Mobile phone operator Orange has appointed Lawson Lucas Mendelsohn
to advise it on government and public affairs.
It is the third account that the agency has won from Lowe Bell Political
since its founders Neal Lawson and Ben Lucas left Lowe Bell to team up
with Jon Mendelsohn, a former aide to Tony Blair, earlier this year.
It was also confirmed this week that LLM has won the political account
at supermarket chain Tesco, after pitching against incumbent Lowe Bell,
APCO and Prima. The Lowe Bell group retains the larger corporate and
product PR accounts for Tesco. In September LLM won KPMG’s UK government
affairs business also from Lowe Bell.
Lawson, who worked with Orange at Lowe Bell, will lead the account. No
other agencies are believed to have pitched for the work.
The main political issue for Orange is the Wireless Telegraphy Bill,
currently being formulated. The bill will regulate pricing of the
airwaves used by Orange and its main competitors One-2-One, Vodafone and
Cellnet.
LMM will also lobby the Government and its advice to councils for
planning permission to build masts.
The consultancy will also try to garner support and understanding from
the Government for Orange’s research into new technology which can link
mobile phones to the internet and allow them to store data like
computers.
Orange continues to retain Dewe Rogerson for financial PR, and Text 100
for consumer work.
