Nokia has admitted it needs to rethink its corporate communications strategy following the Finnish company’s bruising experience in Germany this year when a factory closure stirred a political storm and damaged its brand in Europe’s largest economy.

The world’s largest mobile phone maker had been “naïve” in failing to anticipate the scale of the protests, which included complaints by chancellor Angela Merkel and Nokia boycotts by government ministers, Juha Äkräs, senior vice-president, human resources, told the Financial Times.