Nokia struggles aboard burning platform

IT IS ALWAYS HARD to demonstrate a causal link between sponsorship and the fortunes of a consumer brand although in Nokia’s case there is an argument to be made. New chief exec Stephen Elop has described the challenge facing the company as like being stranded on a burning oil platform and announced a panic tie-up with that other perennial mobile struggler Microsoft. Sponsorship is more than a one-way conversation and one cannot help but wonder whether Nokia’s current problems are down to a lack of engagement with its public. Nokia was last active in the sponsorship market in 2007 when among other things it supported basketball, skiing and triathlon. Since then it has missed the huge explosion in mobile data and seen new entrant Apple steal market share among the most lucrative segment. - 11/2/2011