SINGAPORE: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications has appointed Bartle
Bogle Hegarty (BBH) as its global advertising agency just days after the
two mobile communications equipment vendors formally launched their
joint venture last week.
The worldwide account will be handled out of London, with Asia being
looked after by the agency's office in Singapore.
BBH was responsible for the Ericsson account, while Dentsu was Sony's
agency prior to the roll-out of the joint-venture.
BBH was appointed without a pitch on the strength of its track record
with both Sony and Ericsson, according to the agency's Asia-Pacific
chief executive officer Chris Harris.
"We've done some strong work for Ericsson, but we have also been heavily
involved in the strategic development of the two companies, including
with regards the joint venture," Harris said.
The joint-venture between Sony Corporation and Telefonaktiebolaget LM
Ericsson is the culmination of talks between the two mobile telcos,
which began in May.
Sony Ericsson will be offering communications products for people who
appreciate the possibilities of powerful technology, according to the
company.
Behind the branding is a new logo and a mission to become the number one
player in mobile multimedia products within five years.
Katsumi Ihara, president of Sony Ericsson, revealed that the
joint-venture would be "launching our first products during next
year".
However, the advertising campaigns, which will be developed by BBH, is
expected to roll out globally before Christmas.
The Sony-Ericsson joint-venture is seen as a means for the two companies
to seek new ways to try and gain the upper hand in the
fiercely-competitive telecommunications industry. One competitive
advantage is that the venture presents a good geographical fit - in
Asia, for instance, Ericsson is strong in China and Taiwan, while Sony
is dominant in Japan.
