'The Urbanista Diaries' connects consumers with their passions

 

NEW YORK, March 18 - R/GA, the agency for the digital age, has partnered with Nokia to create a new global campaign, "The Urbanista Diaries," to promote the recently launched Nokia N82. It features a 5-megapixel camera and integrated GPS.

Urbanista Diaries is an extensive three-phase campaign that engages bloggers, journalists, and everyday people in ways that highlight the benefits of the Nokia N82. While the technology for this project is currently in beta, Nokia is partnering with several top media sites such as Wallpaper, Lonely Planet, National Geographic, and CNN to document major world events in real time. Reporters are given a Nokia N82 to snap photos, which easily get uploaded to the Internet and positioned on a stylized map-thus allowing people to follow their stories around the world.

Arto Joensuu, global e-marketing director at Nokia, said the "Urbanista Diaries offers the perfect platform for users to discover the potential of Nokia Nseries devices. Having real people demonstrating the Nokia N82 in real time brings us closer to our customer base. It's also a great illustration of how the multimedia computer enriches your Internet experience by bringing context and location-based information to your reach."

Some examples of the partnership include: CNN is providing one of its award-winning international journalists with a Nokia N82 so its audience can see where he's chasing stories and track him in real time http://inthefield.blogs.cnn.com/. And Wallpaper armed fashion experts in London, Paris, and Milan with a Nokia N82 to give its audiences a front-row view of each city's Fashion Week http://www.wallpaper.com/fashion/fashion-weeks-uncovered/2047.

Nathan Cooper, executive creative director at R/GA London, added, "It's fantastic that we could leverage the technology that's available on products like the Nokia N82 and create such a fresh and innovative experience."

The campaign began earlier this year with four influential bloggers who travelled around the world in a global relay using the Nokia N82 to document their trip. The journey started in New York and ended in London, with 22 stops that included Washington DC, Las Vegas, Bangkok, Singapore, Mumbai, Goa, Berlin, and Paris. Consumers can find the entire journey documented at www.nseries.com/urbanistadiaries.

R/GA is Nokia's lead global digital agency for the Nokia Nseries line of devices. The companies have been partnering for three years on numerous innovative advertising campaigns -- campaigns that include engaging online destination sites, video, print, and out of home, and-helped establish Nokia Nseries as a leading global brand.

About R/GA

R/GA (www.rga.com) is a full-service digital agency that transforms the way people interact with brands. It was the only digital agency named to AdAge's Agency "A-List" in 2007, and was Adweek's Interactive Agency of the Year in 2006, 2004, and 2002. R/GA provides a wide range of services for world-class brands, Fortune 500 companies, and educational and cultural institutions. A commitment to design, technology, and innovation has defined R/GA's continuing legacy as an iconoclast in the world of communications and marketing.

Founded in 1977, R/GA has received the top creative awards for film, broadcast, design, advertising, and interactive. R/GA is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG) , one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services organizations.