Nokia Corp. named Wieden & Kennedy as the lead strategic and creative agency for its estimated $300 million mobile phones advertising account, following a review.
Wieden’s first ads for Nokia’s cellphones are expected to air early next year.
Wieden, working through its London office, will handle all global campaigns. “We expect this relationship to help take us to our goal of becoming the most loved and admired iconic brand,” said Jo Harlow, senior VP of marketing for Nokia’s mobile phones business.
The move comes as mobile-phone sales in the U.S. could shift dramatically with the introduction of Apple Inc.’s iPhone. Not only does the iPhone combine iTunes, photos and Internet capabilities, but the computer company has taken the reins away from the telecom companies, in this case AT&T, in dictating the terms of the sale of the phone.
Traditionally, in the U.S., consumers select a carrier, and then buy a phone for $100 or even less, a system which devalued the phone. The iPhone, which went on sale last week, retails for $500 to $600.
Nokia in April split its ad review into two parts; the creative portion included Wieden, independent Mother and WPP Group’s JWT as finalists. The second half of the review-to decide who handles network distribution of the creative-has involved JWT and sibling Grey Worldwide, the marketer’s agency in the U.S., Europe and parts of the Middle East; Bates, Nokia’s shop in Asia; and Omnicom Group’s DDB Worldwide. That review will be decided in a couple of weeks, according to an executive familiar with the situation.
Nokia is the world’s leading cellphone maker, but lags in the U.S. Nokia spent $49 million in measured media the U.S. in 2006, according to TNS Media Intelligence
Alice Z. Cuneo is a reporter for Advertising Age, a sister publication of RCR Wireless News. Both publications are owned by Crain Communications Inc.
