The Nokia subsidiary has also signed a deal with Quintessentially, the concierge business founded by Ben Elliot, to offer its customers a range of lifestyle services, such as restaurant booking, at the touch of a phone button.
Vertu, which has already recruited actress Gwyneth Paltrow as one of its customers, is planning a major launch campaign focusing on direct marketing.
That will be followed by a sustained customer relationship management programme as well as bursts of advertising using the strapline 'Unparalleled Communications'.
Nokia hopes the Vertu brand will entice wealthy businesspeople as well as affluent members of the fashion and entertainment industries. Vertu mobile phones will retail from £3500 to £15,000.
The products will be positioned as a 'phone for life' that can accommodate any technological upgrades developed by the mobile phone industry. They will be custom-made and cased in platinum, 18-carat gold or stainless steel.
Claydon Heeley's appointment follows a competitive pitch. In June, Vertu handed its lead global media account to Initiative Media, with Mediaedge:CIA working in key Asian markets. The company sees cities such as London, Paris, New York and Singapore as crucial to the success of the Vertu brand.
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