Zong and Manchester Unite(d)

Zong has pulled a rabbit, a rhinoceros and an illustrious elephant out of the proverbial hat owing to its collaboration with Manchester United and the launch of the ‘SIM of Champions’. To round off this groundbreaking deal, the telecom company has recently launched an electronic advertisement, which is reminiscent of the Pepsi ads of the days of Inzi and Wasim bhai. Street cricket is replaced by street football, and you have a bunch of bullies overpowering the underdogs before the heroes come and save the day. The setting has been made to resemble a Pakistani street, with a Jalaibi stall, ‘Rehmat Bakers and Café’ et al; however, the yellow cab parked in front of Rehmat Bakery doesn’t border on any of the taxis from our neck of the woods. And then you have some Spanish music in the background for some bizarrely inexplicable reason as well. Quite stereotypical, full of clichés and yet the project is undoubtedly destined to gatecrash into a goldmine.
Ever since ESPN and Star Sports started their coverage of English football in the 90s, the popularity of the sport and indeed the English Premier League has been on perpetual escalation in the subcontinent. From the days of Cantona, Bergkamp, McManaman to the era of Beckham, Henry and Zola, and recently the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard; English Premier League stars have become household names, and one regularly sees youngsters donning the jerseys of their favourite EPL teams in Pakistan. And again, since Manchester United have the biggest fan base in Pakistan – much like most parts of the world – Zong’s customer base is set to skyrocket.
Zong’s SIM of Champions – with the 311 number series – includes offers like “Follow the Star” where one gets updates regarding one’s favourite player, and then you have goal updates, scores, interviews, videos and what not! There are also ring tones that have the voice of your preferred players, one gets the chance to ask questions from personnel associated with the club from Old Trafford among many other exciting offers. I mean, if I were one of the Red Devil brigade I would be hankering after the chance of getting my hands on this little chip sent from the footballing gods. And considering the fact that football buffs nowadays are willing to throw just about any amount of their parents’ hard earned money in their never ending collection of goods related to their club – from washroom accessories to just about every part of clothing, and anything and everything in between – brace yourself for an upsurge of Zong connections in Pakistan.
All the same, in a classic case of Victorian irony, Zong’s lunge into the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ has coincided with one of the darkest hours for the club in recent memory. Zong’s announcement of the deal in October was almost immediately followed by the ‘Six and the City’ episode and a week before the advertisement came on air, Manchester United were dumped out of the Champions League! So, if you believe in omens, Zong hasn’t exactly been United’s lucky charm. While Thursday night Europa League workouts might not be the most lucrative of starts for the Zong-United combo, the popularity of Manchester United the club, and the brand doesn’t look like dipping any time soon.
Maybe other telecom companies should take a cue from Zong and target other famous English or European clubs. Showcasing Ashley Young’s picturesque chest control, Darren Fletcher’s goal celebration, an uncharacteristically unanimated Dimitar Berbatov and an overexcited Rio Ferdinand would work wonders for Zong’s sales; their rivals could do with a Van Persie volley or a Luis Suarez nutmeg of their own.

The writer is Sub-Editor,
Profit. He can be reached at [email protected]