Siemens hopes the ad agency that worked such magic for Nike will do the same for its mobile phone division.

Last year, Siemens moved to Weiden & Kennedy, the US creative shop that made Nike an aspirational lifestyle brand.

The result of the move is Siemens' first pan-European brand-building campaign, which will have a four-week stint in the Republic, backed by a £400,000 (€507,900) outlay.

Colourful unbranded teaser posters with Zen-like copy such as "Erase yesterday", "Fulfil your dreams", and "Declare peace", have been on outdoor sites for the past week. These will later be revealed as Siemens and will be supported by press and TV ads.

While Siemens is number two in Europe (behind Nokia) the firm knows its phones have an image problem.

"The new campaign is intended to present Siemens as a youthful, dynamic, innovative brand," says Ms Anna McNamara, the firm's marketing manager in the Republic. Once the branding phase is over, the company will begin product-related advertising, beginning in March when it introduces a handset that incorporates an MP3 player.

The timing of the brand campaign reflects the changing mobile phone environment in the Republic. The demand for enhanced product features, including text messaging and games, particularly among younger mobile users, has made consumers increasingly aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the various brands available.

According to Ms McNamara, mobile phone penetration here is 64 per cent of the population. The biggest growth is in the pre-paid sector. In this environment, consumers are likely to be as concerned with the brand of phone as the network it is linked to.

A study by research company Behaviour & Attitudes last year showed 59 per cent of people were influenced in their choice of mobile phone by the dealer. Today's launch of the third mobile phone operator, Meteor, will increase consumer choice in terms of network availability but not in handset choice.