Nokia signals plan for regular roster review

<P>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.</P> <P><br><br><BR>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."</P> <P><br><br><BR>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.</P> <P><br><br><BR>Following Nokia's media review in 2005 the company consolidated its regional business with European incumbent MediaCom, shifting the business out of ZenithOptimedia.<BR></P>