Pantech taps JWT for overseas foray

The third-ranked handset vendor has opted to follow the global path paved by Samsung, whose overseas foray is helping to bestow Korean products with credibility. "Samsung has helped present Korea as a laboratory of cool on the global stage," said JWT Northeast Asia area director Tom Doctoroff. More an original equipment manufacturer, Pantech's overseas foray has been prompted by limited growth opportunities in Korea, which is dominated by Samsung and LG. JWT's Indian operation and its second-tier agency Contract have presented their credentials to Pantech. "Pantech prefers to use JWT offices because of JWT Korea's involvement. However, they also like to have multiple choices to compare," said JWT Korea MD Dong-Wook Kim of the presentations. Kim said Pantech was looking to expand into China and the US instead of focusing on Korea. However, the latest entrant in India's mobile phone sector faces a crowded field of rivals, such as Geo, Sagem, BenQ and Bird, which launched in the last six months. To counter its rivals, Pantech has tied up an exclusive distribution deal with First Mobile India for the launch of the G500 at US$600 and the G300 at $320. Leading on from its price, the distribution plan includes non-traditional outlets such as jewellery stores as Pantech is targeting women and techies. "This is the first time that a manufacturer has come to India with a specific target profile in mind," said First Mobile MD Sanjoy Roy. Pantech is looking for a three per cent share in these segments and has opted for a low-key outdoor and press campaign over TV, playing on its tagline 'Status of the art'. Additional reporting by Vinod Mahanta