Brands2Life to promote 'electronic wallet' in UK

LUUP is behind technology that turns mobile phones into ‘electronic wallets’, allowing payment processing, purchasing and receipt of money to be made by phone.

Customers who sign up to LUUP can also transfer money to other LUUP account holders by SMS or online.
The system, which has already been launched in Germany under the name LUUPAY, is seen as an alternative to previous mobile commerce systems that required premium-rate text messages. It is backed by billionaire property magnate David Reuben.

‘Our campaign is designed initially to build awareness for LUUP across business and mobile media,’ said Brands2Life co-founder Sarah Scales. ‘We will then work on a major consumer launch later this year,’ she added.

Brands2Life director Harriett Rich heads the account, reporting to LUUP UK sales director Rob Perkins.

Various companies have made forays into this arena since the turn of the millennium, including Paybox and Vodafone, with mPay. Most have fallen by the wayside, either through lack of co-operation between mobile operators or lack of practical uses for the system.

The most high-profile of these initiatives, Simpay, collapsed last June after finding it difficult to convince operators to adopt the project.

Its business model, requiring mobile operators to share revenue, was largely shunned. Brand2Life was the agency that worked with Simpay.

LUUP will initially focus on providing users with access to mobile phone content. It has been in operation in Norway since 2002, under the name Contopronto, which is the firm’s Oslo-based parent operation.

Brands2Life won the account without pitch.