W+K Denies Report of Nokia RFI

Wieden + Kennedy London managing director Neil Christie denied reports that Nokia has sent out an RFI for its global smartphone business, currently at the agency. Christie said his Nokia marketing clients denied that speculation and also told him advertising for the marketer's mobile phone remains at W+K and has not moved to Fallon, as was reported in Campaign.

"I've been told there is no Nokia smartphone review, no pitches being planned," Christie said. "Nokia confirmed we are the agency of record; we were briefed yesterday for more work."

Fallon joined Nokia's roster in April 2010 after it was given a global brand brief. None of their work to date has been used, Christie said. A Fallon London spokesperson declined to comment; reps at Nokia's Finnish headquarters could not be reached.

Christie said Nokia's procurement department has sent out a '"market scan exercise," as mandated every few years, and that he was told by a top procurement exec at Nokia that the document was not an RFI.

Nokia’s digital work is divided between agencies R/GA and Isobar, also rumored by Campaign to be part of an RFI. A R/GA rep said, "We have been told that our work will not be impacted and that the information (in Campaign) is inaccurate."

In 2007, W+K was selected as the global lead agency by Nokia's mobile phone group after a review. 

Nokia, the world's largest phone maker by volume, has been under pressure after recently losing out in the smartphone market to newcomers Apple and Google, and there has been mounting speculation that the company’s longtime chief Jorma Ollila will quit by next year.