LONDON--Telefónica Digital has concluded its global PR review, assigning the business to Bite Communications and Access Communications. 

The company, which is a unit of Spanish telco giant Telefónica, has charged Bite with global lead agency duties. Access will oversee its PR activities in North America, focusing in particular on Silicon Valley.

The review began earlier the year, and attracted interest from numerous firms before being split into separate briefs - one focusing on global lead duties in London, and one on Silicon Valley. 

Bite is tasked with building awareness of Telefónica’s digital strategy, establishing credibility for it in the digital world and changing perceptions of it as simply a telecommunications company. 

Created last year, Telefónica Digital last year is aiming to expand the company’s products in such areas as cloud computing, mobile advertising and eHealth. Current Telefónica Digital businesses include Skype-style internet telephony service Jajah, Spanish social network Tuenti, Latin American internet broadcaster Terra, and UK mobile virtual network Giffgaff.

Bite’s London office will provide support in developing and executing the central communications team’s integrated PR and stakeholder relations programme, developing thought leadership campaigns in support of key focus areas and generating content and materials for Telefónica’s local market teams to use.

 

Access Communications is charged with raising the profile of Telefónica in the US, particularly in the West Coast where Telefónica Digital’s Silicon Valley office is home to its venture capital and global partnerships teams. Telefónica has been ramping up its VC activities in recent months with strategic investments made in cloud computing specialist, Joyent, and mobile payments specialist, Boku.

Access will report to Pam Smith who has recently been named head of communications for Telefónica Digital in North America. Smith joined the company from call centre outsourcer Teleperformance, where she was CMO and EVP, marketing.

“I’m confident we now have the best teams in place globally to support our ambitions of becoming a leading player in the digital world," said David Nicholas, director of global communications at Telefonica Digital. 

"We’ve seen many great agencies as part of this process but we were particularly impressed by both Bite and Access’ understanding of the challenges we face and their strategic response to those challenges. Their thinking and creativity really stood out for us during the process.”