Nokia in global below-the-line review ahead of repositioning

by Ed Kemp, Marketing 16-Jan-07, 13:00

LONDON - Telecommunications giant Nokia is reviewing its global below-the-line marketing account to support a new brand positioning.

The Finnish company has already issued a number of UK direct marketing agencies with a tender to handle its pan-European point-of-sale account and hopes to appoint a creative agency with retail speciality.

According to the brief, Nokia aims to put "emotional engagement at the heart of the brand".

It is understood that the company has already kicked off a full-scale marketing review of its marketing services business, including advertising, in Latin America.

It is unclear whether the review will affect Nokia's arrangements with its incumbent creative and media agencies. Nokia's advertising account is dominated by the WPP network; Grey London handles the business in the UK, while media planning and buying is handled by sister WPP agency MediaCom.

According to Nielsen Media Research, Nokia spends around $500m (£254m) on marketing globally with about £14m spent in the UK each year.

In 2005, Nokia had an operating profit of €4.6bn (£3bn), an increase of 400m (£198m) a year earlier.

Nokia declined to comment on the review.

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