Ooredoo Launches Global Campaign with Leo Messi

DOHA, Qatar, May 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Ooredoo today launch its first-ever global communication campaign with brand ambassador Leo Messi, as the company reaches out to football fans and social media enthusiasts across its footprint in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

The campaign includes an international commercial featuring the football skills of Leo Messi and a host of young local talents from across its footprint.

It is supported by a major social media campaign, "Simply Do Wonders", which encourages young people to upload videos of their football "street skills" to an Instagram account with the hashtag #MeetMessi.

The best local entries will be shared on a dedicated Facebook page and featured on the website, www.simplydowonders.com, and the winning entry will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Barcelona to meet Leo Messi and see a major football match.

Dr. Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo, said: "Across our footprint, from Algeria through to Indonesia and throughout the GCC, football unites people and speaks to their dreams. We're proud that our first global campaign stars our brand ambassador Leo Messi, and seeks to showcase the skills and aspirations of young people around the world."

Leo Messi said: "I'm very pleased to be working with Ooredoo on this campaign, which taps into the wealth of young sporting talent around the world and encourages them to 'Do Wonders'. Together with Ooredoo, I hope we can challenge the contestants to work hard, follow their hearts and become the new generation of global football stars."

The Ooredoo commercial sees the football superstar pit his skills against a team of young players in the heart of a major city – but with an interesting twist fuelled by Ooredoo technology.

One of the aims of the campaign is to demonstrate the links between the Ooredoo brand and Messi's inspirational role at international sports contests like the FIFA World Cup, one of the most viewed events in the world.

Another campaign vision is for Ooredoo to challenge itself to enrich customers and their communities, by uniting people through their love of football and to help support the next generation of sporting stars.

The theme of the advert is Ooredoo's role in helping the young footballers take on Messi, the best footballer in the world. The advert aims to inspire children to realise their dreams and overcome the challenges ahead of them with Ooredoo's support.

The advert airs across a range of pan-Arab, local, Asian and international channels from 1 June 2014. It will be screened during some of the major matches of the FIFA World Cup 2014, hosted across a range of social media sites, and Ooredoo companies across its footprint will run major football promotions during the campaign.

In addition to the promotional push, Ooredoo continues to work with the Leo Messi Foundation on its ongoing mobile health clinic programme, which provides healthcare services for remote areas in Indonesia, Myanmar, Algeria, and Tunisia, with dedicated mobile clinics for each country.

In Indonesia, 16 mobile health clinics have provided free healthcare services for more than 600,000 people. The mobile health clinics have been particularly effective following natural disasters and emergencies, and have now expanded their activities to include providing medicine, vaccinations, and education on infectious diseases for children and their families.

About Ooredoo

Ooredoo is a leading international communications company delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses across markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. As a community-focused company, Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people's lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential. Ooredoo has a presence in markets such as Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Palestine, the Maldives, Myanmar and Indonesia. The company was named "Best Mobile Operator of the Year" at the World Communication Awards 2013.

The company reported revenues of US$9.3 billion in 2013 and had a consolidated global customer base of more than 95 million people as of 31 December 2013. Ooredoo's shares are listed on the Qatar Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.

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SOURCE Ooredoo