and CEO Alexander Schmidt-Vogel. In Canada, under Checkeris, MediaCom has grown significantly, the agency said. According to RECMA, MediaCom Canada grew by more than $70 million in 2006, the largest growth by any media agency in the country, with billings of $787 million. 'Stuff' Will Fold Into 'Maxim' Under Quadrangle OwnershipNEW YORK The future owners of Dennis Publishing's men's titles plan to fold Stuff as a standalone magazine in the fall and make it a section in flagship Maxim, sources told Adweek sister publication Mediaweek. The move is effective with the November/December issue of Maxim. The news was widely expected after Stuff, along with Dennis' other U.S. men's titles, were sold to private equity firm Quadrangle Group in a $240-plus million deal. Alpha Media Group, the new owner of Dennis' men's titles, is expected to close on the deal as early as this week. John Lumpkin, publisher of Stuff, said a change in its publishing schedule is news to him. "There's been no discussion of suspending publication," he said. This year through August, Stuff's ad pages declined 3.4 percent, per the Mediaweek Monitor. Total paid and verified circulation, meanwhile, declined 4.8 percent to 1.2 million in the second half of 2006, with single-copy sales plummeting 34.9 percent, per the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

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