WPP-owned JWT's task is to adapt and implement all consumer and business advertising to roll out across Vodafone's 16 territories, replacing the existing agencies in each of those countries.
The appointment reflects the company's attempt to ensure brand consistency as it completes the migration of acquisitions such as Airtouch and Mannesmann to the Vodafone brand, as well as to achieve operational efficiencies and cost savings.
Omnitel Vodafone in Italy and J-Phone Vodafone are the two national networks still operating a dual brand. Vodafone's global marketing budget this year is expected to be £1.5bn.
A so-called 'brand governance group', led by global brand director David Haines and also involving UK chief operating officer Gavin Darby, handled the appointment.
A Vodafone spokesman said: "JWT takes over with immediate effect and existing local creative agencies will be phased out over the next 12 months across our various markets. These include WCRS in the UK."
WCRS, which picked up the UK business at the start of 2001 after losing Orange the year before to Lowe Lintas, will cease work for Vodafone in September.
Wieden & Kennedy created the brand's ongoing 'How Are You' brand theme, which has dominated the company's above-the-line advertising for much of the past year.
COMMENT
Vodafone's aggressive acquisition strategy has firmly established it as a global megabrand alongside the likes of Coca-Cola and Microsoft, making it one of advertising's most coveted accounts.
Its appointment of a single network makes sense to cut overall costs and ensure consistency in communicating the benefits of the next wave of wireless services beyond voice and text messaging.
Revenues from these services will be crucial to its overall performance.
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