Nokia signals plan for regular roster review

Nokia has initiated a benchmarking review of its US$320 million global creative accounts, following a similar exercise conducted among its media agencies last year in Asia-Pacific.

The review is believed to mark the start of a regular process, with sources pointing out that the world's largest mobile player is keen to conduct an evaluation of both creative and media on a one- to two-year cycle. "It's stepping outside the current set of vendors to see if Nokia is getting the best in terms of quality, price and resource," said a source. "It's a process they've been wanting to put in place for some time."

The review is being led out of Europe by Nokia's marketing and procurement divisions. Currently, Grey London handles the bulk of Nokia's creative business, although Bates Singapore has a significant amount of mobile phones work. IPG agencies, most notably Lowe Worldwide, complete the balance.

Following Nokia's media review in 2005 the company consolidated its regional business with European incumbent MediaCom, shifting the business out of ZenithOptimedia.