Nokia launches conduct review after ad shame
NOKIA yesterday attempted to limit the embarrassment caused by misleading adverts for its new smartphones by promising to conduct an ethics review into its business practices.
The embattled handset manufacturer, which unveiled its flagship phones last week, was accused of deceiving consumers when a promotional film for its Lumia 920 phone’s video shooting technology was revealed to be filmed using a professional camera.
Nokia apologised over the weekend for failing to make clear how the film was recorded. “There was poor judgment in the decision not to use a disclaimer,” a spokesperson said yesterday when announcing the review.
The embarrassing incident comes at the worst possible time for Nokia, which is relying on the success of its latest handsets, which run Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 software, to stay afloat. The company’s share price has fallen by more than 85 per cent in the last four years and dropped further last week when it failed to announce a release date or pricing for the next generation of its phones.
The latest models are seen as a make or break moment for the Finnish firm, which posted a £650m loss in a recent quarterly report.