Nokia is said to planning to change its strategy to focus on youth consumers by “rejuvenating” the brand. The company plans to use of social media, partner with more youth-focused celebrities and brands (mostly music related) and continue to come out with more affordable handsets.John Nichols, Nokia’s head of marketing for the UK and Ireland, says “This isn’t a standing start, we already have a huge youth market but for teenagers we need to ensure that we create the content and partnerships that matter. As a teenager, the brands I loved had an opinion and told me whether to engage with them or not.”
Nokia has already partnered with X Factor boy band One Direction, to create an exclusive phone personalized by the members of the group with added screensavers and ringtones. Future celebrity ambassadors will actively participate with its youth audience. The company will also increase its use of social as part of its more youth-focused strategy as it looks to increase the number of conversations it has with younger consumers.
It seems Nokia is trying every bit to get their numbers rolling. The new Belle devices seem great and the upcoming Windows Phone device should fare well. More on the rejuvenating strategy will be unveiled at the Nokia Event in London.