An Unlikely Promoter Drives Nokia’s Push in Hollywood

New York Times, June 23, 2008 — Tero Ojanpera is an unlikely media entrepreneur. Mr. Ojanpera, a veteran Nokia executive, is not a fan of “American Idol,” although he says he enjoys it from time to time. And when he tried to watch a recent episode of “Hannah Montana,” one of his sons switched the channel.

But four years ago, Mr. Ojanpera and his colleagues in the research center had an epiphany: that entertainment was crucial to the future of Nokia, the Finnish mobile phone maker.

Hoping to Make Phone Buyers Flip

New York Times, February 29, 2008 — These days, designing a new mobile phone can seem like something out of an episode of “Dr. Phil.”

LG Electronics, the maker of the Chocolate and Voyager phones, begins by asking focus groups to keep a journal, jotting down feelings about features they like most. Participants can call a toll-free number to share their emotions about the phone they are testing. And sometimes they are asked to draw pictures that represent their mood when they hold the phone.

“Our job is to be behaviorists and psychologists,” said Ehtisham Rabbani, LG’s vice president for product strategy and marketing. “We constantly have to be reminding ourselves that we tend to be geek types and our customers are not.”

Executives and industry analysts say it has become... continue reading

You Will Control 25% of Entertainment by 2012

MobileCrunch, December 5, 2007 — Nokia’s latest study, ‘A Glimpse of the Next Episode’, predicts that within five years a quarter of all entertainment will be created, edited and shared within peer groups rather than coming out of traditional media groups. Trend-setting consumers from 17 countries were asked about their digital behaviors and lifestyles. Nokia also used information gathered from its 900 million customers and views of leading industry figures to reach the conclusion that you will control 25% of the world’s entertainment by 2012.

Nokia looking at big picture

Latest acquisition places cellphone ad unit in Boston

Boston Globe, October 18, 2007 — Nokia Corp., the world's dominant cellphone maker, is positioning itself to compete against the likes of MySpace, iTunes, and Google, and is anchoring a key part of its new business in the Back Bay.

Similar Search Results: Google Wins

Global: Bow to Your Google

Brandchannel.com, January 29, 2007 — Google hogged technology headlines and spread its ubiquity (which is a nice way of saying "world dominance") throughout 2006. The dust barely cleared on its US$ 900 million deal with News Corporation to provide service to sites such as MySpace when it purchased video site and workplace time-waster (as well as third-place finisher) YouTube for $1.65 billion.

Branded Retailing: The Experience Is the Message

Brands meet real estate…really expensive real estate

Inside 1to1, January 11, 2007 — The New Yorker magazine usually reserves its critical coverage of openings for Broadway plays, art galleries, and Lincoln Center concerts. At the end of December however, the "Talk of the Town" turned to an opening of a different sort: retail.

Finding Your Innovation Fulcrum†

Wall Street Journal, December 20, 2005 — Customers are crying out for more and more innovation. Yet if you create too many offerings, costs spiral out of control; too few, and you miss out on profitable sales