BBH reels in Sony and Ericsson global work

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.

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