The campaign, 'Immobilise', will inform the public they can disable their lost or stolen phones with one call. The work signals the industry's attempt to take a socially responsible lead.
Mobile networks Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile and O2, and handset manufacturers including Nokia and Siemens, are funding the campaign, which has received the backing of Home Office minister John Denham.
Retailers The Link and Carphone Warehouse are spearheading the initiative, with advertising developed jointly by The Grand Union and Clemmow Hornby Inge.
The campaign revolves around an image of a mobile in a wheel clamp with the line 'stolen phones don't work'.
This follows the government's creation of the Central Equipment Identity Register, a database carrying numbers of all mobile phones reported lost or stolen in the UK. Customers report their missing phone by calling their network operator to have it entered on the register and disabled immediately.
'Immobilise' will aim to boost public awareness of the measures, which only came into effect last November.
The £2m campaign breaks in the first week of March using press and outdoor and will be supported by guerrilla marketing.
"Retailers have all suffered from mobile phone crime. We have to raise awareness that stolen phones don't work in order to deter criminals and reassure customers," said Joe Garner, marketing director at The Link.
"We need the 'Immobilise' logo to become a widely recognisable icon alongside the likes of 'Neighbourhood Watch'.
The industry's move comes amid heavyweight marketing campaigns from the big four network operators, wooing consumers to upgrade to camera phones.
Last weekend O2 made a crucial breakthrough in the attempt to speed up adoption of picture messaging, making deals with Orange and T-Mobile to allow its customers to send pictures and sound to customers on the rival networks. Until now, consumers with camera phones have been restricted to sending pictures to people on the same network.
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