SAN DIEGO: Cell-phone maker Kyocera Wireless has hired two new agencies. Formula PR will handle the handset producer's US PR, while Bock Communications will be responsible for its Latin America PR.
In the US, Formula PR is charged with helping the San Diego-based unit of the Japanese company with internal and external communications, and consumer cobranding promotions. The agency won the six-figure account after a competitive pitch with several Southern California agencies also vying for the business.
Kyocera is in the process of attempting to transition from an established technology company to a consumer-electronics lifestyle brand.
"Everybody in the cellular category is really going after a lifestyle position because cellular phones are no longer a status symbol," explained Formula PR president Michael Olguin. "So now you are trying to establish yourself as a value-added product for consumers."
To that end, Formula will concentrate on pairing the manufacturer with other lifestyle and entertainment brands, as well as creating high-profile product launches and industry awareness.
California-based Bock Communications will handle Kyocera's PR in Latin America, where the company is currently expanding its operations. According to company-provided statistics, since October 2002, Kyocera has increased its active customer base from 15 carriers in seven countries to 30 carriers in 19 countries within Latin America.
