GLOBAL – Nokia has reportedly appointed Carat to handle its global US$450 million media planning and buying account. For most of Asia, the change is effective third quarter of 2009; India, the Middle East and North Africa will move later.
Part of media conglomerate Aegis, Carat finally pitched against Publicis’ Zenith Optimedia after other major networks, including Universal McCann and Omnicom-owned PHD, had dropped out at earlier stages. Incumbent MediaCom did not participate – nor did any of WPP/Group M’s media affiliates, including big gun Mindshare.
In a press statement, Nokia’s global head of marketing, Pekka Rantala, said: "We were looking for a partner that offered digital media excellence to accelerate Nokia’s move into solutions marketing. …We believe that innovation will be an important component to improve the effectiveness of media communications in the future. Carat will add value especially in strategic planning and offer strong digital capabilities," Rantala said.
