Ooredoo's 'Simply Do Wonders' Winners Meet Leo Messi

DOHA, Qatar, Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of 12 talented young people had the chance to meet sporting hero and Ooredoo brand ambassador Leo Messi in Barcelona last week, as Ooredoo's successful "Simply Do Wonders" competition concluded.

The young sports fans won the competition after uploading videos of themselves displaying their football skills to the dedicated website Simplydowonders.com. They were flown from countries across Ooredoo's footprint on an all-expenses-paid trip to meet and show their football skills to Leo Messi at training facilities in Barcelona, Spain.

While visiting Barcelona, the children also saw Leo Messi playing football during an official match.

The winners came from Tunisia, The Maldives, Qatar, Indonesia, Algeria, Kuwait, and Palestine. The company also extended two additional places for children from Gaza.

Leo Messi said: "This talented group of young people are an inspiration. Despite the challenges many of them face, they are passionate about football and the life opportunities that sport can provide. The reason I began the Leo Messi Foundation and teamed with Ooredoo is to let children know if they work hard, they really can do wonders. Ooredoo's support for this contest and their on-going work to promote sport and healthy lifestyles is a great example of how leading companies can make a difference."

Dr. Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo, said: "This competition has brought football fans around the world together and showcased the skills and aspirations of young people. Working with Leo Messi has enabled us to reach a whole new audience, and we hope together we can keep them engaged and supported through our initiatives for young people."

Simply Do Wonders was Ooredoo's first-ever global communication campaign with Leo Messi and involved a television commercial as well as advertising across media. During its run, over 11 million people viewed the advert online, making it the most-seen video ever from an Arab brand on YouTube.

Ooredoo Group received over 500,000 views on the dedicated competition website, 110,000 engagements with the brand on twitter and 130,000 new fans on Facebook during the period awarding the Ooredoo Group Facebook page the number one telecommunications profile in terms of engagement in July according to SocialBakers. The TV commercial was also named the tenth top viral video in the world during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Ooredoo is dedicated to creating new opportunities for young people and supporting sports across its footprint. The company sponsors a host of high profile teams including French football club Paris Saint-Germain.

The company is continuing 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.

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