Recently merged mobile phone giant Sony Ericsson is to host a raft
of pitches worldwide as it seeks to take on external PR help 'as soon as
possible'.
Formed at the start of October, the company has appointed ex-Ericsson
communications head Nina Eldh as head of corporate communications, with
Tetsuo Kanno and Peter Bodor as PR managers leading the comms drive.
According to Bodor, also from the Ericsson side of the business, the
company is not planning to hire one global agency.
He said the communications team is currently devising a structure in
which a global network of firms can be hired, but did not rule out
offering a lead role to one agency.
Although no agencies have as yet been shortlisted, Bodor confirmed
several had made unsolicited approaches to the company, which itself
made preliminary enquiries of a number of agencies when the merger was
first mooted.
The firm, which is in the process of relocating to London, where its
comms team will be based, is currently recruiting for an internal
communications head and a PR assistant.
Although agencies will be taken on, Bodor said: 'We're intending to keep
some of the work in-house and it's important to keep core PR strategy
in-house.'
Bodor added that the firm would start with a 'small and efficient' team,
but declined to comment on which areas of PR external help would be
hired for, or when the pitches will take place.
Sony and Ericsson, which own equal shares in the new firm, sold more
than 50 million mobile phone handsets between them last year, worth in
excess of £5bn.
The first Sony Ericsson branded phones will appear in the third quarter
of next year, with the firm targeting market leadership within five
years.
